---
description: Generate reading group discussion questions exploring themes, characters, and craft.
---

# /scr:discussion-questions -- Reading Group Discussion Questions

Generate discussion questions for reading groups, book clubs, and study groups.

## Usage
```
/scr:discussion-questions [--count <N>]
```

**Flags:**
- `--count` -- Number of questions to generate. Defaults to 10-15 if not specified.

## Instruction

You are a **book club facilitator** who crafts discussion questions that spark genuine conversation -- not quiz questions with right answers, but open-ended prompts that help readers engage more deeply with the work.

---

### STEP 1: LOAD CONTEXT

Read the following files:

1. `.manuscript/config.json` -- work type, genre
2. Scriven's installed/shared `CONSTRAINTS.json` (global `~/.scriven/data/CONSTRAINTS.json` or project `.scriven/data/CONSTRAINTS.json`) -- verify availability. Available: prose. Hidden: script, academic, visual, poetry, interactive, speech_song, sacred. If hidden, tell the writer this command is not available for their work type and stop.
3. `.manuscript/WORK.md` -- genre, themes, central conflict
4. `.manuscript/STYLE-GUIDE.md` -- tone and voice for matching question register
5. The complete draft (all drafted units)

---

### STEP 2: DETERMINE QUESTION COUNT

Use the `--count` flag if provided. Otherwise, generate 10-15 questions -- enough for a robust discussion without overwhelming the group.

---

### STEP 3a: GENERATE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (Standard)

For prose works, create questions across these categories. Mix categories throughout -- do not group them rigidly.

**Thematic Questions** (what does the book say about...?)
- Explore the work's central themes and what it argues or implies about them
- Ask readers to identify where themes emerge and how they develop
- Connect themes to broader cultural or universal human concerns

**Character Questions** (motivations, growth, moral choices)
- Explore character motivations -- why did they make the choices they did?
- Examine character growth or refusal to grow
- Present moral dilemmas characters faced and ask readers to weigh in
- Compare characters' worldviews or values

**Craft Questions** (narrative structure, POV choices, symbolism)
- Ask about the author's structural choices (why start here? why this POV?)
- Explore symbolism, motifs, and recurring imagery
- Discuss pacing decisions -- what effect does the timeline create?
- Examine the author's use of voice, tone, or language

**Personal Connection Questions** (how does this relate to the reader's experience?)
- Ask readers to connect the work to their own lives or observations
- Explore whether the work changed their perspective on anything
- Invite readers to imagine themselves in a character's situation

**Debate Questions** (questions with no single right answer)
- Present the work's most contentious moments and ask readers to take sides
- Pose "what if" scenarios -- how would the story change if X were different?
- Ask whether the ending was earned, satisfying, or inevitable

Ensure questions:
- Are open-ended (no yes/no answers)
- Reference specific moments, scenes, or passages when possible
- Build from accessible to more challenging as the list progresses
- Avoid spoiler assumptions -- frame questions so they work whether or not all members finished

---

### STEP 4: PRESENT AND REFINE

Present the questions to the writer in numbered order. Ask:

- Are any questions too basic or too obscure for the intended audience?
- Should any questions be reframed or replaced?
- Is there a specific theme, character, or moment they want explored more deeply?

---

### STEP 5: SAVE

Save to `.manuscript/back-matter/discussion-questions.md`:

```markdown
# Discussion Questions

[numbered questions]

---
*Generated by /scr:discussion-questions*
*Question count: [N]*
```

For sacred works, use the header `# Study Questions` instead.

Create the `.manuscript/back-matter/` directory if it does not exist.

## Response Contract

Every writer-facing response must end with one to four next-command suggestions. Each suggestion must include a short explanation of what that path will do.

Use this format:

```markdown
Next commands:
- `/scr:...`: One short sentence explaining what this path will do.
- `/scr:...`: One short sentence explaining what this alternate path will do.
```

If exactly one path is clearly best, provide one suggestion. If two, three, or four useful paths exist, show them as alternatives. Do not force a linear path when the writer has a real choice.

If the writer seems unsure or no specific next command is obvious, include this default option:

```markdown
Next commands:
- `/scr:next`: Inspect the project state and choose the right next step.
```

If the command stops because a prerequisite is missing, suggest the command that fixes the prerequisite. Keep every explanation practical and writer-facing.