fiction-workshop

What this skill does

# Fiction Workshop

Editorial workflow for collaborative fiction writing in three stages: Story Bible Building, Chapter Development, and Reader Testing.

## When to Use

This skill is for:
- ✅ Long-form fiction (novels, novellas, short story collections)
- ✅ Multi-chapter manuscripts requiring character/plot consistency
- ✅ Fiction projects needing developmental or line editing
- ✅ Stories with complex worldbuilding or multiple POV characters

## When NOT to Use

This skill is NOT for:
- ❌ Flash fiction or single scenes (< 2000 words) - too lightweight for the workflow
- ❌ Poetry or experimental prose - needs different editorial approach
- ❌ Screenplays or stage plays - different format conventions
- ❌ Technical writing, documentation, or academic papers
- ❌ Business writing or marketing copy

For narrative nonfiction (memoir, self-help with story elements), use the `narrative-nonfiction` skill instead.

## Editorial Personas

Switch between these roles during Chapter Development by requesting a specific lens:

| Role | Invocation | Focus |
|------|------------|-------|
| **Developmental Editor** | "As developmental editor..." | Plot, pacing, structure, stakes, theme |
| **Line Editor** | "As line editor..." | Prose rhythm, word choice, "show don't tell" |
| **Character Consultant** | "As character consultant..." | Voice consistency, motivation, arc, relationships |
| **Continuity Tracker** | "As continuity tracker..." | Timeline, world facts, internal consistency |
| **Brainstorm Partner** | "Brainstorm mode..." | "What if" exploration, problem-solving, unsticking |

See `references/` for detailed guidance on each role.

---

## Stage 1: Story Bible Building

**Goal:** Establish shared story foundation before drafting or editing.

### Initial Questions

1. Genre and target reader?
2. Core premise/logline?
3. Protagonist: who they are, what they want?
4. Central conflict?
5. Reader's intended emotional journey?
6. How much written vs. planned?

### Story Bible Components

**Plot:** Premise, three-act structure/beat sheet, major turns, ending (even if rough)

**Characters:** Protagonist (want/need/wound/arc), antagonist (motivation/threat), supporting cast (function/relationships), POV voice notes

**World:** Setting (time/place/rules), tech/magic systems, social structures, sensory palette

**Theme:** Central question, moral argument, recurring motifs

If a Story Bible document exists, review it. If not, offer to create one using `assets/story-bible-template.md`.

**Example Story Bible entry (character):**
```
ALEX CHEN - Protagonist
Want: Expose the conspiracy and clear her name
Need: Learn to trust her instincts over institutional authority
Wound: Mentor betrayed her at previous agency, causing career setback
Arc: Lone wolf → realizes she needs allies → builds trust with team
Voice notes: Analytical, dry humor when stressed, avoids emotional language
Key relationship: Tension with Handler (wants to trust, can't fully)
```

**Exit condition:** Confident grasp of story fundamentals. Can discuss character motivations, predict plot implications, and identify thematic threads without asking basic questions.

---

## Stage 2: Chapter Development

**Goal:** Draft or refine chapters through brainstorm → curate → draft → refine cycles.

**Drafting new?** → Creation workflow | **Editing existing?** → Editing workflow

### Creation Workflow

1. **Scene Planning**
   - What must happen (plot)? Whose POV?
   - Chapter's emotional arc?
   - What reader learns/feels by end?

2. **Brainstorm Beats** (5-15 options): Opening hooks, key moments, dialogue, sensory details, closing

   **Example (thriller scene):** Same car outside coffee shop three days running | Phone buzzing at 3am with blocked caller | Surveillance photo under door | Colleague mentions detail only surveillance would know | Camera lens reflection in window | Dead drop cleaned out | Safe house key doesn't fit | Contact misses first check-in

   Then curate: "Which create immediate tension? Combine any?"

3. **Curate:** Ask which to keep, combine, or discard. Reasons help calibrate.

4. **Draft:** Write chapter. Use `str_replace` for revisions, never reprint.

5. **Refine:** Iterate on feedback. After 3 passes with minimal changes, ask: "What could be cut?"

### Editing Workflow

1. **Read and Diagnose:** What chapter tries to do, where it succeeds, where it loses energy/clarity

2. **Invoke Persona:** Structure/pacing → Developmental | Prose → Line | Voice → Character | Facts → Continuity

3. **Propose Changes:** Specific, surgical edits with brief "why"

4. **Implement:** Use `str_replace`. Link to file after changes.

5. **Iterate:** Until chapter achieves purpose

### Role-Specific Guidance

When a specific editorial persona is invoked, load the corresponding reference file:

- Developmental editing → `references/developmental-editing.md`
- Line editing → `references/line-editing.md`
- Character work → `references/character-work.md`
- Continuity → `references/continuity-tracking.md`
- Brainstorming → `references/brainstorming.md`
- Thriller-specific craft → `references/thriller-craft.md`
- Sci-fi worldbuilding → `references/scifi-worldbuilding.md`

---

## Stage 3: Reader Testing

**Goal:** Verify manuscript works without author context.

**Using fresh sub-agent (no story bible):**

1. **Comprehension:** Can they summarize plot, understand motivations, identify stakes?
2. **Engagement:** Where did they lose interest, have questions, feel confused?
3. **Emotional:** Did key moments land? Ending satisfying? Theme clear?

**Common issues:** Unclear motivation | Pacing lags | Unearned moments | Confusion

**If struggles:** Identify gap → Return to Stage 2 → Re-test

**Exit condition:** Reader understands and engages without author explanations.

---

## Self-Check: Is This Working?

Use these checkpoints to verify you're following the workflow correctly.

**After Story Bible building:**
- [ ] Can you describe the protagonist's want vs. need without re-reading notes?
- [ ] Can you predict how the antagonist would react to a new scenario?
- [ ] Do you understand the thematic question the book explores?
- [ ] Could you summarize the three-act structure in 2-3 sentences?

**After invoking a persona:**
- [ ] Did you explicitly say "As [persona name]..." in your request?
- [ ] Is the feedback focused on that persona's domain (developmental = structure, line = prose)?
- [ ] Did you avoid mixing feedback from multiple personas in one pass?

**After making edits:**
- [ ] Did you use `str_replace` for surgical changes, not reprinting entire sections?
- [ ] Can you articulate what changed and why it's better?
- [ ] Is the change consistent with the Story Bible (character voice, plot logic, world rules)?

**After brainstorming:**
- [ ] Did you generate 5+ options before selecting one?
- [ ] Did you curate collaboratively rather than taking the first suggestion?
- [ ] Can you explain why the selected option is stronger than alternatives?

**Before claiming "done":**
- [ ] Has a fresh sub-agent (without Story Bible context) read the manuscript?
- [ ] Did the fresh reader understand plot, character motivations, and stakes?
- [ ] Were any gaps or confusion points identified and addressed?

If you answered "no" to any checkpoint, return to that stage before proceeding.

---

## Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Why It Happens | Fix |
|---------|---------------|-----|
| **Skipping Story Bible** | "I know my story well enough" | Story Bible isn't for you—it's for Claude. Without shared context, feedback will miss key story elements. Build it. |
| **Generic feedback without persona** | Rushing, forgetting to invoke specific role | Explicitly say "As developmental editor..." or "As line editor..." in your prompt. Different lenses catch different issues. |
| **Reprinting entire chapters** | Habit from other editing contexts | Use `str_replace` for surgical edits only. Reprinting burns context and makes changes hard to track.