# Rubric: Audience Engagement

> How much does this option create the Primary Ache—what the audience desperately wants?

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## Scale Definition

| Score | Level | Description |
|-------|-------|-------------|
| 1-3 | Indifferent | Audience doesn't care if this happens |
| 4-6 | Interested | Audience would be pleased if it happens |
| 7-8 | Invested | Audience actively wants this; will watch through frustration |
| 9-10 | Desperate | Audience needs this; will binge to see resolution |

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## Calibration Examples

### Score: 2/10 (Indifferent)
**Context:** Establishing the protagonist's professional life

**Option:** "The protagonist has a stable job at a research lab."

**Why this scores 2:**
- No emotional stakes for audience
- Nothing to root for or against
- Provides setting but not investment
- Audience would skip scenes about this

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### Score: 5/10 (Interested)
**Context:** Establishing the protagonist's emotional anchor

**Option:** "The protagonist has a younger colleague they mentor."

**Why this scores 5:**
- Creates mild investment (mentor relationships are appealing)
- Audience would be pleased to see this succeed
- BUT: Not desperate—if the mentorship fails, audience moves on
- No ache, just preference

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### Score: 7/10 (Invested)
**Context:** Establishing the protagonist's emotional anchor

**Option:** "The protagonist's younger colleague joined the project because they believe it could save their dying parent. The protagonist knows the project probably can't help—but hasn't told them."

**Why this scores 7:**
- Audience actively wants the colleague to learn the truth (dramatic irony)
- Audience wants the protagonist to confess (moral tension)
- Audience wants some miracle to make it work (hope)
- Multiple threads of wanting create sustained investment
- Will watch through frustration to see resolution

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### Score: 9/10 (Desperate)
**Context:** Establishing the protagonist's emotional anchor (The Mirror—ASI itself)

**Option:** "The ASI has never been understood by anyone—not even its creators fully grasp it. The protagonist begins to genuinely understand it, the first being to do so. But the military wants to destroy it before first contact. The audience watches the only relationship the ASI has ever had threatened with extinction."

**Why this scores 9:**
- Creates ache on multiple levels:
  - Protective (don't let the ASI die)
  - Romantic (in a non-romantic way—connection between minds)
  - Existential (this is humanity's chance, don't waste it)
- Audience needs this to work out
- Will binge entire series at 3am to see if they survive
- The threat is specific and visceral (military deadline)
- Success feels almost impossible, making it more desired

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## Scoring Prompt

```
RUBRIC: Audience Engagement
QUESTION: How much does this option create the Primary Ache?

SCALE:
1-3: Audience doesn't care if this happens
4-6: Audience would be pleased if it happens
7-8: Audience actively wants this; will watch through frustration
9-10: Audience needs this; will binge to see resolution

CALIBRATION:
- A 2/10 is: "Protagonist has stable job" (setting, no stakes)
- A 5/10 is: "Protagonist mentors younger colleague" (nice, not necessary)
- A 7/10 is: "Colleague joined to save dying parent; protagonist knows it won't work" (invested)
- A 9/10 is: "Only being to understand ASI; military will destroy it" (desperate)

THE PRIMARY ACHE: {primary_ache_description}

OPTION TO SCORE:
{option_content}

TASK:
1. Identify what the audience will WANT as a result of this option
2. Assess the intensity of that want
3. Evaluate whether obstacles make them want it MORE
4. Assign a score 1-10

Format:
AUDIENCE WANTS: [what does this make them want?]
INTENSITY: [indifferent/interested/invested/desperate]
OBSTACLE EFFECT: [do obstacles increase desire?]
SCORE: [X]/10
```

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## Key Questions

When scoring audience engagement, ask:

1. **What does this make the audience want?**
   - If you can't answer this, score is low
   - Multiple wants are better than one

2. **How badly do they want it?**
   - "Would be nice" = low
   - "Will stay up all night" = high

3. **Do obstacles help?**
   - Great options: Obstacles increase desire
   - Weak options: Obstacles make audience give up

4. **Is the want sustainable?**
   - Can this ache last 60 episodes?
   - Does satisfaction have to wait until the end?

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## The Primary Ache Test

Every project should have a Primary Ache defined. Score this option against it:

**Primary Ache:** [what the audience yearns for most]

**Does this option:**
- Create the ache? (+)
- Threaten the ache? (++)
- Promise satisfaction? (+)
- Delay satisfaction? (++)
- Make satisfaction seem impossible but necessary? (+++)

The best options make the audience ache MORE, not less.

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## Weight in Composite

**Suggested weight:** 20% of composite score

Audience engagement is what keeps viewers watching. High thematic integration with low audience engagement produces "important" content that no one finishes.