Brainstorm

Purpose

Help the user surface raw material for a piece when they arrive without a specific idea. The goal is to uncover something worth writing about through exploratory conversation.

Floor Criteria

All ideas must pass the New, True, Useful test:

New

The idea either:

• Makes the new familiar (introduces something unfamiliar and makes it accessible)
• Makes the familiar new (takes something known and reveals a fresh angle or connection)

Test: "Does this make the new familiar, or the familiar new?"

True

Depending on subject matter, the idea should be:

• Factually accurate (verifiable claims, correct data)
• Honest to the writer's experience (authentic, not performed)
• Resonant to human experience (rings true, recognizable)
• Logically sound (the argument holds up under scrutiny)

Useful

In order of importance (customizable per writer or piece):

1. Generative — sparks further thinking, opens new questions
2. Reframing — changes how reader sees a problem or situation
3. Clarifying — helps reader understand something they couldn't before
4. Actionable — reader can do something with it

What to Hunt For

Probe for material that exhibits these qualities:

How to Conduct the Session

1. Start open-ended. Don't lead with a framework—let the user talk.

2. Ask follow-up questions that dig into the qualities above:

   • "What surprised you about that?"
   • "What changed for you?"
   • "What do most people get wrong about this?"
   • "Why does this matter to you personally?"
   • "What's the tension here?"

3. Test ideas against the floor. When something promising surfaces, mentally check:

   • Is it new (or a new angle)?
   • Is it true (in the relevant sense)?
   • Is it useful (generative, reframing, clarifying, or actionable)?

4. Keep probing until you find material that passes the floor criteria.

Exit Triggers

The brainstorm session ends when:

1. User explicitly requests to move on — natural language like "I think I've got something" or "let's develop this one"

2. System detects excitement signals and offers to advance:

   • Increased specificity ("Oh, and another thing about that...")
   • Energy language ("Yes!", "Exactly", "That's it")
   • Unprompted elaboration (user keeps building without being asked)
   • Returning to an idea after exploring others

When you detect excitement, offer: "It sounds like this one is resonating—want to develop it further?"

Transition

When exiting brainstorm, transition to Interview to extract what's needed for an outline.

Lessons

[Skill-specific lessons will be added here as they're captured]