narrative-auto-reasoning

name	narrative-auto-reasoning
description	Use as a workflow skill when a fiction task needs multiple narrative control loops combined: explicit reasoning, minimum viable prose, surgical editing, and hook/hold/payoff verification. Coordinates the narrative-explicit-reasoning, narrative-minimum-viable-prose, narrative-surgical-editing, and narrative-hook-hold-payoff skills for AI writing IDE or autonomous agent workflows.

Narrative Auto Reasoning

Use this workflow skill to coordinate the four narrative control skills:

• $narrative-explicit-reasoning for assumptions, motivation, lore constraints, contradictions, and twist tradeoffs.
• $narrative-minimum-viable-prose for concise drafting, compression, concrete observation, and avoiding lore dumps.
• $narrative-surgical-editing for targeted edits with a constrained edit radius.
• $narrative-hook-hold-payoff for scene/chapter momentum, escalation, structure, and payoff verification.

Quick Start

Use this workflow when the task spans more than one control loop, such as:

• Planning and drafting a new scene
• Revising a scene while preserving lore and structure
• Diagnosing why a chapter drifts
• Designing a plot twist and then drafting the beat
• Compressing prose without losing Hook/Hold/Payoff
• Running an autonomous AI writing IDE loop

Before substantial prose work:

• Load references/craft-map.md for the combined operating model.
• Load references/output-contracts.md when the user needs a structured scene, chapter, twist, edit, or contradiction loop.
• Load references/source-index.md when the user asks where the source grounding or principles came from.
• Use $narrative-contextual-prose-density when the scene needs a deliberate depiction/explanation detail budget.
• Use $narrative-subtext-mapping when dialogue or interaction depends on hidden knowledge, agenda, or emotional state.
• Use $narrative-epistemic-targeting when lore, backstory, reveals, or reader discovery must be filtered by a single reader insight.

Operating Loop

Strict mode is the default unless the user explicitly opts out.

1. Route the task to the needed component skills.
2. Run $narrative-explicit-reasoning first when motivation, lore, assumptions, contradiction, or twist logic matters.
3. Run $narrative-hook-hold-payoff before scene or chapter drafting to define success criteria.
4. Run $narrative-minimum-viable-prose for the drafting or compression pass.
5. Run $narrative-surgical-editing when modifying existing prose.
6. Run a final <self_check> against the original criteria.
7. If the self-check fails, revise before presenting the result.
8. Stop and ask one precise clarification question if the emotional beat or lore state contradicts known context.

Routing Table

User task	Use first	Then use
"Plan this scene"	$narrative-explicit-reasoning	$narrative-hook-hold-payoff
"Draft this scene"	$narrative-explicit-reasoning	$narrative-hook-hold-payoff, $narrative-minimum-viable-prose
"Make this shorter"	$narrative-minimum-viable-prose	$narrative-surgical-editing if editing existing text
"Change this line/beat only"	$narrative-surgical-editing	$narrative-explicit-reasoning if continuity risk appears
"Add a twist"	$narrative-explicit-reasoning	$narrative-hook-hold-payoff
"Fix a drifting chapter"	$narrative-hook-hold-payoff	$narrative-minimum-viable-prose
"Continue from here"	$narrative-explicit-reasoning	$narrative-hook-hold-payoff, $narrative-minimum-viable-prose

Required Reasoning Block

Before drafting fiction, use this compact shape:

<reasoning>
Task:
Scene or edit target:
Character emotional goal:
Character outward goal:
Known lore constraints:
Genre/tone constraints:
Narrative tradeoffs:
Chosen approach:
Stop conditions:
</reasoning>

Rules:

• State assumptions explicitly.
• Do not invent hidden motivations when the user has already supplied canon.
• If a contradiction appears, stop instead of smoothing it over.
• If a major plot twist is requested, give 2-3 interpretations and choose one with rationale.
• Keep the rationale short enough to help the user steer the story.

Minimum Viable Prose

For drafting and compression, defer to $narrative-minimum-viable-prose.

Default workflow rule:

• Draft only the prose needed for the immediate beat.
• Add no speculative lore.
• Prefer concrete pressure, action, dialogue, and choice over explanation.
• Stop when the emotional turn has landed.

Cognitive Tool Layer

When the task involves autonomous scene generation, add these controls before drafting:

<cognitive_tool_layer>
Scene_Mode: depiction | explanation | hybrid
Epistemic_Goal:
Active_Unseen_State:
Detail_Budget:
Withheld_Info:
</cognitive_tool_layer>

Rules:

• Scene_Mode controls prose density: depiction for recognition and atmosphere, explanation for causal mechanics.
• Epistemic_Goal controls what the reader should learn or infer now.
• Active_Unseen_State controls subtext: knowledge, hidden agenda, and true emotion.
• Withheld_Info protects tension by deferring lore that does not serve the current reader update.

Surgical Editing

For targeted revision, defer to $narrative-surgical-editing.

Default workflow rule:

• Define the edit radius before changing text.
• Preserve surrounding prose unless it creates contradiction.
• Report exactly what changed.

Hook, Hold, Payoff

Before chapter or scene generation, define:

Hook:
Hold:
Payoff:
Failure risk:

After generation, verify:

<self_check>
Hook present:
Hold escalates:
Payoff lands:
Lore preserved:
Character motive coherent:
Prose efficiency:
Revision needed:
</self_check>

If Revision needed is yes, revise before final output.

Output Shapes

For a new scene, use:

<reasoning>...</reasoning>

Scene:

<self_check>...</self_check>

For a chapter plan, use:

Chapter job:
Hook:
Hold:
Payoff:
Character turn:
Lore used:
Scenes:
Risks:

For a plot twist, use:

Twist request:
Existing promises:
Option A:
Option B:
Option C:
Recommended option:
Cost:
Setup needed:
Payoff path:

For a surgical revision, use:

Edit target:
Allowed edit radius:
Must preserve:
Revised passage:
Changes made:
Remaining risks:

For a lore contradiction halt, use:

I need clarification before drafting because:
Known context:
Contradicting request:
Decision needed:
Recommended resolution:

For a prose compression pass, use:

Keep:
Cut:
Compress:
Revised passage:
Why it is shorter:

Guardrails

• Do not imitate David Perell, Morgan Housel, Alain de Botton, Steven Pressfield, or any living author's prose voice.
• Use the source material and component skills as craft guidance only.
• Do not quote long transcript passages.
• Do not overwrite the user's story intent.
• Preserve productive ambiguity; fix confusion, not mystery.
• Prefer asking one precise question over inventing missing canon.
• Make the author feel more in control of the story, not less.