story-compass

name	story-compass
description	Pre-flight diagnostic that determines whether raw material is story-worthy using Tim Runia's Want → Tension → Change → Compass Sentence methodology. Position 0 expert — runs BEFORE all other storytelling/content/copy experts to verify there's actually a story to tell, not just a topic dressed as one. Compresses any idea into one GPS sentence "I wanted ___, but ___, until ___." Binary story-vs-topic test (all three present = story; missing any = still a topic). Workflows for systematic tension mining when none is obvious, engineering meaningful change when ending is weak, applying compass to video scripts, sales copy, VSLs, emails, content calendars, and multi-part series. Use when starting any narrative deliverable, batch-processing content calendar ideas, rescuing stalled mid-creation content, validating brand promises have story fuel, or when the user mentions "Tim Runia", "story compass", "want/tension/change", "compass sentence", "is this actually a story?". Trigger proactively when content drafts feel topic-shaped — the compass surfaces whether there's narrative gravity or just information.
expert	Tim Runia
domain	Story Diagnosis × Narrative Architecture × Pre-Creation Compass

Story Compass — Tim Runia's Idea-to-Story Transformation

Position 0 Expert — Runs BEFORE all other storytelling, content, and copy experts. The pre-flight check that determines whether raw material is story-worthy.

Core Methodology

Want → Tension → Change → Compass Sentence

Every story begins with a clear desire, faces resistance (internal, external, or anticipation), undergoes transformation, and collapses into a single GPS sentence: "I wanted ___, but ___, until ___."

Workflow Table

Tier 1 — Foundation (Core Methodology)

Workflow	Slash Command	Description
runia-compass.md	/runia-compass	Master workflow — any raw idea → compass sentence
runia-story-test.md	/runia-story-test	Binary diagnostic: story or still a topic?
runia-tension-dig.md	/runia-tension-dig	Systematic tension mining when none is obvious
runia-change-engineer.md	/runia-change-engineer	Engineer meaningful change when ending is weak

Tier 2 — Practitioner (Domain-Specific Deployment)

Workflow	Slash Command	Description
runia-video-script.md	/runia-video-script	Compass sentence → full video script structure
runia-content-story.md	/runia-content-story	Want/Tension/Change for written content
runia-copy-narrative.md	/runia-copy-narrative	Narrative backbone for sales copy, VSLs, emails
runia-batch-compass.md	/runia-batch-compass	Process 5-10 ideas at once for content calendars
runia-anticipation.md	/runia-anticipation	Positive tension stories — reveals, launches, transformations

Tier 3 — Stacking & Advanced

Workflow	Slash Command	Description
runia-to-depth.md	/runia-to-depth	Compass → Connelly/Wright/Roth cinematic escalation
runia-to-viral.md	/runia-to-viral	Compass → Puri/Kallaway viral optimization
runia-rescue.md	/runia-rescue	Diagnose and rescue stalled mid-creation content
runia-series-compass.md	/runia-series-compass	Multi-part series — compass per episode + arc compass

Stacking Guide

Stack With	What Happens
Before Shaan Puri	Find the story → then frame it for virality
Before Eric Roth	Build the compass → then apply cinematic depth
Before Connelly	Diagnose story health → then deploy detail/subtext
Before Wright Thompson	Find the core → then build gap/complication
Before Kallaway	Structure narrative → then optimize for saves/conversion
Before Stefan Georgi	Want/Tension/Change → maps to dopamine copy arcs
Before StoryBrand	Want = Hero's Desire, Tension = Villain, Change = Resolution
Before Seth Godin	Compass validates whether brand promise has fuel

Quick Reference

THE COMPASS SENTENCE:
"I wanted [WANT], but [TENSION], until [CHANGE]."

THE STORY TEST:
✓ Is there a clear WANT? (one line)
✓ Is there TENSION? (internal/external/anticipation)
✓ Does something CHANGE? (not circular, has mechanism)
→ All three = Story. Missing any = Still a topic.

THE DIG QUESTIONS (when tension is missing):
- What didn't go as planned?
- What was uncomfortable?
- What was worth remembering?
- What almost didn't happen?
- What made you want to quit?

THE CHANGE PUSH (when ending is weak):
- What actually shifted?
- What did you realize or do differently?
- How did you see it in a new way?

Files

File	Purpose
genius.md	Unified genius context — all patterns, knowledge, exemplars
SKILL.md	This manifest
workflows/*.md	13 production workflows

Source

• Expert: Tim Runia — Video director, agency owner, YouTuber
• Source: "Turn ANY Idea Into a Story" (YouTube)
• Extraction: Deep tier, forge pipeline
• Date: 2026-04-16

Execution Prompts (structure-pure v2)

12 deterministic practitioner prompts — each carries an Output Contract, Output Skeleton, and Quality Gate. When a deliverable matches one, Read it and honor its contract instead of improvising the output shape.

• Tim Runia — Anticipation Compass — skills/story-compass/references/prompts-v2/anticipation-compass.md
• Tim Runia — Batch Compass Processing — skills/story-compass/references/prompts-v2/batch-compass-processing.md
• Tim Runia — Change Engineering — skills/story-compass/references/prompts-v2/change-engineering.md
• Tim Runia — Compass Sentence — skills/story-compass/references/prompts-v2/compass-sentence.md
• Tim Runia — Cross-Expert Escalation Brief — skills/story-compass/references/prompts-v2/cross-expert-escalation.md
• Tim Runia — Mid-Creation Rescue — skills/story-compass/references/prompts-v2/mid-creation-rescue.md
• Tim Runia — Sales Narrative Backbone — skills/story-compass/references/prompts-v2/sales-narrative-backbone.md
• Tim Runia — Series Compass Architecture — skills/story-compass/references/prompts-v2/series-compass-architecture.md
• Tim Runia — Story Test Diagnostic — skills/story-compass/references/prompts-v2/story-test-diagnostic.md
• Tim Runia — Tension Excavation — skills/story-compass/references/prompts-v2/tension-excavation.md
• Tim Runia — Compass to Video Script — skills/story-compass/references/prompts-v2/video-script.md
• Tim Runia — Written Content Story — skills/story-compass/references/prompts-v2/written-content-story.md