skills/greyhaven-ai/claude-code-config/grey-haven-creative-writing

grey-haven-creative-writing

SKILL.md

Creative Writing

Professional writing assistance across genres: blogs, research, fiction, essays, and marketing copy.

Writing Philosophy

Great writing follows universal principles regardless of genre:

  1. Clarity - Every sentence serves a purpose
  2. Voice - Consistent tone appropriate to audience
  3. Structure - Logical flow that guides readers
  4. Engagement - Hooks, tension, and payoff
  5. Polish - Refined through editing

Genre Selection

Choose your writing type to load genre-specific guidance:

Genre Reference Best For
Blog posts references/blog-writing.md SEO content, thought leadership, tutorials
Research articles references/research-writing.md Academic papers, whitepapers, reports
Fiction references/fiction-writing.md Novels, short stories, creative narratives
Essays references/essay-writing.md Arguments, analysis, personal reflection
Marketing copy references/marketing-writing.md Landing pages, emails, ads

Universal Writing Process

Phase 1: Understand

Before writing, clarify:

  1. Audience - Who reads this? What do they know?
  2. Purpose - Inform, persuade, entertain, or inspire?
  3. Constraints - Word count, tone, format requirements?
  4. Success criteria - What makes this piece successful?

Phase 2: Structure

Create an outline before drafting:

1. Hook/Opening - Grab attention
2. Context - Set the stage
3. Main content - Deliver value
   - Point A with support
   - Point B with support
   - Point C with support
4. Conclusion - Synthesize and call to action

Phase 3: Draft

Write freely without self-editing:

  • First draft is discovery - Find what you're really saying
  • Momentum over perfection - Keep moving forward
  • Mark uncertainties - Use [TODO] or [CHECK] placeholders
  • Write the easy parts first - Build confidence

Phase 4: Revise

Systematic revision passes:

  1. Structure pass - Does the logic flow?
  2. Clarity pass - Is each sentence clear?
  3. Voice pass - Is the tone consistent?
  4. Trim pass - Cut unnecessary words
  5. Polish pass - Refine word choices

Phase 5: Finalize

Pre-publish checklist in checklists/pre-publish-checklist.md.

Templates

Ready-to-use structures:

Template Use Case
templates/blog-post.md Standard blog structure
templates/research-article.md Academic/professional paper
templates/fiction-chapter.md Novel chapter structure
templates/essay.md Argumentative essay
templates/landing-page.md Marketing landing page

Writing Techniques

Hook Patterns

Question hook: "Have you ever wondered why...?" Statistic hook: "73% of developers struggle with..." Story hook: "Last Tuesday, everything changed when..." Contrarian hook: "Everything you know about X is wrong." Promise hook: "By the end of this article, you'll be able to..."

Transition Patterns

Additive: Furthermore, Additionally, Moreover Contrasting: However, On the other hand, Nevertheless Causal: Therefore, As a result, Consequently Sequential: First, Next, Finally Exemplifying: For example, Specifically, Consider

Ending Patterns

Summary: Recap key points Call to action: Direct next step Question: Provoke continued thought Vision: Paint future picture Circle back: Return to opening

Readability Guidelines

Audience Reading Level Sentence Length
General public 8th grade 15-20 words
Professional 10th grade 20-25 words
Academic 12th+ grade 25-30 words
Technical Varies Match documentation style

Readability Techniques

  • Short paragraphs - 3-4 sentences max
  • Active voice - "The team built" not "It was built by"
  • Concrete nouns - "hammer" not "implement"
  • Strong verbs - "sprint" not "move quickly"
  • No jargon - Unless audience expects it

Checklists

Quality assurance tools:

Checklist Purpose
checklists/pre-publish-checklist.md Final review before publishing
checklists/revision-checklist.md Systematic revision passes
checklists/prose-revision-checkpoint.md Inter-phase quality gate for revision pipeline
checklists/novel-development-checkpoint.md Inter-phase quality gate for novel development pipeline
checklists/manuscript-audit-checkpoint.md Audit completion gate for manuscript audit pipeline
checklists/content-production-checkpoint.md Inter-phase quality gate for content production pipeline
checklists/review-synthesis-checkpoint.md Synthesis gate for review synthesis pipeline

Prose Revision Pipeline

A 6-phase systematic revision pipeline for manuscripts, using SVQ scoring as the quality metric. Designed for multi-book series but works on single manuscripts.

Reference Documents

Reference Path Purpose
Master SOP references/prose-revision/prose-revision-sop.md Framework overview, operational rules, config template
Phase 1 references/prose-revision/phase-1-surface-cleanup.md Verbal tics, closing spirals, voice differentiation
Phase 2 references/prose-revision/phase-2-prose-craft.md Perception verbs, over-explanation, sentence variety
Phase 3 references/prose-revision/phase-3-svq-polish.md Targeted over-explanation, counterpoint injection
Phase 4 references/prose-revision/phase-4-sentence-architecture.md Em-dash density, sentence shapes, character metaphors
Phase 5 references/prose-revision/phase-5-enrichment.md Sensory anchoring, body moments, dialogue beats
Phase 6 references/prose-revision/phase-6-final-audit.md SVQ scoring, consistency verification, final report

Commands

Command Purpose
/prose-revision Run the full 6-phase pipeline with quality gates
/revision-phase Run a single phase for targeted reruns or recovery

Pipeline Flow

Phase 1 (cuts) -> Phase 2 (cuts) -> Phase 3 (cuts) -> Phase 4 (refine) -> Phase 5 (adds) -> Phase 6 (audit)
     |                  |                 |                  |                  |                  |
  checkpoint         checkpoint        checkpoint       checkpoint        checkpoint        checkpoint
                    + SVQ score                         + SVQ score                         + SVQ score

Novel Development Pipeline

A 5-phase pre-production pipeline for novels, using NRS scoring (Narrative Readiness Score) as the quality metric. Produces a Novel Foundation Package ready for drafting.

Reference Documents

Reference Path Purpose
Master SOP references/novel-development/novel-development-sop.md NRS framework, operational rules, config template
Phase 1 references/novel-development/phase-1-research.md Genre conventions, setting research, thematic context
Phase 2 references/novel-development/phase-2-foundation.md Character profiles, world bible, beat sheet (3 agents parallel)
Phase 3 references/novel-development/phase-3-structure.md Chapter-by-chapter outline with scene breakdowns
Phase 4 references/novel-development/phase-4-dialogue.md Voice guides, sample dialogue, scene dialogue notes
Phase 5 references/novel-development/phase-5-integration.md Consistency check, NRS scoring, Novel Foundation Package

Commands

Command Purpose
/writing-team Run the full 5-phase novel development pipeline
/novel-phase Run a single phase for targeted reruns or recovery

Pipeline Flow

Phase 1 (research) -> Phase 2 (foundation: 3 agents parallel) -> Phase 3 (structure) -> Phase 4 (dialogue) -> Phase 5 (integration)
       |                         |                                       |                      |                      |
    checkpoint              checkpoint                               checkpoint            checkpoint            checkpoint
                           + NRS score                                                                         + NRS score

Manuscript Audit Pipeline

A parallel-dispatch audit pipeline for manuscripts, using SVQ, Believability, and World Consistency scores with acceptance thresholds.

Reference Documents

Reference Path Purpose
Master SOP references/manuscript-audit/manuscript-audit-sop.md Acceptance thresholds, synthesis protocol, config template
Believability references/manuscript-audit/audit-believability.md Verisimilitude, consistency, plausibility (0-100 score)
Prose Quality references/manuscript-audit/audit-prose-quality.md SVQ scoring in audit mode (1-10 per dimension)
World Consistency references/manuscript-audit/audit-world-consistency.md Rule verification, timeline, system coherence

Acceptance Thresholds

Decision SVQ Composite Believability World Issues
ACCEPT >= 7.0 >= 80/100 No critical issues
REVISE 5.0 - 6.9 60 - 79 Major issues
REWORK < 5.0 < 60 Critical issues

Command

Command Purpose
/writing-audit Run the parallel 3-agent manuscript audit with synthesis

Content Production Pipeline

A 4-phase sequential pipeline for non-fiction content, using CRS scoring (Content Readiness Score) as the quality metric. Produces a Content Production Package ready for writing.

Reference Documents

Reference Path Purpose
Master SOP references/content-production/content-production-sop.md CRS framework, operational rules, config template
Phase 1 references/content-production/phase-1-strategy.md Audience analysis, keyword research, content calendar
Phase 2 references/content-production/phase-2-research.md Factual research per content piece
Phase 3 references/content-production/phase-3-outline.md Production-ready outlines mapped to keywords
Phase 4 references/content-production/phase-4-production-readiness.md Lead synthesis, CRS scoring, Content Production Package

Command

Command Purpose
/content-team Run the full 4-phase content production pipeline

Pipeline Flow

Phase 1 (strategy) -> Phase 2 (research) -> Phase 3 (outline) -> Phase 4 (readiness)
       |                     |                     |                     |
    checkpoint           checkpoint            checkpoint           checkpoint
   + CRS score                                                     + CRS score

Review Synthesis Pipeline

A parallel-dispatch review pipeline with structured synthesis protocol for resolving reviewer disagreements.

Reference Documents

Reference Path Purpose
Master SOP references/review-synthesis/review-synthesis-sop.md Synthesis protocol, review focus mapping, config template
Editorial references/review-synthesis/review-editorial.md Developmental feedback, line editing, copy editing
Prose Quality references/review-synthesis/review-prose-quality.md SVQ scoring, style analysis, voice profiling
Dialogue references/review-synthesis/review-dialogue.md Voice differentiation, subtext, authenticity

Synthesis Protocol

Agreement Level Rule Action
All 3 agree High confidence Highest priority in revision list
2 of 3 agree Majority Include with dissenting note
All 3 disagree Author decides Present all perspectives
Severity conflict Highest wins If one says critical, it is critical

Command

Command Purpose
/writing-review Run the parallel 3-agent review with synthesis

Use This Skill When

  • Writing any form of content from scratch
  • Improving existing drafts
  • Learning writing techniques
  • Structuring complex pieces
  • Overcoming writer's block
  • Editing for clarity and impact
  • Running systematic manuscript revision pipelines
  • Developing novel foundations with structured pre-production
  • Auditing manuscripts for quality and consistency
  • Producing content with strategy-first workflows
  • Synthesizing multi-reviewer feedback into actionable revision lists

Related Skills

  • prompt-engineering - Crafting effective prompts
  • documentation-alignment - Technical documentation

Skill Version: 1.2 Genres Covered: Blog, Research, Fiction, Essay, Marketing Pipelines: Prose Revision, Novel Development, Manuscript Audit, Content Production, Review Synthesis Last Updated: 2026-02-06

Weekly Installs
49
GitHub Stars
20
First Seen
Feb 5, 2026
Installed on
opencode45
gemini-cli43
codex40
cursor40
github-copilot39
amp36