Build a brief with the editor

Narration: Stu McCardle

A brief gives your ideas a useful shape, wherever you are in the book. Open Brief and put down the idea you have, even if it starts as a couple of sentences. Open the editor and ask it to help you explore what matters. Here I'm asking about Alan: what changes for him, and what the reader should feel. Answer the questions with the direction you want to pursue. When the editor proposes a working brief, read it before choosing Apply. And it brings the premise, characters, emotional movement and tone into one place. Refine the wording in Brief, or keep the conversation going to build it. Use that direction to explore a chapter plan, then revisit it as the book develops. The editor helps you see the possibilities, and the decisions stay with you.

Steps
1. Put your premise into Brief, even if it starts as a couple of sentences.
2. Open Editor. Ask a specific question about the story you want to develop.
3. Answer the follow-up in your own words and ask for a working brief.
4. Read the proposal. Choose Apply when it fits your direction.
5. Refine the brief in place or continue the discussion. Applying an update preserves the previous version.
6. Use the brief as the starting point for a chapter plan when you are ready.

Before you start
Start with an idea in Brief. The editor needs a working AI connection.

The example starts with a reserved surveyor and develops the choice he makes for a lost boy. Your story decisions lead the exchange.

Prepared teaching book and prepared AI replies. Processing waits are shortened. Captions are optional and are not burnt into the picture.
