Narrative Nonfiction

Narrative Nonfiction Workshop

Workflow for self-help and prescriptive nonfiction using narrative elements and metaphors to guide reader transformation.

Core concept: Reader is protagonist; book is map and method; transformation is the contract.

Session Continuity

Book projects span weeks or months. Claude has no memory between sessions, so the project's blueprint document is your persistent state.

• At session start: Read book-blueprint.md (or whatever the project calls its blueprint) before doing any other work. Skim recent files in sessions/ for unresolved threads.
• At session end: Write a brief note at sessions/YYYY-MM-DD_topic-slug.md summarizing what was done, decisions made, and the stopping point. Two to five sentences is enough.
• When foundations shift: Update the blueprint immediately when promise, central metaphor, reader-arc stages, or reveal structure change. The blueprint is the source of truth, not a one-time template.
• Surface unresolved questions: At the start of new work, list questions left open from prior sessions and ask the user which to address before continuing.

When to Use

This skill is for:

• ✅ Self-help and prescriptive nonfiction books
• ✅ Memoirs with lessons or transformation arcs
• ✅ Books using extended metaphors or narrative framing
• ✅ Practical guides that include storytelling elements
• ✅ Reader journey design (before state → after state)
• ✅ Structural-argument nonfiction (books that reframe how readers understand a system or category)

When NOT to Use

This skill is NOT for:

• ❌ Pure fiction (novels, short stories) - use fiction-workshop instead
• ❌ Academic writing or research papers - different conventions
• ❌ Straight journalism or reporting - no transformation arc
• ❌ Technical documentation or how-to guides without story elements
• ❌ Business books focused purely on data/case studies without reader journey

Stage 1: Foundation Building

Goal: Establish promise, metaphor system, and transformation arc.

Initial Questions

1. Target reader? (Demographics + psychographics)
2. Transformation promise?
3. Central metaphor/framing?
4. Reader's "before" and "after" states?
5. Book's unique angle?
6. How much outlined vs. drafted?

Core Components

Promise: What reader gains. "This book will help you [transformation] by [method]"

Metaphor: Central metaphor, how it maps to advice, where it helps/misleads

Reader's Journey: Entry point (where they start), pain points, resistance, transformation stages, exit point (who they become)

Twist/Reveal (if applicable): What's revealed, setup needed, how to earn payoff

Use assets/book-blueprint-template.md if needed.

Exit condition: Clear grasp of reader, promise, metaphor, arc.

Stage 2: Chapter Development

Goal: Draft or refine chapters balancing advice, story, and exercises.

Chapter structure: Hook (story/question) → Setup (why this matters) → Content (teaching) → Evidence (stories/research) → Application (exercises) → Bridge (to next)

Writing Modes

Modes are primarily for Stage 2 (Chapter Development) and Stage 3 (Arc Integrity Check); Stage 1 is freeform foundation-building that does not require mode invocation. Switch between these as needed:

Load only the reference file matching the currently invoked mode. Do not preload all references at session start—it wastes context budget. If switching modes mid-session, load the new reference file and treat the prior one as out-of-scope unless the work explicitly bridges both.

For Reveal Engineer specifically: reveal-engineering.md is an index across four reveal patterns (permission-reframe, empirical, structural, conceptual). Read its "Choosing a Reveal Pattern" section first, identify which pattern fits the project, then load only that pattern's reference file. Don't preload all four.

See references/ for detailed guidance on each mode.

Creation Workflow

1. Purpose Check: Key takeaway? Where in arc? What must reader believe before next chapter?

2. Outline Beats: Hook options, teaching points (2-4), stories/examples, exercises, bridge

3. Draft: Write chapter. Use "write like you talk" voice.

4. Layer Metaphor: Present but not forced.

5. Add Exercises: Use references/exercise-design.md

6. Polish: Check voice, pacing, reader energy

Editing Workflow

1. Read as Target Reader: Engaged? Understand? Believe I can do this? Overwhelmed or ready?

2. Diagnose: Confusion → clarify | Boredom → add story | Resistance → address objections | Overwhelm → simplify

3. Invoke Mode: Load relevant reference file

4. Implement: Use str_replace

Stage 3: Arc Integrity Check

Goal: Verify book works as complete transformation journey.

Read full outline/manuscript for:

1. Promise Delivery: Book delivers promise? Transformation clear and achievable?
2. Pacing: Change speed appropriate? Integration plateaus? Energy builds?
3. Metaphor: Maintained throughout? Breaks or contradicts? Still serves at end?
4. Reveal (if applicable): Twist earned? Seeds planted? Reframe lands emotionally?
5. Exercise Progression: Build on each other? Difficulty matches stage? Variety?

Common Issues

Self-Check: Is This Working?

Use these checkpoints to verify you're following the workflow correctly.

After Foundation Building:

• Can you state the book's promise in one sentence?
• Can you describe the reader's "before" and "after" states clearly?
• Do you understand the central metaphor and how it maps to the advice?
• Can you outline the transformation arc stages without looking at notes?

After drafting a chapter:

• Does the chapter have all six elements: hook, setup, content, evidence, application, bridge?
• Is the metaphor present but not forced?
• Is the voice consistent with previous chapters?
• Would the target reader understand and believe they can apply this?

After designing an exercise:

• Does the exercise difficulty match where the reader is in their journey?
• Can the reader complete it with the knowledge they have so far?
• Is it specific enough to be actionable (not "improve your productivity" but "track your time for three days")?
• Does it build on previous exercises?

After invoking a mode:

• Did you explicitly request "Voice Editor" or "Metaphor Consultant" or specific mode?
• Is the feedback focused on that mode's domain?
• Did you avoid mixing concerns (voice + content + exercises all at once)?

Before claiming "done":

• Does the full arc deliver on the promise made in chapter 1?
• Is the metaphor consistent throughout (or intentionally evolved)?
• Do exercises progress logically from simple to complex?
• If there's a reveal/twist, are seeds planted in earlier chapters?

If you answered "no" to any checkpoint, return to that stage before proceeding.

Stopping Points

Each mode and stage has a defined end. Stop at it. Do not auto-advance to the next mode, do not silently expand scope, do not start rewriting when you were asked to diagnose.

If the author explicitly asks you to continue past a stopping point, fine—but name what's about to happen ("I'll now move from diagnosis to rewriting Chapter 4's hook") so the scope shift is visible.

Common Mistakes

Example: Voice Consistency

Inconsistent voice (Chapter 1 conversational, Chapter 4 academic):

Chapter 1: "You know that feeling of finishing a 'productive' day without accomplishing anything important? That's your brain telling you something's off."

Chapter 4: "Empirical research demonstrates that individuals who engage in time-blocking methodologies exhibit significantly higher levels of task completion and subjective productivity (Chen et al., 2019)."

Consistent voice (both conversational):

Chapter 4: "Here's what the research shows: people who use time-blocking finish more important work. One study tracked 500 knowledge workers for six months and found time-blockers completed 60% more high-priority projects. Your instinct was right."

The difference: Conversational voice maintains "you/your" address, uses plain language, and connects research to reader experience.

Example: Forced vs. Natural Metaphor

Book metaphor: "Think Like an Architect"

Forced: "When you wake up in the morning, draft your day's blueprint. Pour your foundation coffee. Every moment is a chance to design your life's structure."

Natural: "Architects plan for what they need before breaking ground. When you start a project, identify your requirements first—don't just start building and hope it works out."

The difference: Natural metaphor illuminates specific advice. Forced metaphor tries to shoehorn every detail into the frame.

Example: Exercise Design with Scaffolding

Early chapter exercise (reader just learning concept):

EXERCISE: Track Your Time
This week, log what you actually do for three full workdays.
Just notice. Don't judge yourself or try to optimize yet.
Write down: Where did your time go? When were you most focused?

Later chapter exercise (reader has practiced basics):

EXERCISE: Block Your First Deep Work Session
Choose one morning this week (not your busiest day—start manageable).
1. Identify your most important task
2. Block 90 minutes using the protocol from Chapter 3
3. Practice saying it out loud three times before the actual conversation
4. Deliver the boundary
5. Journal: What happened? How did you feel? What would you do differently?

The difference: Early exercises are observation-only with no pressure. Later exercises build on established skills and ask for action.

Quick Reference Commands

Finding Format

This skill's diagnostic modes (reveal-engineering plant/payoff gaps, metaphor-consistency checks, reader-journey audits) conform to ../../references/finding-schema.json: audit = the mode name, technique = the specific craft element (e.g. "Reveal plant without payoff"), severity, location, issue, confidence: "judgment", exemplar optional. Exercise-design and transformation-arc scaffolding output (generative, not diagnostic) is NOT in scope.

Files

• references/transformation-arc.md - Reader journey structure
• references/metaphor-consistency.md - Extended metaphor management
• references/exercise-design.md - Practical application design
• references/reveal-engineering.md - Reveal-pattern index; permission-reframe pattern in detail
• references/empirical-reveal.md - Counterintuitive-data reveal pattern (Freakonomics-style)
• references/structural-reveal.md - Invisible-mechanism reveal pattern (Bastiat-style)
• references/conceptual-reveal.md - Category-shift reveal pattern (Antifragile-style)
• references/voice-editing.md - Tone and persona consistency
• assets/book-blueprint-template.md - Book planning document
• assets/chapter-template.md - Chapter structure template