Signposts & Temporal Flow

The Signposts view translates your structural choices into time: four Signposts per Throughline that describe how conflict unfolds across the narrative. Toggle to this page from the Domains grid (or press s) whenever you want to inspect the order of events and confirm that the resulting emotional experience matches your intent.

NOTE

The Builder currently defaults to a knowledge-anchored, or K-based, reading of structure. That bias keeps the focus on “knowing what the problem is,” so you will only see Signpost progressions that align with that perspective. Future releases may widen the lens, but this conservative bias ensures you always get a coherent, diagnosable sequence today.

Navigating the Signpost view

• Use the Domains / Signposts toggle along the footer—or the d / s shortcuts—to move between structural and temporal views without losing your spot.
• Each Throughline shows its four Signposts plus the attached Progressions (Truth, Evidence, Suspicion, Falsehood, etc.) so you can sense the flow at a glance.
• Hover or tap any Signpost to see the remaining Storyforms that support that exact order and whether the choice was user-selected or inferred.

Undo/Redo, Lock, and Reset behave exactly as they do on the Domains page. The moment you change a Signpost order, the Builder recalculates the remaining Storyforms, updates any inferred Storypoints, and refreshes the Example Storyforms list.

Within the Signpost view, labels shift slightly to clarify purpose: the Signpost itself is the Area of Exploration (its Narrative Function), the Circuit shows the Dramatic Function, and Abstractions surface the Area of Engagement for each beat.

Initial Area of Exploration

Every Signpost row begins with an Initial Area of Exploration. This is the first Storybeat of the Signpost—the Narrative Function that invites the Audience into that act of conflict. The Builder surfaces it so you can:

1. Check whether the opening beat matches the emotional charge you want.
2. Confirm that the remaining beats in the Progression process that energy instead of contradicting it.
3. Capture an outline-ready description for Narrova or your favorite notebook.

Initial Areas of Exploration derive directly from your Storyform, so changing Domains, Issues, or Problem elements will immediately rewrite the available starting beats.

Dramatic Function (Circuit)

Beneath each Signpost you will find the Dramatic Function (Circuit)—the four-beat flow that carries narrative energy from the initial charge to the final resolution of that Signpost. It mirrors the quad-based explanation in the Storybeats article:

1. Entry Beat – the first beat that introduces the charge.
2. Processing Beat A – the first response or elaboration.
3. Processing Beat B – the complication or counterpoint.
4. Exit Beat – the beat that releases the charge and hands the baton to the next Signpost.

Seeing the whole circuit prevents you from repeating the same beat four times. The Builder highlights where each beat lives so you can ensure the energy flows clockwise through the quad and lands in a contrasting space.

Area of Engagement (Abstraction layers)

Each beat includes an Area of Engagement (Abstraction) label that reveals how concrete or conceptual that beat is meant to feel. Use it as a writing prompt:

• Concrete abstractions invite physical storytelling (actions, locations, tactile sensations).
• Conceptual abstractions invite interior or thematic storytelling (beliefs, philosophies, emotional states).

As you zoom into Progressions or Events, those Abstractions persist so the tone stays consistent even as the scope narrows. The Storybeats guide linked above goes deeper into how abstractions shift when you break a Signpost down into its child beats.

Storybeat context

Every Signpost exposes its Progressions and Events right below the Dramatic Circuit. Click Breakdown to expand or collapse these child Storybeats, or jump straight into the Storybeats reference for the full theory behind Signposts, Progressions, and Events. Because the Builder records every change instantly, you can iterate on beats, collapse the view, and still trust that the structure remains intact.

Audience Experiences

The Audience Experience summarizes what your readers or viewers will feel after the dust settles. It combines multiple Dynamics so you can confirm the emotional promise of the Storyform before you write a single scene.

Dynamics	Audience Experience	Meaning
Success + Good	Triumph	The Objective Story reaches its Goal and the Main Character resolves their personal angst. Uplifting, affirming endings live here.
Success + Bad	Pyrrhic Victory	The plot succeeds but the Main Character ends in a negative state. The win feels hollow or costly.
Failure + Good	Personal Triumph	The plot fails yet the Main Character resolves their inner turmoil, offering a bittersweet but hopeful finish.
Failure + Bad	Tragedy	Neither the plot nor the personal journey resolves favorably. Expect catharsis through loss.

Story Driver (Action vs. Decision) and Story Limit (Timelock vs. Optionlock) further color these experiences. An Action/Timelock Triumph races toward a deadline; a Decision/Optionlock Tragedy tightens as choices run out. Because the Builder displays all eight Dynamics alongside the Audience Experience, you can see how each lever reshapes the promise you are making to your Audience.

TIP

Not sure a specific combination delivers the tone you want? Toggle between Domains and Signposts, adjust the Dynamics, and watch the Audience Experience update in real time. You will immediately see whether you are crafting a hopeful redemption, a harrowing cautionary tale, or something in between.

Keep the loop tight

Whenever you learn something new about your Signposts—maybe the Initial Area of Exploration sparks a better idea—jump back to the Domains view, adjust the offending Storypoint, and return here. The two pages share the same Storyform underneath, so everything stays synchronized.