Writing with Subtxt

Stories

Your Hub for Storytelling and Structure

The Stories section in Subtxt is where you can access all the stories you're working on, along with the multiple Storyforms that make up each narrative. Here, you’ll see that a single Story isn’t always tied to just one structure—it can consist of several different Storyforms, each representing a unique narrative path or argument.

In Subtxt, you can easily keep track of both your Stories and the Storyforms within them. This is where your creative process begins and where you can seamlessly navigate the different layers of your story.

Understanding Context Switching

One of the most powerful features of Subtxt with Muse is Context Switching, which allows you to seamlessly brainstorm and develop ideas while Muse keeps track of the relevant narrative context in the background. There are three primary contexts in Subtxt: Stories, Storyforms, and Conversations. These contexts provide a structured yet flexible way to organize your thoughts, ensuring Muse always keeps your work in the correct frame.

  • Stories: The overarching “project” that holds all your narrative work, including Overviews, Players, Storypoints, Storybeats, and even Conversations. A Story can contain multiple Storyforms and Conversations.

  • Storyforms: A more focused context that organizes thematic elements and maintains the blueprint of a specific narrative structure. Each Story can have several Storyforms.

  • Conversations: Interactive brainstorming sessions with Muse. These are contextually linked to the Storypoints, Storybeats, and other elements you're working on, allowing you to return to previous discussions as needed.

Muse intelligently tracks which context you’re working within and adjusts accordingly as you brainstorm. There are two key indicators of the current context:

  1. Desktop View: Along the bottom of the screen, you’ll see the current context from left to right: Story > Storyform > Conversation. Clicking any of these will take you to the respective section.

  1. Mobile View: In the dropdown menu, you’ll see the active context listed. If only a Story is listed, you’re in the Story context. If both Story and Storyform are listed, you’re working within a Storyform. If a Conversation is active, you're in a specific dialogue with Muse.

If nothing is listed, there’s no active context, and Muse will treat your interactions as fresh inputs.

How Context Influences Actions

The context you're in when you click "New" influences what happens next:

  • Within a Conversation (in a Story or Storyform): A new conversation thread begins, tied to that context.
  • Within a Storyform or Story: A new story or narrative path begins within that context.
  • No Context: If no context is active, Muse starts a new, fresh brainstorming session without a pre-existing framework.

Why Context Switching is Useful

The beauty of Muse’s context management is its ability to let you move fluidly between thoughts while keeping everything organized. You can start a conversation or brainstorm an idea, and Muse will automatically keep track of which Story or Storyform it relates to. This allows for stream-of-consciousness brainstorming without worrying about losing track of your ideas.

For example, if you're discussing character motivations in a Conversation linked to a Storyform, Muse will ensure that your discussion is tied to the appropriate Storypoints and Storybeats. This means that whenever you return to that point, everything remains in sync with the larger narrative.

Getting Started with Stories

In Subtxt, every new project begins with a Story. A Story acts as the foundation and starting point for your entire narrative development process. Think of it as the “container” that holds everything related to your narrative—from overarching ideas to detailed Storyforms.

When you’re ready to dive in, simply ask Muse to “make a new story called Titans and Renegades” (or any title you choose), and Subtxt will instantly create a new Story for you to explore and develop. Once your Story is created, you’ll be able to start brainstorming, building characters, and constructing plot points, all within a cohesive framework.

Whether you’re writing a novel, crafting a screenplay, designing a game, or developing any other type of story, this is where you begin. Subtxt makes it easy to keep track of every part of your Story, from high-level concepts to intricate narrative details.

Once your Story is set up, you’ll have access to its Story Explorer page in Muse, where you can begin shaping your narrative in more detail.

Navigating the Story Explorer

Stories are represented by an open-book icon and act as the "root" of the project you're working on. Tapping on a Story’s name takes you to the Story Explorer page in Muse.

Here, you can access your Storyforms and explore various components (or narrative "aspects") that shape your story:

  • Storyforms: The narrative structures within your Story that explore distinct thematic arguments.
  • Overviews: High-level storytelling components like the Four Throughlines, Plot Synopses, Character Arcs, Genre, and Visual Style.
  • Players: The characters involved in your story, their roles in the Objective Story Throughline, and their connection to the Story Goal.
  • Storypoints: Thematic elements that explore narrative structure spatially—covering Domains, Concerns, Issues, and Problems.
  • Storybeats: Thematic elements that explore narrative structure temporally—such as Transits, Progressions, and Events.
  • Conversations: Dialogue and development sessions with Muse that have been attached to, or were involved in, building this specific Story.

Stories and Storyforms: A Layered Approach

One of the unique advantages of Subtxt is how it allows you to manage both the broad strokes of a Story and the finer details within each Storyform. This means you can develop different narrative threads without losing sight of how they all fit together.

Each Storyform comes with its own set of Overviews, Players, Storypoints, Storybeats, and Conversations. This setup lets you track and develop multiple Storyforms within the same Story, providing a clear picture of how each structure contributes to the larger narrative.

Developing Your Story Before Settling on a Storyform

You don’t have to lock in a Storyform right away. This flexibility lets you explore different ideas and approaches before settling on the specific narrative structure you want to commit to. However, once a Storyform is created, it can’t be directly altered—changing one element would require rebuilding the entire schematic. If you decide to adjust your Storyform later, you’ll need to create a new one and ask Muse to help transfer and re-contextualize the previous elements.

Understanding Storyforms

A Storyform is a unique narrative structure that defines the thematic argument of a particular storyline. Every Storyform works as a cohesive blueprint for your narrative, organizing characters, plot points, and themes into a meaningful whole. Many well-known films have more than one Storyform, allowing them to explore different narrative threads within the same overarching story. For example:

  • Raiders of the Lost Ark: An adventure with sophisticated narrative structures (Indy and the Ark, Indy and Belloq).
  • The Empire Strikes Back: Balances multiple perspectives and narrative layers, each with its own Storyform (Luke and Yoda, Han and Leia).
  • Jerry Maguire: A mix of professional ambition and personal growth, handled through separate narrative structures (Jerry and Rod Tidwell, Dorothy and Jerry).
  • Barbie: Incorporates contrasting Storyforms to explore themes of identity, empowerment, and societal expectations (Barbie and Ken, Barbie and Gloria).
  • As Good As It Gets: Weaves together different narrative threads, balancing romance, self-improvement, and interpersonal growth (Simon and Melvin, Melvin and Carol).

While these examples are fantastic, it’s important to note that most stories—whether they’re films, novels, television series, graphic novels, games, or other mediums—typically have just one Storyform. We recommend that you start with a single Storyform when beginning your project, as it provides a strong, focused foundation for your narrative. Once you’re comfortable, you can explore layering multiple Storyforms if your story requires more complexity.

Accessing and Jumping Between Storyforms

Back in the Stories section, alongside each Storyform, you’ll see two options: Develop and Muse.

  • Develop: Takes you to a dedicated section where you can dive deep into the Story Development process.
  • Muse: Opens the Storyform Explorer page within Muse, where you can explore Conversations and other components related to that specific narrative argument.

The Stories section in Subtxt serves as the launchpad for your storytelling journey. Whether you’re working on a single narrative thread or balancing multiple Storyforms, this is where you start and where you can easily keep track of every layer of your story.

Tying Narrative Aspects Together

In Subtxt, aspects of your narrative can be tied to a Story, a Storyform, or both. For example, you might connect a character arc to both the overarching Story and a specific Storyform. You can either ask Muse to help link these elements as you go or manually adjust them in their respective pages.