Chapter Development Workflow — Book 1

This document describes the 5-stage pipeline for developing each chapter of Book 1. Every chapter follows this process from seed to final.

File Structure Per Chapter

Each chapter produces three files:

chapters/book1/
  chXX-input.md    ← Author's seed notes (preserved, never overwritten)
  chXX-draft.md    ← Working draft built scene by scene
  chXX-final.md    ← Post-revision final version

Stage 1: Seed

The author copies chapter-input-template.md to chXX-input.md and fills in:

Scene Goals — what must happen (plot beats, revelations, setup)
Key Dialog — specific lines or exchanges to include
Character Moments — interactions, emotional beats, relationship developments
Mood / Tone — atmosphere, pacing, energy level
Freeform Notes — fragments, vibes, raw dialog, images, "what if" ideas

This file is the author's territory. Claude never overwrites it.

Stage 2: Scene Breakdown

Claude reads the input file alongside:

The Book 1 outline (/outline/book1-outline.md)
The master CLAUDE.md (voice, world, formatting rules)
Relevant character files and continuity notes

Claude then proposes a scene-by-scene plan for the chapter:

Number of scenes, estimated word counts
What each scene accomplishes
Where the input's dialog and character moments slot in
The chapter's opening hook and closing beat

The author reviews, adjusts, and approves before drafting begins.

Stage 3: Draft (Interactive, Scene by Scene)

For each scene in the approved breakdown:

Claude drafts the scene (~500–1,500 words)
Author reviews — adds dialog, redirects, suggests changes
Claude revises with light polish based on feedback
Scene is appended to chXX-draft.md

Repeat until all scenes are complete. The draft file accumulates the full chapter.

Guidelines During Drafting

Follow Phelan's voice exactly (first-person, past tense, dry wit, ADD tangents)
Comply with KDP formatting from the first draft (em dashes, smart quotes, scene breaks)
Flag continuity concerns inline with [CONTINUITY FLAG: note]
Target 3,000–5,000 words for the complete chapter
End with either a resolved beat or a micro-hook — never just stop

Stage 4: Full-Chapter Revision

Once all scenes are drafted, Claude performs a complete read-through checking:

Flow — do scenes connect smoothly? Are transitions earned?
Pacing — action scenes clipped, investigation scenes discursive, quiet scenes slow?
Voice — does every paragraph sound like Phelan?
Continuity — any conflicts with established canon?
KDP compliance — formatting, typography, chapter structure

Claude flags issues and proposes edits. Author approves or adjusts. The revised chapter is saved to chXX-final.md.

Stage 5: Continuity Update

After the chapter is finalized, update project files as needed:

/world/magic/exploits-log.md — any new exploits Phelan used
/characters/ — new named characters, relationship changes, status updates
/world/locations/ — new locations introduced
/world/ — any new world facts established in prose

Once stated in final prose, it's canon.

Quick Reference

Stage	Who Leads	Output
1. Seed	Author	`chXX-input.md`
2. Scene Breakdown	Claude (author approves)	Approved scene plan
3. Draft	Claude + Author (interactive)	`chXX-draft.md`
4. Revision	Claude (author approves)	`chXX-final.md`
5. Continuity	Claude	Updated world/character files

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