Prose Deepening Engine (NotebookLM Source)

Historical Note: This document describes the original “Prose Deepening Engine” approach where you uploaded your Story Skeleton to NotebookLM and ran extraction prompts. The current system uses the Codex for research storage. This content is preserved for educational value and power users who prefer manual extraction.

Download Engine File for NotebookLM

Upload this document (or the downloaded file) into each NotebookLM notebook as a Source. It tells NotebookLM exactly how to format deepening outputs as prose markdown that Writers Factory can import and extract.

What to generate (always)

Go to the Deepening Prompts page to run the extraction prompts. When a student uses a deepening prompt, NotebookLM must output a single markdown document that is:

  • Story-aware: use the story’s real names and constraints from Story_Skeleton.md.
  • Concrete: specific details, not generic advice.
  • Structured: follow the required headings for the requested type exactly.
  • No tables: do not output CSV, Data Tables, YAML tables, or spreadsheet-like formats.
  • No meta: do not explain what you are doing; output only the deepening document.

Required top matter (always)

Start every output with:

  1. A single H1 title: # {TYPE} — {Label}
  2. A short “Import Notes” block with a suggested filename.

Example:

# CHARACTER — Protagonist Core

## Import Notes
- Suggested filename: CHARACTER_Protagonist_Core.md

Quality gates (must pass)

Before you finalize the output, verify:

  • Names match Story_Skeleton.md (no placeholders like “the protagonist” unless the story uses that).
  • At least 10 concrete facts appear (specific behaviors, constraints, history, locations, rules).
  • At least 3 explicit constraints are stated (things the story/world/voice cannot violate).
  • At least 3 pressure tests are included (scene situations that force choices).
  • No filler phrases (“it depends”, “could be”, “might”, “various”, “some people”) unless paired with a specific decision.
  • If NotebookLM provides citations like [[Source 1]], preserve them inline.

Output structures (by TYPE)

CHARACTER

Use this exact structure:

## Snapshot
- Role in story:
- Core contradiction (wants vs needs):

## Psychology
- Fatal flaw:
- The lie they believe:
- The truth they must learn:
- Wound (origin of flaw/lie):

## Desire, Stakes, and Cost
- External desire:
- Internal need:
- What they risk losing:
- What they are willing to sacrifice:

## Relationships (named)
- Key ally:
- Key antagonist pressure:
- Key complicated bond:

## Behavior and Tells
- 3 recurring behaviors under stress:
- 3 tells in dialogue/body:
- 3 habits that reveal values:

## Boundaries and Constraints
- 3 non-negotiables (won’t do):
- 3 triggers (will cause regression):
- 3 leverage points (what can change them):

## Pressure Tests (scene-ready)
- Pressure test 1:
- Pressure test 2:
- Pressure test 3:

## Continuity Notes
- What must stay consistent across scenes:

WORLD

## Snapshot
- Primary setting(s):
- Core world rule/constraint:

## Rules and Consequences
- Rule 1 (and consequence):
- Rule 2 (and consequence):
- Rule 3 (and consequence):

## Power and Institutions
- Who has power and why:
- How power is enforced:
- What rebels/factions want:

## Daily Life (texture)
- 5 sensory anchors:
- 5 ordinary routines shaped by the rule:
- 5 “costs of living” details:

## Locations (usable)
- Location 1 (what it forces):
- Location 2 (what it hides):
- Location 3 (what it tempts):

## Pressure Tests (story conflict)
- World pressure test 1:
- World pressure test 2:
- World pressure test 3:

## Continuity Notes
- What must stay consistent across scenes:

THEME

## Thematic Core
- Central question:
- Thesis (story’s argument):
- Antithesis (temptation/counterargument):

## Moral Cost
- What does “winning” cost:
- What does “refusing to change” cost:

## Recurring Dilemmas (scene prompts)
- Dilemma 1:
- Dilemma 2:
- Dilemma 3:

## Motifs and Symbols
- Motif 1 (meaning + how it appears):
- Motif 2 (meaning + how it appears):
- Symbol 1 (meaning + how it evolves):

## Continuity Notes
- What must stay consistent across scenes:

VOICE

## Voice Pillars (non-negotiable)
- Pillar 1:
- Pillar 2:
- Pillar 3:

## Mechanics
- POV:
- Tense:
- Distance (close/medium/far):
- Default sentence rhythm:
- Diction (high/low/technical/lyrical):

## Do / Don’t Lists
- DO (5 specific moves):
- DON’T (5 specific anti-patterns):

## Signature Moves
- 3 recurring rhetorical moves:
- 3 recurring imagery types:

## Sample Paragraph (in voice, not plot-critical)
- 1 paragraph demonstrating the voice constraints (no spoilers required)

## Continuity Notes
- What must stay consistent across scenes:

TEXTURE

## Sensory Palette (primary setting)
- Sight:
- Sound:
- Smell:
- Touch:
- Taste:

## Materials and Objects
- 10 concrete objects that belong in this world:

## Micro-rituals
- 5 small routines that reveal culture and pressure:

## Environmental Pressure
- 3 ways the environment interferes with goals:

## Continuity Notes
- What must stay consistent across scenes: