Tell your story
Modes, sessions and notes
Three modes of conversation, and the record each session leaves behind.
What it is
The conversation at the centre of the workspace runs in one of three modes, and the mode decides what the AI does with what you say. In Listening mode it captures your story and asks the questions a good editor would ask, without writing anything. In Writing mode it turns that conversation into finished prose. In Editing mode it refines text that already exists. Every conversation belongs to a session, and each session leaves behind a full transcript, a notes timeline, a summary, and the entities it contributed to your Story Bible.
Where to find it: Workspace → mode tabs above the chat box. Keyboard: Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2, Ctrl+3.
What this covers
- Listening mode — talk, be questioned, decide nothing
- Writing mode — turn conversation into prose
- Editing mode — refine what already exists
- Keyboard shortcuts for switching modes
- Starter prompts on an empty session
- A personalised opener based on your premise
- Tone selector for drafting (5 tones)
- @mentions to pull Story Bible entries into context
- Live notes timeline with AI observations
- "Previously" carry-forward between sessions
- Session transcript kept in full
- Post-session analysis pipeline
- Welcome-back orientation after a long break
How to use it
- 1
Start in Listening mode
This is where a session should begin. Talk about your scene, your character, your memory. Charm asks about the things a reader will want to know and does not draft anything yet.
- 2
Let the questions do their work
Answer as much or as little as you like. The answers are what make the eventual prose specific rather than generic, and they feed the Story Bible whether or not you ever write that scene.
- 3
Switch to Writing mode
When the scene feels talked out, switch to Writing. Choose a tone if you want one — descriptive, dialogue-heavy, fast-paced, introspective or cinematic — and ask for the prose.
- 4
Save the prose to a chapter
Drafted prose appears in the conversation with a "Save to Chapter" button. It only becomes part of your manuscript when you say so.
- 5
Use Editing mode to refine
Switch to Editing to work on prose that already exists — tightening, changing a detail, adjusting register — without starting a new draft.
- 6
Analyse the session when you finish
Press Analyze in the Notes panel. This is what extracts characters and places into the Story Bible, writes the session summary, and generates the next round of editorial questions.
What it gives you
You are never asked to write cold
By the time Writing mode is drafting, you have already said the scene out loud and answered questions about it. The draft has material to work from, which is why it reads like your story rather than filler.
The modes stop the AI overreaching
Listening mode genuinely does not write. That separation is deliberate: it means you can think out loud without prose being generated over the top of your thinking.
Nothing said is lost
Full transcripts, an AI-written notes timeline, and a carry-forward summary mean a session you had three weeks ago still informs the one you are in now.
Coming back is easy
After a few days away, a welcome-back card summarises where you left off: last chapter, open questions, and what the story needs next.
Sessions versus chapters
A session is one conversation. A chapter is one part of the book. They are not the same thing and do not need to line up: two evenings of talking might become one chapter, or one long Saturday might supply three.
Sessions are where the Story Bible comes from. Chapters are what the reader eventually gets. The workspace keeps both visible so you never have to reconcile them yourself.
@mentions
Type @ in the chat box to pull up your Story Bible entries and reference one directly. Mentioning a character guarantees their full sheet is loaded into the AI's context for that message, which is the reliable way to say "remember that she is afraid of water" without repeating it.
When you dictate, names of known characters are recognised in your speech and linked automatically.
Good to know
- Prose is never added to a chapter automatically from chat. You always press Save to Chapter.
- The Story Bible is built from your session transcripts. If you paste finished prose straight into a chapter without ever talking about it, those characters and places will not be extracted.
- The AI keeps roughly the last twenty messages in direct view, with a rolling summary of everything before that. Very long single sessions are summarised rather than remembered word for word.
- Analysis is a deliberate step, not automatic — the app prompts you after about ten messages, but the decision is yours.
Questions
Which mode should I be in?
Listening for anything new, Writing once a scene is talked out, Editing for prose that already exists. If you are not sure, stay in Listening — it costs the least and builds the most context.
Do I have to press Analyze?
Yes, and it matters. Analysis is what populates the Story Bible, writes the summary and generates editorial questions. Skipping it leaves the story memory empty.
Can I go back to an old session?
Yes. The session switcher in the right panel moves between the sessions of the current chapter, and every transcript and note is kept.
Will the AI decide what happens in my story?
No. It asks questions, offers phrasing and points out inconsistencies. What happens next is always your decision.
Start your first chapter
Every new account gets a free credit — enough to talk through a scene, have it drafted, and see how it reads.
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