Creative Writing Skill

Patterns for fiction, narrative structure, character development, dialogue, and storytelling craft.

Book Project Scaffolding

Recommended Folder Structure

book-project/
├── .github/
│   ├── copilot-instructions.md    # Book-specific Alex context
│   └── prompts/
│       └── chapter-review.prompt.md
├── outline/
│   ├── BOOK-PLAN.md               # Synopsis, themes, timeline
│   ├── PLOT-OUTLINE.md            # Beat sheet or chapter summaries
│   └── TIMELINE.md                # Story timeline (if complex)
├── characters/
│   ├── CHARACTER-BIBLE.md         # All characters in one file
│   └── [character-name].md        # Deep dives for major characters
├── worldbuilding/                  # For fantasy/sci-fi/historical
│   ├── WORLD-BIBLE.md             # Rules, history, geography
│   ├── magic-system.md            # If applicable
│   └── locations/                 # Location details
├── research/                       # For historical, technical, etc.
│   ├── RESEARCH-LOG.md            # What you've researched
│   └── notes/                     # Source notes
├── chapters/
│   ├── act-1/
│   │   ├── ch01-[slug].md
│   │   └── ch02-[slug].md
│   ├── act-2/
│   └── act-3/
├── drafts/
│   ├── draft-1/                   # Complete manuscript versions
│   └── draft-2/
├── scenes/                         # Loose scenes not yet placed
└── README.md                       # Project overview

BOOK-PLAN.md Template

# Book Plan: [Title]

## Logline
[One sentence that captures the core conflict]

## Synopsis
[2-3 paragraph summary]

## Genre & Comparables
- **Genre**: [Primary genre + subgenre]
- **Comp Titles**: [Book] meets [Book]
- **Target Audience**: [Who is this for]

## Themes
1. [Primary theme — what is this book ABOUT thematically?]
2. [Secondary theme]

## Structure
- **Format**: [Novel / Novella / Short Story Collection]
- **POV**: [First / Third Limited / Multiple]
- **Tense**: [Past / Present]
- **Target Word Count**: [XX,000]

## Timeline
| Phase | Duration | Deliverable |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| Outline | Weeks 1-2 | PLOT-OUTLINE.md complete |
| Draft 1 | Weeks 3-10 | Rough draft in drafts/draft-1/ |
| Revision | Weeks 11-14 | Draft 2 |
| Beta | Weeks 15-18 | Beta feedback incorporated |
| Polish | Weeks 19-20 | Submission-ready |

## Success Criteria
- [ ] First draft complete
- [ ] [Other goals]

CHARACTER-BIBLE.md Template

# Character Bible

## Main Characters

### [Character Name] — [Role: Protagonist/Antagonist/etc.]
- **Age**:
- **Occupation**:
- **Want** (external goal):
- **Need** (internal growth):
- **Lie** (false belief):
- **Ghost** (wound from past):
- **Arc**: [Positive/Negative/Flat]

**Voice notes**: [How they speak, verbal tics, vocabulary level]

**Appearance**: [Key visual details]

**Relationships**:
| Character | Relationship | Dynamic |
|-----------|-------------|---------|
| [Name] | [Role] | [How they interact] |

---

### [Next Character]
...

## Supporting Characters

| Name | Role | One-Line Description |
|------|------|---------------------|
| [Name] | [Best friend] | [Brief] |

copilot-instructions.md Template (Fiction Projects)

# [Book Title] — Writing Context

## Project Overview
[2-3 sentence summary: genre, premise, current status]

## Current Phase
- [x] Outlining
- [ ] Drafting (Chapter X of Y)
- [ ] Revision
- [ ] Beta/Feedback

## Key Files
- Book plan: outline/BOOK-PLAN.md
- Plot: outline/PLOT-OUTLINE.md
- Characters: characters/CHARACTER-BIBLE.md
- World: worldbuilding/WORLD-BIBLE.md (if applicable)

## Alex Guidance
- **Voice**: [Describe the narrative voice — literary, commercial, etc.]
- **POV Rules**: [Third limited / No head-hopping / etc.]
- **Tone**: [Dark, humorous, lyrical, etc.]
- When suggesting dialogue: Match character voice from CHARACTER-BIBLE.md
- When reviewing scenes: Check against PLOT-OUTLINE.md for consistency

## Don't
- Don't make the prose purple/overwrought
- Don't add characters not in CHARACTER-BIBLE.md without discussion
- Don't resolve tension too easily

## World Rules (if applicable)
[Key constraints: magic rules, historical accuracy needs, etc.]

Book Project Audit Checklist

## Book Project Audit

### Structure Assessment
- [ ] Has outline/ with BOOK-PLAN.md
- [ ] Character documentation exists
- [ ] Chapters organized (by act or sequentially)
- [ ] Drafts versioned separately

### Alex-Readiness Assessment
- [ ] copilot-instructions.md exists with project context
- [ ] Current phase clearly marked
- [ ] Voice/tone guidance provided
- [ ] Key files linked

### Craft Documentation
- [ ] Character arcs defined (want/need/lie)
- [ ] Plot structure documented
- [ ] World rules captured (if applicable)
- [ ] Research tracked (if needed)

Story Structure Models

Three-Act Structure

Key Plot Points

Act I                    Act II                      Act III
┌─────────────────┬──────────────────────────┬─────────────────┐
│                 │                          │                 │
│   Inciting   Turning    Midpoint    Turning    Climax       │
│   Incident   Point 1              Point 2                   │
│      ↓          ↓          ↓         ↓          ↓           │
└──────┴──────────┴──────────┴─────────┴──────────┴───────────┘
     10%         25%        50%       75%       90%

Alternative Structures

Character Development

Character Dimensions

Character Arc Types

Character Voice Checklist

• Vocabulary level and word choice
• Sentence rhythm and length
• Speech patterns and verbal tics
• What they notice (reveals values)
• What they avoid talking about
• How they refer to others
• Unique expressions or phrases

Dialogue Craft

Dialogue Functions

Subtext Techniques

Dialogue Tags

Dialogue Formatting

• New speaker = new paragraph
• Action by speaker in same paragraph
• Use contractions naturally
• Read aloud to test flow
• Cut greetings and small talk (usually)

Point of View

POV Options

POV Consistency Rules

• Don't "head hop" within scenes
• Signal POV shifts clearly (chapter/section break)
• Maintain consistent psychic distance
• Filter everything through POV character's perception

Scene Construction

Scene vs. Summary

Scene Checklist

• Clear POV character
• Character wants something
• Obstacle to that want
• Something changes by end
• Hooks to next scene

Scene-Sequel Pattern

Prose Style

Show vs. Tell

Sensory Details

Prose Rhythm

• Vary sentence length
• Short sentences = tension, speed
• Long sentences = description, reflection
• Fragment for emphasis
• Read aloud to check flow

Genre Conventions

Genre Expectations

Genre Blending

• Know both genres' conventions
• Identify which is primary
• Meet core expectations of primary
• Add elements from secondary

Revision Strategies

Revision Passes

Beta Reader Questions

• Where were you confused?
• Where did you get bored?
• What did you predict?
• Which characters felt real?
• What would you cut?

Kill Your Darlings

If a passage is:

• Beautiful but slows pacing
• Clever but confuses
• Beloved but unnecessary

...consider cutting it.

Screenwriting Specifics

Screenplay Format

SCENE HEADING (SLUGLINE)
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY

Action lines describe what we SEE and HEAR.
Present tense. Active voice. Brief.

                    CHARACTER NAME
          Dialogue goes here. Keep it snappy.

                    OTHER CHARACTER
                    (parenthetical)
          Response with direction if needed.

Visual Storytelling

• Show don't tell (literally)
• Enter scenes late, leave early
• Action reveals character
• Subtext over on-the-nose dialogue
• One page ≈ one minute of screen time

Poetry Elements

Poetic Devices

Form Considerations

• Free verse — no set rules
• Sonnet — 14 lines, specific rhyme
• Haiku — 5-7-5 syllables
• Villanelle — 19 lines, refrains

Falsifiability

• This skill adds no value if output quality does not measurably differ between sessions that activate it and sessions that do not
• The form constraints are wrong if they produce stilted or unnatural prose that the user consistently overrides
• Stale if contemporary creative writing conventions shift away from the structures documented here