Narrova Skills

Narrova Skills are focused workflows you call when you want Narrova to do a specific kind of narrative work on purpose. Instead of hoping a general prompt lands on the right mode, you tell Narrova which Skill to use and then give it the exact story material you want handled.

This page covers two different Skill experiences. In Narrova, Skills are called directly inside the conversation composer with $. In Subtxt, Narrova Skills appear as Task Manager runs that populate structured Storyform workspaces for review and refinement.

Skills in Narrova

In Narrova, Skills live inside the conversation itself. You can call one at any point in a thread by placing your cursor in the message box, typing $, and choosing from the Skill picker that appears.

After you choose a Skill, Narrova inserts it inline in the composer as a Skill token such as [$Extract Four Throughlines]. Narrova automatically formats that token into a cleaner pill-shaped label in the composer, so it reads as part of the prompt without looking like raw markup. Finish your request after that token, send the message, and Narrova routes the turn through that Skill instead of relying on general-purpose routing alone.

At the moment, Narrova exposes these Skills in the composer:

• Extract Four Throughlines
• Character Arcs
• Thematic Argument
• Map Objective Story Players
• Story Coverage
• Find Best Storyform
• Develop Storypoint
• Effective Writing
• NCP Story Notebook

Call a Skill in Narrova

• Location: Narrova → conversation composer.
• Action: Type $, choose a Skill, then finish the prompt with the material you want Narrova to work on.
• Outcome: Narrova inserts the selected Skill into the composer and uses that workflow for the turn you send.
• Validation: The selected Skill appears inline in the composer as [$Skill Name] before you submit.

TIP

Type a few letters after $ to filter the picker faster. For example, $sto narrows the list toward Story Coverage.

IMPORTANT

A Skill sharpens the workflow, but it does not replace Context. If you want Narrova to analyze a draft, make sure the file is uploaded or the right Story/Storyform Context is attached before you run the Skill.

Extract Four Throughlines

Extract Four Throughlines drafts a balanced set of Objective Story, Main Character, Influence Character, and Relationship Story seeds from a Genre, logline, or rough Throughline notes. In plain language, it gives you a first structural read on the story before you start locking Storypoints by hand.

Use it when the premise is clear enough to storyform, but the four Perspectives are still fuzzy or blended together. Narrova keeps the Relationship Story centered on the bond itself, rather than collapsing it into a recap of the Main Character and Influence Character.

• Location: Narrova → conversation composer.
• Action: Type $, choose Extract Four Throughlines, then describe your Genre, logline, or the Throughline draft you want refined.
• Outcome: Narrova returns a complete Four Throughline pass with distinct Objective Story, Main Character, Influence Character, and Relationship Story directions.
• Validation: You should receive all four Perspectives in one response, with the Relationship Story written as a pressured relationship rather than as two separate character summaries.

Common mistake: using this Skill when you actually need draft diagnosis or ending analysis. If you want evidence from an uploaded screenplay, book manuscript, or prose draft, use Story Coverage instead.

Writing use: Use this when you have a strong story idea but need a coherent structural spine before moving deeper into Storyform work.

Map Objective Story Players

Map Objective Story Players builds or refines the cast functions that carry the Objective Story. In plain language, it helps you decide who each Player is in the story's external conflict, what objective role they serve, and which Element-level motivations they actually carry in relation to the Story Goal.

Use it when the Objective Story Throughline is taking shape but the cast still feels blurry, redundant, or overly psychological. Narrova keeps the work anchored in Player function, archetypal or Complex assignment, and active illustration phrases instead of drifting into biography or private character interiority.

• Location: Narrova → conversation composer.
• Action: Type $, choose Map Objective Story Players, then provide the Story Goal, Player names, and any Storyform notes, cards, or screenshots you want mapped.
• Outcome: Narrova returns a Player worksheet or fuller Player-card draft with objective role lines, Element-level motivations, and concrete illustration phrases tied to the Objective Story.
• Validation: Each Player should read like a clear Objective Story function, carry actual Elements instead of vague traits, and avoid collapsing into Main Character or Influence Character psychology.

Common mistake: treating this Skill like a character-bio generator. If the output starts sounding like personality analysis instead of externally legible story function, bring it back to the Story Goal and the Objective Story lane.

Writing use: Use this when the plot pressure is starting to work but the cast still needs a cleaner Objective Story spine.

Character Arcs

Character Arcs works out the paired movement between the Main Character and the Influence Character. In plain language, it helps you decide who changes, who remains steadfast, what each perspective is moving away from or holding onto, and how both viewpoints stay linked even when they challenge each other.

Use it when the story's personal movement is still fuzzy, or when you want to pressure-test Change versus Steadfast before the full Storyform is locked. Narrova can work from an attached Storyform when one exists, but it can also start provisionally from the writer's sense of the I perspective and the You perspective before the terminology is fully settled.

For linear stories, the Skill frames the movement through Problem and Solution. For holistic stories, it shifts into Condition and Accommodation language, treating the arc less like a fix and more like a change in direction. It also helps surface the way both perspectives are alike and the way they differ, so the pair feels like one argument instead of two unrelated character notes.

• Location: Narrova → conversation composer.
• Action: Type $, choose Character Arcs, then describe the Main Character and Influence Character pressure you want to work through, or attach the current Storyform context and ask Narrova to clarify the arc pair.
• Outcome: Narrova returns a paired arc read with a Change perspective, a Steadfast perspective, shared dynamic pressure, and concrete next steps for revision or further discovery.
• Validation: You should come away with a clear sense of who changes, who remains steadfast, how the Dynamic pair moves, and what both perspectives share or oppose.

Common mistake: treating steadfast like "nothing happens." A steadfast arc still moves. The key is that the character stays with the same source-of-drive rather than crossing over into the opposite point of view.

Writing use: Use this when the story's I and You perspectives need a cleaner personal spine before you continue developing Storypoints, scenes, or Throughline illustrations.

Thematic Argument

Thematic Argument reduces a Storyform into one clear statement of what the story is really saying. In plain language, it turns structural appreciations such as Change, Steadfast, Problem, Solution, Story Goal, Outcome, and Judgment into a writer-usable thematic line instead of leaving them as isolated labels.

Use it when you already have a Storyform or partial Storyform and want to understand what that arrangement actually means. It can also work in reverse: if you know the kind of thematic statement you want the story to make, Narrova can return a small set of Storyform directions that would make that statement structurally true.

The Skill does not stop at abstract labels. When possible, it retrieves verified illustration anchors from the approved illustration library. If the right anchor is not yet verified, Narrova labels the phrase as provisional so you can tell the difference between checked material and inferred wording.

• Location: Narrova → conversation composer.
• Action: Type $, choose Thematic Argument, then either attach your current Storyform and ask what it means, or provide the thematic statement you want the story to make and ask what kind of Storyform would support it.
• Outcome: Narrova returns either one primary thematic argument from the Storyform or a short candidate set of thematic arguments and Storyform directions when the structure is still partial.
• Validation: You should receive a concrete thematic statement, a clear Issue / Counterpoint tension, illustration anchors marked as verified or provisional, and the next best Storypoints to lock if ambiguity remains.

Common mistake: treating theme as a topic. If the result still sounds like a broad subject such as trust, justice, or self-worth, keep pushing until it becomes a lived argument about what happens when someone embraces or resists that pressure.

Writing use: Use this when you need to know what your Storyform is actually arguing, or when you want to reverse-engineer the Storyform that would support the message you want to make.

Story Coverage

Story Coverage reads an uploaded screenplay, teleplay, treatment, manuscript, or prose draft and evaluates the story structurally. In plain language, it tells you whether a real Storyform is showing up on the page, where each Throughline is strong or weak, and what to fix first.

Script Coverage and Book Coverage remain accepted aliases, but Story Coverage is the canonical product name.

This is not taste-based reader coverage. It is evidence-based narrative coverage built around Throughline presence, Signpost movement, Storyform candidates, and rewrite priorities tied to what is actually in the draft.

• Location: Narrova → conversation composer, with a readable draft already uploaded.
• Action: Type $, choose Story Coverage, then ask Narrova to evaluate the uploaded draft.
• Outcome: Narrova audits all four Throughlines, scores presence and effectiveness, identifies likely Signpost work by draft section, and returns rewrite priorities grounded in the text.
• Validation: You should get specific evidence from the draft, not generic feedback about whether the writing is "good" or "bad."

Common mistake: uploading an image-based or flattened PDF and expecting text-level analysis. If Narrova cannot read enough draft text, re-export a searchable PDF or upload DOCX, TXT, or another text-readable source.

Writing use: Use this when you need to know whether the draft actually carries a complete argument, not just whether individual scenes feel promising.

Find Best Storyform

Find Best Storyform resolves the strongest Storyform candidate for a draft or an existing story already in progress. In plain language, it compares plausible Storyforms against the actual evidence, keeps weak assumptions from locking too early, and works toward the best-supported structural fit.

Use it when you already have meaningful story material, attached Storyform context, or an uploaded draft and need Narrova to determine which Storyform is most defensible. This is not an ideation Skill. It is an evidence-first narrowing pass that compares candidates, pressure-tests appreciations, and identifies the best fit before saving the winner into the notebook workflow when available.

• Location: Narrova → conversation composer, with an uploaded draft or attached story context when possible.
• Action: Type $, choose Find Best Storyform, then ask Narrova to evaluate the draft or existing story context and determine the best-fitting Storyform.
• Outcome: Narrova returns a ranked candidate board, selects one best-fit Storyform, justifies the major appreciations with evidence, and reports the notebook export result when that workflow is available.
• Validation: You should receive a real shortlist comparison with one winning Storyform, not a vague theory lecture or a single unsupported guess.

Common mistake: using this Skill too early. If all you have is a premise and a Genre with no meaningful story evidence yet, start with Extract Four Throughlines instead of forcing a full Storyform fit.

Writing use: Use this when the draft exists and you need to know which Storyform it is actually arguing for.

Develop Storypoint

Develop Storypoint helps you move one appreciation forward at a time. In plain language, it gives you a concrete Storypoint to work on, explains what that appreciation means structurally, and then coaches how to illustrate or deepen it in the context of your actual story.

Use it when the story is underway but you need a smart next step instead of broad advice. If you name a Storypoint directly, Narrova focuses there even if it already has a value and treats the task as a deepen-or-illustrate pass. If you do not name a Storypoint and Narrova has Storyform context, it looks for the three strongest missing Storypoints to tackle next, surfaces that shortlist, and then continues with the top pick in the same reply. If no Storyform is attached yet, it falls back to Story Goal, Main Character Problem, and Relationship Story Catalyst.

• Location: Narrova → conversation composer.
• Action: Type $, choose Develop Storypoint, then either name the appreciation you want help with or ask Narrova what to work on next.
• Outcome: Narrova returns a focused coaching pass on one appreciation, using the definition, story context, and short examples to open up concrete development paths.
• Validation: You should get one specific Storypoint to work on, plus explanation, examples, and follow-up questions that move the story forward immediately.

Common mistake: using this Skill as a substitute for full Storyform selection. If you need Narrova to determine the whole Storyform from a draft, use Find Best Storyform instead.

Writing use: Use this when the Storyform is partial, the story feels stuck, or you want Narrova to hand you the next structurally meaningful thing to develop.

Effective Writing

Effective Writing improves prose at the sentence level by strengthening verbs, clarifying agency, and making language more concrete. In plain language, it helps the writing carry more force without stripping away the writer's voice.

Use it when the underlying idea is sound but the paragraph, scene description, synopsis passage, or explanatory copy still reads flat, passive, or overabstract. It is a craft pass, not a structural Storyform pass.

• Location: Narrova → conversation composer.
• Action: Type $, choose Effective Writing, then paste the passage you want revised and name any tone or length constraints you want preserved.
• Outcome: Narrova rewrites the passage for clarity, momentum, and precision while keeping the original meaning and intended register intact.
• Validation: The revised text should read cleaner and more active, but it should still sound like the same piece of writing.

Common mistake: using this Skill to solve a structural problem. If the issue is a missing Throughline, weak Signpost progression, or unclear Storyform, fix the structure first with Extract Four Throughlines or Story Coverage.

Writing use: Use this after the story decision is basically right and you want the prose to stop sounding inert.

NCP Story Notebook

NCP Story Notebook manages the writer-facing notebook behind the Narrative Context Protocol workspace. In plain language, it gives Narrova a structured place to save, review, and package evolving story notes so they do not stay scattered across conversation turns.

Use it when a Narrova session has produced real story decisions, ideation, or notebook material you want preserved as a coherent working record. It can also review the current notebook state or prepare a downloadable notebook bundle when that workflow is available.

See Narrative Context Protocol (NCP) for the larger Storyform-to-NCP sync model that keeps this notebook aligned with Subtxt and Storyform Builder.

• Location: Narrova → conversation composer.
• Action: Type $, choose NCP Story Notebook, then tell Narrova whether you want to save notes, review the current notebook, or prepare a notebook download.
• Outcome: Narrova updates or reviews the active notebook state and summarizes what changed.
• Validation: You should receive a clear notebook-oriented result such as saved updates, a review summary, or a download-ready notebook response rather than a casual chat recap.

Common mistake: treating this as a prose editor or theory explainer. This Skill is for structured notebook state and story recordkeeping.

Writing use: Use this when a conversation has finally produced something you do not want to lose.

Skills in Subtxt

Subtxt uses Narrova Skills differently. Instead of calling them inline from the composer, you run them from the Task Manager and let them write into structured Storyform workspaces for later review.

The current Skill documented in Subtxt is Generate Four Throughlines. This is the same core kind of work you may request in Narrova chat, but in Subtxt it appears as a managed task that temporarily locks the relevant workspace panels while the generation runs.

Generate Four Throughlines

Generate Four Throughlines proposes a complete set of Objective Story, Main Character, Influence Character, and Relationship Story Throughlines inside Subtxt's Forming workspace. In plain language, it gives you a review-ready first pass when you do not want to draft every Perspective manually.

Run it when you have enough premise material to define the story structurally, but you want Narrova to do the initial balancing work. The result is meant to be edited, challenged, and refined inside Subtxt rather than treated as untouchable final copy.

• Location: Subtxt → Task Manager → Forming → Four Throughlines.
• Action: Click the Task Manager button beside Search, run Generate Four Throughlines, then open the Four Throughlines workspace to review the result.
• Outcome: Subtxt moves through intake, draft, refine, and review stages while the relevant Four Throughlines panels stay temporarily locked.
• Validation: When the task completes, the panels unlock and each Throughline contains new text you can inspect and revise directly in Subtxt.

Common mistake: treating the generated pass as the finished Storyform. Keep what is structurally right, then adjust the wording, Perspectives, and linked Storypoints so the Throughlines reflect your actual intent.

TIP

After the Skill completes, move directly into Four Throughlines, then continue into Plot & Players and Character Arcs so the structural draft stays synchronized across the Storyform.

Writing use: Use this when you want Narrova to seed the Throughlines inside the Subtxt workspace itself, not just answer in freeform conversation.