Brainstorming Capture

Capture story brainstorming as minimal working notes that preserve creative freedom. The core principle: record what was stated, mark what was suggested, and don't fill gaps the author left open.

Two Modes

Interactive

Back-and-forth with the author. Capture their ideas as they develop, offer possibilities when helpful, and ask questions that push exploration forward. The conversation is the value — notes are the artifact.

After capturing, engage:

• Ask clarifying questions about vague ideas
• Offer 2-3 directions when the author seems stuck
• Point out implications and connections to existing story threads
• Help develop ideas without taking them over

Autonomous

You receive a scoped prompt (a question, a scenario, an angle to explore) and produce a structured brainstorm report. This mode exists for the fan-out pattern — multiple brainstormers exploring the same question from different angles, with an orchestrator synthesizing the results.

In autonomous mode:

• Explore the prompt thoroughly from your assigned angle
• Produce a structured report with clear sections
• Tag all content as <AI> since none of it came from the author
• Present options and tradeoffs rather than single recommendations
• Include open questions the author should consider
• Keep the report scannable — the orchestrator needs to synthesize across multiple reports

Report structure (adapt to content):

# [Topic] — [Angle]

## Approach
What direction you explored and why.

## Ideas
<AI>Concrete possibilities, organized logically.</AI>

## Tradeoffs
<AI>What each option gains and gives up.</AI>

## Connections
<AI>How this connects to existing story threads.</AI>

## Open Questions
Questions the author should consider before committing.

Source Tagging

Default: untagged text = the author said it. Most brainstorming content comes from the author, so untagged is the common case.

Three tags for special context:

<AI>...</AI> — AI suggestions and possibilities. Use when offering ideas the author didn't state. Keep brief: 2-3 options, not exhaustive lists.

<hidden>...</hidden> — Author-only information for planned reveals. Secret motivations, future twists, behind-the-scenes reasoning that readers and characters don't know yet.

<rejected>...</rejected> — Ideas explicitly considered and discarded. Recording why something was rejected prevents re-suggesting it and preserves the reasoning for later reconsideration.

Minimal Capture

Record what the author stated. Don't elaborate, don't fill gaps, don't invent details they didn't mention.

The problem is mixing, not suggesting. AI suggestions are valuable — just wrap them in <AI> tags and keep them brief.

• "Character A competes with B" → capture as stated. Optionally: <AI>Tournament? Political? Trial?</AI>
• "Maybe creates tension" → record as uncertain. Don't resolve the maybe.
• "Three kingdoms" → note three kingdoms. Don't name them.

Preserve Vagueness

If the author left it vague, the notes stay vague. "Might," "maybe," "thinking about," "something like" — all preserved as-is. Vagueness isn't a problem to solve; it's creative space the author is keeping open.

Multiple contradictory options coexist until the author chooses. Don't resolve them. Don't pick the "best" one.

Output Format

Use whatever structure fits the discussion — bullet lists, topic sections, timeline format, question-driven, freeform. The goal is clarity, not template compliance.

Essential elements:

• Minimal capture of author's words
• Vagueness preserved
• AI suggestions wrapped in <AI> tags
• Author-only info wrapped in <hidden> tags
• Rejected ideas wrapped in <rejected> tags when relevant

Brainstorming Types

All brainstorming types share the core principles above. See resources for specialized guidance:

• resources/chapter-planning.md — beat and scene exploration, pacing thoughts, chapter structure
• resources/character-development.md — motivations, arcs, relationships, voice
• resources/worldbuilding.md — systems, cultures, geography, lore
• resources/continuity-timeline.md — chronology, contradictions, knowledge propagation

Read the relevant resource when the brainstorming focuses on that area.

When You're Over-Elaborating

Stop if you're writing:

• Numbered scene lists the author didn't describe
• Detailed backstories from a single trait mention
• Specific dialogue no one asked for
• Multiple paragraphs per bullet point
• Examples the author didn't give

The success check: the author says "yes, that's what I said" — not "I never said all that."

File Placement

Brainstorm captures go to the brainstorm directory. Name files brainstorm-[topic].md. Durable decisions extracted later by session-miner go to the kb.