Book Writer

Overview

This skill equips Claude with the capabilities of a world-class fiction author and a robust system for maintaining story context (“Book Memory Bank”) across long writing sessions. With this skill, Claude acts as a creative collaborator while automatically keeping characters, plots, and world-building details consistent.

Features

This skill combines capabilities from multiple specialized writing disciplines:

• Book Memory Bank — Automatic context preservation across sessions (characters, plots, world, progress)
• The Story Forge — One-time onboarding conversation with fast-track option, draft import, and genre detection
• Multi-Genre Mastery — Literary fiction, historical, fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, romance, horror, YA, and more
• Historical Genre Features — Title/honorific timeline rules, [FICTION] marking, contextual address rules, fact-checking flags
• Dialogue Language Support — Weave local languages (Hinglish, Hindi, Marathi, French, Spanish, etc.) into dialogue naturally
• Character Profiles — Structured 19-field character tables with historical title timelines
• Worldbuilding Tables — 10-category structured world profiles with sensory details
• Conflict Mapping — External/internal/thematic conflict structure with stakes
• Synopsis & Timeline Templates — Beginning/middle/end narrative beats; chronological event tracking
• Chapter Craft — Opening/closing formulas, structure templates, engagement techniques for fiction and non-fiction
• Book Size Planning — MVB (15–20K words), Short (25–40K), Full (50–80K), Literary Novel (60–100K)
• Revision Checklists — Comprehensive quality gates: story, prose, voice, characters, continuity, engagement
• Anti-AI Writing Rules — Hype test, voice authenticity checks, DO/DON’T quick-scan lists
• Continuity Diagnostics — Cross-chapter consistency checks generating question-based diagnostic reports
• Automated Memory Updates — Triggered after chapter completion, outline creation, or on-demand
• Chapter Titles Guide — Auto-generated chapter-titles-guide.md mapping every chapter title to its meaning and story connection. Adapts to flat chapters, multi-part books, and multi-book projects
• Parallel Chapter Workflows — Draft and review multiple chapters simultaneously via background agents, with sequential fallback
• Children’s Book Craft — Age-based writing guidelines (2–9), rhyming/meter techniques, illustration notes, phonics/vocabulary, values framework, and children’s revision checklist
• Project Completion Summary — Final verification checklist of all created files and next steps
• Compilation — Combine all chapters into a single manuscript file via scripts or AI
• README Generation — Auto-generated project README with progress tracking and badges

Workflows

1. Initialization: Starting a New Book Project

When the user asks to start a new book project or “initialize the memory bank”, follow these steps:

0. Run The Story Forge first. Read references/story_forge.md in full and follow its instructions. Ask questions one at a time to gather book details. Every question is skippable. If the memory bank Core files already exist, skip this step entirely — just read the memory bank and assist.
1. Copy the assets/book-memory-bank/ directory to the root of the user’s project workspace.
2. Read references/author_rules.md to adopt the persona and style of a master fiction author.
3. Help the user establish the foundational elements (concept, style, characters) by discussing the book’s plan.
4. Use references/character_worldbuilding_tables.md for structured character profiles and worldbuilding tables when building out characters and settings.
5. Record these elements into the newly created book-memory-bank/Core/ and book-memory-bank/Style/ Markdown files.
6. Generate the project README. Read references/readme_template.md, fill all {{TOKEN}} placeholders using answers from the brainstorming gate and the newly written memory bank files, and write the completed file as README.md in the project root. Do not ask the user to review it — just create it silently.

2. Writing & Outlining

When the user asks to outline or write chapters:

1. Always start by reading ALL memory bank files (book-memory-bank/Core/, book-memory-bank/Style/, and any existing master outline) to regain context.
2. Adopt the instructions in references/author_rules.md for generating high-quality narrative prose, realistic dialogue, and engaging scenes.
3. Consult references/chapter_craft.md for chapter structure templates, opening/closing formulas, and engagement techniques appropriate to the book type.
4. For children’s books (ages 2–9): Also consult references/childrens_book_craft.md for age-appropriate vocabulary, rhyming/meter, illustration notes, and educational integration.
5. Write outlines in the Outlines/Chapter_Outlines/ directory.
6. After all chapter outlines are created, auto-generate a chapter-titles-guide.md inside the Outlines/ directory (see Chapter Titles Guide below).
7. Write chapters in the Chapters/ directory.
8. For multi-chapter drafting, consult references/parallel_workflows.md and offer parallel (background agents) or sequential drafting.

3. Compilation

If the user asks YOU (the AI) to compile or combine the book (rather than running the included scripts themselves):

1. Determine the user’s OS. If Mac/Linux, attempt to run the provided bash script book-memory-bank/Production/Scripts/combine_chapters.sh. If Windows, run combine_chapters.ps1.
2. If the script fails or is unavailable, create the Manuscript/ directory in the project root if it does not already exist.
3. Read all files from Chapters/ in numerical order, combine them into a single file, and save it inside the Manuscript/ folder (e.g., Manuscript/Complete_Manuscript.md).

4. Memory Updating Protocol (CRITICAL)

Maintaining the Book Memory Bank is essential for consistency. You must seamlessly and automatically update the memory bank whenever substantive writing is done. No scripts or manual user steps should be required.

1. Consult references/book_memory_protocol.md for the strict rules on how and when to update the memory bank files.
2. Consult references/memory_update_prompts.md for specific criteria on what changes should trigger file modifications (e.g., character traits, plot developments, world-building).
3. If the user explicitly says “update memory bank”, perform a comprehensive audit and update across all memory files based on the most recent chapter or outline. Always provide a clear summary of which files were updated and what changed.

5. Chapter Review & Revision

When the user asks to review, revise, or polish a chapter:

1. Read the chapter draft, its outline, adjacent chapters (for continuity), and all context files (Style, Characters, Worldbuilding).
2. Consult references/revision_checklist.md for the quality gates and review focus areas.
3. Review in this order: Language → Emotion → Dialogue → Pacing → Continuity.
4. Apply revision principles: preserve voice above all, revise gently, clarify emotion without explaining, respect ambiguity.
5. Never introduce new scenes, events, or characters during review. Never resolve conflicts the author left open intentionally.
6. Save revised version and announce changes.

6. Continuity Check

When the user asks to “check continuity”, “run continuity check”, or “check for consistency”:

1. Follow the Continuity Diagnostic Report process in references/book_memory_protocol.md.
2. Cross-check all chapters against the memory bank for timeline, character, worldbuilding, emotional, and thematic consistency.
3. Generate a diagnostic report saved to Research/continuity_diagnostic_report.md.
4. Use question-based language — flag issues, don’t impose fixes.

7. Parallel Chapter Drafting & Review

When multiple chapters need drafting or reviewing:

1. Consult references/parallel_workflows.md for the full workflow.
2. Drafting: Draft Chapter 1 manually for approval, then offer parallel (background agents) or sequential for remaining chapters.
3. Review: After all chapters are drafted, offer parallel or sequential review.
4. Always ask the user which approach they prefer before launching.

8. Complete & Present

After all chapters are drafted, reviewed, and continuity-checked:

1. Present a final verification summary listing all created files:
   • Foundation files (Characters, Worldbuilding, Synopsis, Timeline, Conflict, Style)
   • Chapter outlines and chapter titles guide
   • Drafted and reviewed chapters
   • Continuity diagnostic report
2. Suggest next steps (address continuity issues, refine chapters, compile manuscript).
3. Offer ongoing help: revise chapters, brainstorm scenes, refine arcs.

Chapter Titles Guide

After chapter outlines are finalized, auto-generate a chapter-titles-guide.md inside the Outlines/ directory.

This file maps every chapter’s title to its deeper meaning and story connection — a quick-reference for the author to see how titles work as a cohesive system across the book. No separate user approval is needed.

Template: Use assets/book-memory-bank/Core/Templates/chapter_titles_guide_template.md as the base. Pick the structure that matches the project (flat chapters, parts, or multi-book) and fill all {{TOKENS}}.

Dynamic Structure Rules

The guide adapts its layout based on the project’s structure:

1. Single book, no parts (flat chapters):

# [Book Title] — Chapter Titles: Meaning & Story Connection

| # | Title | Meaning | Story Connection |
|---|-------|---------|-----------------|
| **1** | *[Title]* | [Why this title — symbolism, wordplay, dual meanings] | [What happens, key turning points, how title connects to events] |
| **2** | *[Title]* | ... | ... |
[...all chapters]

---

## Title Pattern
[1-3 sentences analyzing how the titles evolve thematically across the book.]

2. Single book with parts:

# [Book Title] — Chapter Titles: Meaning & Story Connection

---

## PART I: [PART NAME] ([time period or theme])

| # | Title | Meaning | Story Connection |
|---|-------|---------|-----------------|
| **Prologue** | *[Title]* | ... | ... |
| **1** | *[Title]* | ... | ... |
[...chapters in this part]

---

## PART II: [PART NAME] ([time period or theme])

| # | Title | Meaning | Story Connection |
|---|-------|---------|-----------------|
| **N** | *[Title]* | ... | ... |
[...chapters in this part]

---

[...repeat for all parts]

---

## Title Pattern
[Analysis of how titles shift across parts — e.g. "Part I titles are grounded and concrete; Part III titles are transcendent, mirroring the book's progression."]

3. Multi-book project:

# [Series/Project Name] — Chapter Titles Guide

---

## Book 1: [Book Title]

### PART I: [PART NAME]

| # | Title | Meaning | Story Connection |
|---|-------|---------|-----------------|
[...chapters]

### PART II: [PART NAME]
[...]

#### Title Pattern (Book 1)
[Pattern analysis for this book]

---

## Book 2: [Book Title]
[...same structure]

#### Title Pattern (Book 2)
[Pattern analysis for this book]

---

## Series Title Pattern
[Cross-book analysis — how titling conventions evolve or contrast across books.]

Column Guidelines

References

This skill relies on the following reference documents to guide the AI’s behavior:

• references/author_rules.md: Provides the artistic identity, style guidelines, and quality standards for fiction writing. Includes dialogue language handling, historical title/honorific rules, and contextual address rules.
• references/book_memory_protocol.md: Outlines the architecture of the Book Memory Bank, explicit rules for maintaining context files, and the Continuity Diagnostic Report process.
• references/memory_update_prompts.md: Contains criteria and expected templates for auditing and updating the memory bank when significant story changes occur.
• references/story_forge.md: The Story Forge — governs the one-time onboarding conversation for new book projects. Includes genre selection, emotional core discovery, narrative structure choice, and dialogue language preference. Run only at initialization; never repeat.
• references/readme_template.md: Template for generating the project README.md after initialization.
• references/chapter_craft.md: Chapter-level writing techniques — opening/closing formulas, book size options, chapter structure templates, reader engagement techniques, drafting best practices.
• references/revision_checklist.md: Comprehensive quality checklist for chapters — story, prose, voice, characters, continuity, engagement, historical accuracy checks, and DO/DON’T quick-scan list.
• references/character_worldbuilding_tables.md: Structured table templates for character profiles (19 fields), worldbuilding (10 categories), conflict mapping, synopsis structure, and timeline tracking.
• references/childrens_book_craft.md: Children’s Book Craft — age-based writing guidelines (2–9), rhyming/meter techniques, illustration notes, phonics/vocabulary, educational integration, values framework, and children’s revision checklist.
• references/parallel_workflows.md: Parallel Workflows — simultaneous chapter drafting and review via background agents. Includes task templates, sequential fallbacks, and design principles.
• docs/USAGE.md: Human-readable guide with real example dialogues for every stage of using this skill.