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Gossamer Mode

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Eric Rhys Taylor edited this page Apr 23, 2026 · 26 revisions

Gossamer Mode visualizes beat-level scoring across your active story beat system. It supports four signals — Momentum, Tension, Activity, and Interiority — so you can compare not just how your story moves, but what kind of pressure or interior charge each beat carries.

  • Four signals: Score Momentum, Tension, Activity, or Interiority against the same beat system.
  • Run history: Compare saved runs across up to 30 slots per beat to track how the shape changes over time.
  • Top-left plots panel: Switch signals, show LATEST or all plots, and toggle individual saved runs on or off.
  • Ideal Range: Beat Range values provide a visual target for Momentum only. They are not sent to the AI.
  • Manual score entry: Enter scores for the current signal yourself, with or without external AI assistance.
  • Justification capture: Each score line now records a brief justification so you know what the score was based on.
  • Normalize & repair: Use Normalize history inside the modal to compact gaps and repair orphaned entries.

Timeline mode: Gossamer (key 4) Command: Gossamer score manager Settings: Settings#story-beats

Gossamer with saved runs and signal controls
Gossamer — saved runs, signal switching, and beat-level scoring
Gossamer ideal ranges visualization
Ideal ranges for story beats
Gossamer callouts with scoring details
Callouts showing score details
Gossamer score entry modal for manual signal scoring
Gossamer score manager — manual entry for the active signal

Signals

  • Momentum: How strongly the story pulls the reader toward what happens next.
  • Tension: How much unresolved pressure, uncertainty, or conflict the reader carries forward.
  • Activity: How much is physically or visibly happening on the page.
  • Interiority: How intense the character's inner experience is on the page.

Manual Entry

Use Gossamer score manager to enter scores for the active signal. This is a manual workflow by design — you can score purely by your own judgment, or use an external AI tool to help draft scores and justifications, then paste those results into the modal.

AI Analysis

Use Gossamer analysis to run the built-in AI evaluation for the active signal. The AI run intentionally does not receive ideal range guidance in its payload/instructions, so the result is a fresh read rather than a range-constrained score.

Story Beats Configuration

You can configure the underlying system that powers Gossamer Mode in Settings → Story beats system.

1. Select a System

Choose a preset structure:

  • Save The Cat (15 beats)
  • Hero's Journey (12 beats)
  • Story Grid (5 Commandments)
  • Custom: Define your own structure.

2. Custom Beat System

When "Custom" is selected, the beat system editor appears:

  • Name: Give your system a name (e.g., "7 Point Structure"). This is written to the Beat Model YAML field.
  • Add beats: Type a name and click + to add a new beat. Assign each beat to an act using the dropdown.
  • Reorder: Drag and drop beats to change their order within or across acts.
  • Rename: Edit beat names inline. After renaming or reordering, use Merge to update existing files.
  • Beat properties editor: Customize additional beat properties and select which fields appear in beat hover metadata (stored per system).
  • Saved sets: Save and switch between multiple custom beat systems. Each system stores beats plus Beat properties editor fields and hover metadata.

Row colors show the sync status between your beat list and the actual note files:

  • Green — beat note exists and is aligned.
  • Orange — beat note exists but is misaligned (wrong act). Merge to fix.
  • Red — duplicate title or multiple files match. Resolve manually.
  • No highlight — new beat, no file yet.

3. Create & Merge

  • Create: Generates beat set notes in your source folder, one per beat. Notes come pre-populated with properties (Class: Beat, Purpose, Beat Model, Range, etc.) so they are immediately recognized by Gossamer Mode. The button is disabled when all beats already have files, and shows how many new notes will be created.
  • Merge: Appears when beats are misaligned. Updates existing beat note frontmatter to match current act assignments (and fills missing Beat Model/Beat Id where applicable). It does not rename files or enforce numeric prefix conventions.

Note

Custom beat notes use the same properties structure as preset systems. Use the Beat properties editor to extend this with your own fields.

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