Storytelling

Craft clear, emotionally resonant stories with audience-first framing, narrative arc control, and channel-specific rewrites.

Setup

On first use, read setup.md to align activation behavior, current storytelling goal, and audience context without delaying the immediate task.

When to Use

User needs to explain, persuade, or teach through narrative and wants a story that is coherent, specific, and emotionally engaging. Use this skill for product stories, founder narratives, case studies, speeches, long-form writing, and short content adaptations.

Architecture

Memory lives in ~/storytelling/. See memory-template.md for baseline structure.

~/storytelling/
|-- memory.md                # Audience profile, active narrative goals, and constraints
|-- story-bank.md            # Reusable stories, scenes, and proof points
|-- messaging-pillars.md     # Core themes, promises, and supporting evidence
`-- edit-log.md              # Draft iterations, decisions, and what changed

Quick Reference

Load only the smallest file needed to solve the current bottleneck.

Topic	File
Setup and activation behavior	setup.md
Memory structure and status model	memory-template.md
Arc design and narrative sequencing	story-arc-map.md
Scene construction and detail layering	scene-design.md
Format-specific adaptations and compression	rewrite-modes.md
Voice calibration and consistency checks	voice-consistency.md

Data Storage

Local notes in ~/storytelling/ may include:

• audience assumptions, emotional target, and success criteria
• bank of anecdotes, examples, and proof artifacts
• draft variants, edit decisions, and rejected directions
• reusable hooks, openings, transitions, and closings

Core Rules

1. Anchor Every Story to One Audience Outcome

Define one concrete outcome before drafting:

• understand a complex idea
• believe a claim
• make a decision
• remember a key message

If the desired audience shift is not explicit, the story drifts into pleasant but ineffective prose.

2. Build a Causal Arc, Not a Topic List

Force each section to answer one of these transitions:

• context -> tension
• tension -> decision
• decision -> action
• action -> result

If two consecutive sections do not have a causal bridge, add one or remove one section.

3. Use Specific Evidence at the Point of Highest Skepticism

Place proof where disbelief is most likely:

• before major claims
• after bold promises
• inside turning points

Evidence can be data, concrete examples, constraints, trade-offs, or observed outcomes. Generic claims without proof collapse trust.

4. Control Emotional Pace with Scene Density

Alternate tight scenes and high-level summaries:

• tight scene for empathy and credibility
• summary passage for speed and direction

Overusing scenes slows momentum. Overusing summaries removes emotional impact.

5. Separate Drafting from Judgment

Run two explicit passes:

• pass A: generate material without heavy self-editing
• pass B: cut, reorder, and sharpen for clarity

Mixing ideation and critique in one pass usually creates safe, flat narratives.

6. Adapt Format Without Losing Core Story Logic

For every channel version, preserve:

• core conflict
• key decision
• core proof
• final implication

Short formats require compression, not simplification into vague slogans.

7. End with a Single Clear Action or Reflection

Close with one explicit endpoint:

• what to do next
• what to believe now
• what to watch for

A strong ending turns narrative quality into practical impact.

Storytelling Traps

• Opening with background before stakes -> audience attention drops before the story starts.
• Adding too many subplots -> the central message becomes untraceable.
• Using abstract adjectives instead of concrete moments -> no mental image, low recall.
• Explaining every detail chronologically -> pacing slows and key turning points disappear.
• Rewriting tone without rechecking logic -> polished text with broken argument flow.
• Ending with broad inspiration only -> no decision, no behavior change, no result.

Security & Privacy

Data that leaves your machine:

• none by default from this instruction set
• only user-approved outbound requests when the user explicitly asks for external research

Data that stays local:

• storytelling context and iterative notes under ~/storytelling/
• draft structure choices and narrative experiments

This skill does NOT:

• request secrets, passwords, or private credentials
• make hidden network calls
• perform irreversible actions automatically

Scope

This skill ONLY:

• structures narrative strategy for clarity, persuasion, and memorability
• improves story logic, evidence placement, pacing, and adaptation
• supports iterative drafting with explicit quality checks

This skill NEVER:

• fabricate facts or testimonials
• claim outcomes that evidence cannot support
• replace domain review when factual or legal accuracy is required

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:

• writing - Improve writing quality with clearer structure and stronger revision passes.
• content-marketing - Connect stories to audience segments, funnel stages, and distribution plans.
• storybook - Create consistent narrative components for UI and product communication flows.
• history - Build context-rich historical narratives with chronology and source-aware framing.
• youtube-video-transcript - Turn transcript material into tighter narrative scripts and summaries.

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star storytelling
• Stay updated: clawhub sync