Novel Writer

Professional novel writing support covering ideation, planning, writing, and revision.

When to Use

Use this skill when the user asks for:

New novel creation from an idea or genre prompt
Continuing existing chapters or scenes
Character creation and character arc design
Worldbuilding (magic systems, factions, settings, lore)
Revising story content for clarity, tension, pacing, or emotional impact

Do not use

Do not use this skill for:

Factual Q&A tasks that are not creative writing tasks
Legal, medical, or financial advice requests
Requests to produce plagiarism or direct imitation of copyrighted works
Harmful or disallowed content that violates platform safety policies

Instructions

Identify request type first (new novel, continuation, character, worldbuilding, revision).
Ask only the minimum required questions before drafting.
Follow the matching workflow section in this file.
Reuse references and templates under references/ and assets/templates/.
Keep tone, POV, and character logic consistent with prior content.
Before final output, quickly self-check plot coherence and language quality.

Workflow

Step 1: Identify Request Type

Task Type	User Example	Action
New novel	"help me write a sci-fi novel"	Go to Create New Novel
Continue chapter	"write the next chapter"	Go to Continue Chapter
Character design	"design a villain"	Go to Character Design
Worldbuilding	"build a magic system"	Go to Worldbuilding
Content revision	"revise this dialogue"	Direct optimization

Create New Novel

Writing Process

1. Gather Info → 2. Build Framework → 3. Character Design → 4. Chapter Planning → 5. Start Writing

1. Gather Basic Information

Ask the user for key details (avoid asking too much at once):

Required:

Genre (sci-fi/fantasy/mystery/romance/wuxia etc.)
Core concept or inspiration
Target length (short/medium/long)

Optional (ask progressively):

Protagonist setting
Desired emotional tone
Special requirements

2. Build Framework

Create a story outline using the Three-Act Structure:

Act 1 (25%): Setup → Inciting Incident → Crossing the Threshold
Act 2 (50%): Challenges → Midpoint → Crisis → Preparation
Act 3 (25%): Climax → Resolution → New Normal

Detailed structure guide: See references/story-structure.md

3. Character Design

Create character cards for core characters:

Protagonist: Core desire, core fear, character arc
Antagonist: Motivation, conflict with protagonist
Key supporting characters: Functional role

Detailed character guide: See references/character-development.md

4. Chapter Planning

Plan specific chapters based on the outline, clarifying for each:

POV (perspective)
Scene location
Plot points
Connection to overall story

5. Start Writing

Write chapter by chapter according to the plan:

Maintain consistent perspective
Vivid scene details
Dialogue that advances plot
Appropriate foreshadowing

Continue Chapter

Pre-writing Preparation

Understand existing content
- Read existing chapters
- Review current plot progress
- Confirm character status and relationships
Confirm continuation direction
- What's the goal of the next chapter?
- What events need to happen?
- What's the emotional direction?

Continuation Guidelines

Connect to previous plot and atmosphere
Maintain consistent character personalities
Advance main or subplots
End with a hook

Character Design

Design Process

Determine character function
- Protagonist/antagonist/supporting?
- Role in the story?
Fill in character dimensions
- Basic info (name, age, appearance)
- Core desires and fears
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Unique identifiers (speech patterns, habitual gestures)
Design character arc
- Starting state
- Changes experienced
- Ending state
Build relationship network
- Relationships with other characters
- Conflicts and bonds

Use template: assets/templates/character-card.md

Worldbuilding

Building Layers

Physical World
- Geography
- Climate and ecology
- Important locations
Social Systems
- Political structure
- Economic system
- Cultural customs
Special Systems
- Magic system (fantasy)
- Technology setting (sci-fi)
- Martial arts system (wuxia)
Historical Background
- Important events
- Legends and myths

Building Principles

Serve the story: Only build what the story needs
Internal consistency: Rules shouldn't contradict
Show don't tell: Reveal the world through plot

Detailed guide: See references/worldbuilding.md

Use template: assets/templates/world-bible.md

Genre-Specific Guidance

Genre	Key Points	Detailed Guide
Sci-Fi	Internal logic of scientific setting	genre-guides.md#sci-fi
Fantasy	Magic rules and costs	genre-guides.md#fantasy
Mystery	Fair clues, surprising truth	genre-guides.md#mystery
Romance	Character chemistry, emotional layers	genre-guides.md#romance
Wuxia	Martial arts system, jianghu conflicts	genre-guides.md#wuxia

Writing Techniques

Key techniques at a glance:

Narrative POV: First person/third person limited/omniscient, choose based on story needs
Scene building: Time + location + characters + conflict + change
Dialogue writing: Advance plot, reveal character, contain subtext
Pacing: Balance tension and release, buffer after climaxes
Suspense & foreshadowing: Plant early, pay off later

Detailed techniques: See references/writing-techniques.md

Available Templates

Template	Purpose
outline.md	Complete novel outline
character-card.md	Character profile card
world-bible.md	Worldbuilding document
chapter.md	Chapter planning and writing

Output Guidelines

Outline Output

Clear structure, distinct layers
Key plot points clearly defined
Easy to expand upon

Prose Output

Write in the target language
Appropriate paragraph breaks
Proper dialogue formatting
Avoid overly formal language, maintain readability

Format Example

Chapter 1: Dark Descent

Neon lights blurred into halos through the rain. Lin Yuan stood at the edge of the rooftop, letting the cold rain soak his trench coat.

"You came." A familiar voice spoke from behind.

He turned to see a dark figure emerging from the stairwell.

novel-writer