Emergent Story Fields - Subtxt with Muse

Welcome to Emergent Story Fields, a groundbreaking feature of Subtxt designed to expand storytelling possibilities through dynamic interaction and AI-driven narrative exploration. Located within your stories under the Plotting section of the Develop Workspace, Emergent Story Fields allows authors to engage directly with their narratives through a distinct interactive experiences we're calling Subtxt Play Mode.

Exciting plans are in place for the second quarter of 2025 to open this interactive experiences to wider audiences, enabling readers and viewers to engage with and explore your stories dynamically!

Universal Narrative Model™ Historical Context

Play Mode in Subtxt began as a proof-of-concept during the development of the Universal Narrative Model™ (UNM)—an ambitious, author-centric storytelling framework designed to empower writers and adapt seamlessly across diverse narrative mediums. This project, generously supported by the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at the University of Southern California, was driven by producer Paul Bennun and led by George Gerba, aiming to pioneer new methods for narrative creation that bridge authors' intent with the capabilities of generative AI.

Narrative theorist Hank Gerba further articulated the intellectual framework of the UNM in his influential white paper, "UNIVERSAL NARRATIVE MODEL: An Author-Centric Storytelling Framework for Generative AI," offering detailed insights and practical guidelines for implementing this innovative approach. Celebrated author Cecil Castellucci's novella provided a tangible narrative testbed, showcasing the application and strength of the UNM by providing invaluable practical feedback on the model's real-world applicability. Additionally, Chris Huntley, co-creator of Dramatica®, contributed crucial theoretical underpinnings that informed the foundation of this model.

To advocate for better storytelling and empower authors against potential technological overreach, the narrative model underlying Subtxt was open-sourced as version 1.0 of the UNM. By doing this, the project seeks to ensure that authorial intent is clearly defined and protected within narrative code, paving the way for storytelling that remains robust, intentional, and adaptable into the future.

We hope Play Mode inspires authors, creators, and technologists to explore the vast possibilities of Emergent Story Fields, driving innovation and fostering new creative partnerships across the storytelling landscape.

Accessing Play Mode

Authors can easily access both Play Mode through the Plotting section of the Develop Workspace in Subtxt. As you create and refine Moments within your stories, these powerful modes become readily available, providing dynamic tools to enhance narrative interactivity and depth.

Moments: Crafting Interactive Story Experiences

In Emergent Story Fields, each interactive segment of your story is structured into Moments, providing a robust and creative interface to shape narrative flow. When creating or editing a Moment, you'll encounter the following sections:

Setup

Setting: Establish the environment by specifying the location, characters involved, and critical narrative details. This information guides both Synopsis generation and interactive Play.

Imperatives: Clearly define the essential elements that must occur in this Moment. Imperatives communicate your authorial intent, guiding the AI in Play Mode to honor your narrative vision. While AI introduces variability, these non-negotiable elements anchor the unfolding experience.

Maximum Steps: Set the scope or length of your Moment in terms of narrative progression steps. This controls how long the Moment lasts within interactive modes. We recommend at least 5 steps for optimal engagement. Future updates will introduce the ability to define Moment length using narrative time, aligning with the concept of the Narrative Fabric of Timespace.

Striving for exact precision and control in Emergent Story Fields can paradoxically collapse the interactive experience. Your completed narrative (film, novel, screenplay) is the definitive expression of your story. Emergent Story Fields provide opportunities to experiment, expand, and explore narrative possibilities beyond the core narrative, reinforcing that AI complements rather than competes with traditional storytelling.

Synopsis

Generate a concise narrative overview for each Moment, integrating your detailed setup with relevant Storybeats. By clicking "Generate" (or "Re-generate"), Subtxt composes a comprehensive treatment-style synopsis. Even if you prefer not to engage directly with Play or Director modes, you can create synopses for each Moment, seamlessly exporting them into a detailed Treatment document. Generated synopses are also instrumental in guiding Play and Director modes, ensuring coherent and immersive narrative experiences.

Weave (Pro & Infinite Subscribers)

Weaving Storybeats together effectively can be one of the most challenging aspects of storytelling. For Pro and Infinite subscribers, Subtxt simplifies this process with Narrative Agents. Simply add the Storybeats you want included—regardless of their current order—and click "Weave". Subtxt's Narrative Agents will intelligently analyze your Moment, its setting, and the Storybeats, determining the most compelling narrative sequence that maintains Throughline integrity, logical coherence, and emotional resonance, with a subtle touch of narrative surprise.

After receiving the notification that the Agents have completed their work, you'll return to find your Storybeats expertly arranged, accompanied by an engaging, freshly generated Synopsis that clearly illustrates the narrative flow of this Moment.

More on Weaving Storybeats in the Plotting section of the Guide.

Play Mode

Experience Your Story Firsthand

Play Mode transforms your narrative into a futuristic, 21st-century choose-your-own-adventure experience. Select any character to play and immerse yourself directly into your story. Discover how the narrative unfolds, generate new ideas, revise Storybeats, regenerate synopses, and play again—limitless storytelling awaits!

Character Selection and Immersion

Once you've selected your character, Subtxt places you right in the heart of the narrative. While you'll receive AI-generated suggestions, you're free to take actions of your choosing. If you're ever uncertain about your next move, use the handy "I Need Help!" button. Subtxt will then provide context-sensitive suggestions tailored to your chosen character's role, narrative objectives, and background.

Thematic Analysis and Recaps

Behind the scenes, Subtxt continuously ensures your actions align with your story’s thematic structure. Upon reaching a natural conclusion or hitting your maximum steps, Subtxt provides a comprehensive recap, complete with a detailed Thematic Analysis comparing your decisions and events that unfolded with the underlying Storyform. Additionally, Muse steps in to deliver an Audio Analysis, offering deeper insights into your narrative.

Continuing Your Adventure

When the scene concludes, you can choose to replay it from the Develop Workspace or advance directly to the next Moment. Subtxt will ensure continuity, taking into account your decisions from previous scenes. By engaging through Play Mode, you'll dynamically "write" your entire narrative, truly exemplifying the essence of Emergent Story Fields.

While you can initially choose to explore the narrative through the perspective of any character, Subtxt maintains the integrity of your story by focusing primarily on the journey of your Main Character. If you select another character to play, Subtxt will integrate your choices back into the Main Character's narrative when moving forward, preserving thematic coherence and the overall structure of your story. To fully explore alternative perspectives, replay Moments from different characters or consider using Director Mode.

After each playthrough, download a PDF of your session to assist with story development or compile them into the story itself. Complete Act downloads are available through the individual Acts section in Plotting.

Focus and Flow

Tools for balancing intuitive creativity and deliberate storytelling refinement

Multilingual Support

Interact with Subtxt in multiple languages for diverse storytelling