What it does
- Generates several honest "framing" candidates for your case — each one a distinct angle on your record, with its own supporting evidence spine, and an explicit list of which criteria it strengthens and which it weakens.
- Builds a full positioning narrative from whichever frame you pick (or one you write yourself): a through-line plus three acts, streamed in real time.
- Leaves explicit
[PETITIONER'S OWN VOICE: ...]placeholder slots in the narrative — the tool never invents your personal voice, only the structure around it.
When to use it
Narrative Studio sits in the Position stage of the Case Journey, alongside Evidence Binder and Petition Studio — run it once your case file is substantive enough to have a real story to tell, and before Officer Simulator, which reads the finished case rather than helps shape it. It's the tool for deciding how to tell your story, not for gathering more evidence.
Before you start
- Standard Case File readiness checklist: a CV in General, 3 analyzed criterion projects with distinct primary criteria, 8 ready documents case-wide.
- Optional: a preferred angle to explore (e.g. "lean toward my open-source contributions") — this is a hint to the framing step, not required.
- Cost: 1 credit to generate framing candidates, then 2 more credits to build the actual narrative skeleton from your chosen (or custom) frame — two separate, sequential credited steps, not one bundled cost.
- Typical time: framing candidates generate in seconds; the skeleton streams in over roughly a minute.
Step by step
Optionally describe an angle. In "Any angle you'd like explored?" you can hint at a direction (e.g. emphasizing a specific line of work) — leave it blank for an open exploration.
Generate framing candidates. Click "Generate framing candidates" — this spends 1 credit and returns several distinct frames.
- No committed screenshot of the generated framings-picker view exists in this repo as of this guide's writing — this step uses an example-output placeholder component rather than a real screenshot. See this guide's evidence table.
Compare the frames. Each frame card shows its name, a short definition, its supporting "spine" evidence, which criteria it strengthens (green) and weakens (amber), any tradeoffs, and — when relevant — a note about narrowness.
Pick a frame, or write your own. Click "Build narrative from this frame" on a candidate, or type your own framing under "Or write your own frame" and click "Use my own frame."
- Tip: a frame that weakens a criterion isn't automatically the wrong choice — check whether that criterion was already strong enough elsewhere before ruling a frame out.
Watch the narrative stream in. Building the skeleton spends 2 more credits and streams the result live: a through-line, then Act I (Foundation), Act II (The contribution), Act III (Recognition and reach), plus weaving notes and what-would-strengthen-this notes.
- No committed screenshot of a completed narrative-skeleton card exists in this repo as of this guide's writing — this step also uses an example-output placeholder component. See this guide's evidence table.
Try a different frame if needed. "Try a different frame" returns to the framing picker at no extra cost — the framings from step 2 are already loaded, so re-selecting is free; only building a new skeleton from a different frame spends the 2-credit cost again.
Export. "Export PDF" downloads the finished narrative once it's ready. Trial accounts see an "Exports unlock with your plan" prompt instead.
Reading the result
- The through-line — the single connecting idea the rest of the narrative builds from.
- Act I — Foundation / Act II — The contribution / Act III — Recognition and reach — the three-act structure every generated narrative follows.
- Weaving notes — guidance on how the acts and evidence fit together as one story.
- What would strengthen this narrative — an honest list of gaps in the current framing, not a score.
[PETITIONER'S OWN VOICE: ...]placeholders — shown as dashed boxes inline; these are deliberately left blank for you to fill in yourself, not AI-generated text standing in for your voice.- A "Case file has changed since this narrative was built" banner appears if your case file has a newer version than the one this narrative used — a signal to consider re-running, not an error.
This is an AI-generated draft. Every session carries the standard compliance disclaimer band; the narrative is a drafting aid, not a legal document or a claim about outcome likelihood.
Free vs Pro for this tool
- Not available on the Free plan — both
narrative_studio_framingsandnarrative_studio_skeletonare in the Pro plan's tool list. - A 7-day Pro trial includes it, spending from the plan's shared 40 credits/month; a full framings-then-skeleton pass costs 3 credits total.
- Starting the trial requires a card at Stripe Checkout — cancel from the billing portal before the trial ends to avoid a charge. Start it from Field & Narrative Studio's own page, using the main button under the headline; that button's label follows your plan ("Start your free trial" before you have used one, "Run Narrative Studio" once your plan or trial already covers the tool, "Upgrade to Pro" if you have already used it).
Ready to put this to work on your own case? Start free — no credit card required, or start your free trial to unlock the full Pro toolset. For more background from Merito's parent site, see booking a mentorship session with EB1 Mentor.
Common mistakes
- Building a full skeleton (2 credits) from the first frame that looks appealing without comparing what it weakens — the comparison view is free, the skeleton isn't.
- Leaving the
[PETITIONER'S OWN VOICE: ...]placeholders unfilled in an exported PDF — the tool deliberately doesn't write these for you; an export with blanks still in it isn't a finished narrative. - Re-running framings repeatedly hoping for a fundamentally different angle — framing quality depends on what's actually in your case file; if every frame has the same weakness, that's a case-file gap, not a prompt problem.
- Ignoring the "case file has changed" staleness banner and treating an old narrative as current after adding new evidence.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between framing candidates and the skeleton?
Framing candidates (1 credit) are several distinct angles to choose between. The skeleton (2 credits) is the actual multi-act narrative built from whichever one you pick.
Can I write my own frame instead of picking a generated one?
Yes — "Or write your own frame" lets you type a custom angle and build a skeleton from it directly, skipping the generated candidates.
Does trying a different frame cost more credits?
Going back to the framing picker is free if you already generated candidates this session. Building a new skeleton from a different frame does cost the 2-credit skeleton fee again.
Why are parts of the narrative left blank?
The `[PETITIONER'S OWN VOICE: ...]` placeholders are intentional — the tool won't fabricate your personal observations or voice, only the surrounding structure.
Is the generated narrative something I can file as-is?
No — it's a drafting aid with a standing compliance disclaimer. It needs your own voice filled in and isn't a legal document.
Merito is not a law firm and does not offer legal advice or predict approval odds. This is a readiness review to help you and your attorney strengthen your case.