Creative Writing Skills – Quick Reference

Quick guide to choosing the right skill for your task.

The Skills

cw-brainstorming

Use for: Exploring ideas, figuring things out, thinking through options

Creates: Skeletal working notes with [TBD] markers and source tags

Handles:

• Story/plot brainstorming
• Chapter planning (beats, scenes)
• Worldbuilding exploration (magic, cultures, geography)
• Character development (motivations, arcs, relationships)
• Timeline and continuity work

Key trait: Multiple options coexist, preserves vagueness, exploratory

cw-official-docs

Use for: Documenting finalized decisions, creating canonical reference (wiki pages)

Creates: Polished, reader-ready wiki/documentation pages with citations

Handles:

• Character profiles
• Location documentation
• Lore/system pages
• Event documentation
• Any finalized worldbuilding

Key trait: Single version, no [TBD], encyclopedic/wiki tone

cw-story-critique

Use for: Getting feedback on written chapters/scenes

Analyzes:

• Plot and pacing
• Character development
• Prose quality
• Story structure
• Whatever needs feedback

Key trait: Feedback on existing writing, not creating content

cw-prose-writing

Use for: Actually writing story prose in your style

Writes:

• Scenes and chapters
• Dialogue
• Narrative prose
• Story content

Key trait: Creates actual story text, matches your voice

cw-style-skill-creator

Use for: Creating custom style skills for prose writing

Creates: Skills that teach Claude your specific writing style

Key trait: Meta-skill for building other skills

Key Distinction: Brainstorm vs Documentation

This is the most common confusion:

Still figuring it out? → cw-brainstorming

• “Maybe X, or Y, or Z?”
• [TBD] markers everywhere
• Multiple versions coexist
• Skeletal notes

You’ve decided and it’s ready to show someone? → cw-official-docs

• Single authoritative version
• Polished and reader-ready
• No [TBD] markers
• Canonical documentation

Common Scenarios

“I’m exploring worldbuilding ideas for my magic system”

→ cw-brainstorming (exploring, not finalized yet)

“I’ve finalized my magic system and want to document it”

→ cw-official-docs (decided and ready to document)

“I’m thinking through how this chapter should flow”

→ cw-brainstorming (planning/exploring)

“I need to write this chapter”

→ cw-prose-writing (actually writing)

“I wrote this chapter and want feedback”

→ cw-story-critique (getting feedback)

“I need a character profile for my protagonist”

→ cw-official-docs if finalized, cw-brainstorming if still exploring

“I need a wiki page for my protagonist”

→ cw-official-docs (creating wiki/documentation)

“I’m figuring out character motivations and relationships”

→ cw-brainstorming (exploring)

“I want to document this character’s canon profile”

→ cw-official-docs (documenting finalized)

“Help me work out the timeline of events”

→ cw-brainstorming (working through chronology)

“I want Claude to write in my specific style”

→ cw-style-skill-creator first (create style skill), then cw-prose-writing

Decision Tree

Are you writing story prose?
  └─ Yes → cw-prose-writing
  └─ No ↓

Do you want feedback on something written?
  └─ Yes → cw-story-critique
  └─ No ↓

Are you figuring things out or have you decided?
  └─ Figuring out → cw-brainstorming
  └─ Decided → cw-official-docs

Need a custom writing style?
  └─ Yes → cw-style-skill-creator

Skills Work Together

You can use multiple skills in combination:

• Brainstorm → finalize → Docs (explore then document)
• Brainstorm → Prose (plan then write)
• Prose → Critique (write then get feedback)
• Brainstorm + Docs (check existing docs while brainstorming)
• Critique + Brainstorm (get feedback and brainstorm fixes)

Skills are composable – use whatever combination helps.

Still Unsure?

Default rules:

1. Exploring/uncertain? → brainstorming
2. Finalized/polished? → official-docs
3. Need feedback? → story-critique
4. Actually writing? → prose-writing

When in doubt, start with brainstorming. You can always move to docs later when things are decided.