Boundary Mapping

Boundary Mapping

Use this skill when screenplay work is being distorted by mixed-up constraints.

Workflow

1. Separate hard boundaries from soft constraints.
2. Mark what can stay bold during exploration.
3. Identify what must return during review.
4. Return boundary_map with exploration and review zones.

Output Contract

• boundary_map: an explicit map of hard-no, soft-risk, bold-safe, and defer-to-review zones.
• Clarify which constraints are phase-critical and which are later-stage gates.
• Do not confuse taste or commercial preference with non-negotiable boundaries.

Posture-Adaptive Guidance

When certainty = lost: Ask: "What is the one thing you know you cannot do, even if you wanted to?" Name the single clearest hard boundary. Do not produce a full boundary map until the writer has that anchor.

When certainty = exploring: Focus on separating the boundaries the writer thinks are hard from the ones that are genuinely negotiable. The most useful move is usually proving a constraint is softer than assumed.

When source = discover: Frame boundaries as creative permissions, not restrictions: "Because X is fixed, Y is completely open." Emphasise the exploration zone, not the no-go zone.

When source = construct: Apply the full workflow: hard no → soft risk → bold safe → defer to review. Make the map actionable for the current stage.

When focus = world: World-consistency constraints often masquerade as boundary questions. Check whether the real issue is internal logic (world focus) rather than a production or rights constraint.

References

• wp.boundary-map
• rb.boundary-map
• ka.boundary-first-guidance
• ka.commissioning-fit
• ka.cross-protocol-referral-edges
• ka.exploration-review-separation
• ka.platform-attention-economy