claude_skills/chapter-workflow/SKILL.md

name, description

name	description
chapter-workflow	Use when starting a new chapter, resuming chapter drafting, or moving to the next stage of chapter development for The Shade Series. Invoke with a chapter number argument, e.g. /chapter-workflow 3

Chapter Workflow

5-stage pipeline for developing chapters. Invoke with chapter number: /chapter-workflow 3

Stage Flow

digraph chapter_flow {
    rankdir=TB;
    node [shape=box];

    detect [label="Detect book + stage\nfrom existing files" shape=diamond];
    seed [label="Stage 1: Seed\nConfirm chXX-input.md exists\nand has content"];
    breakdown [label="Stage 2: Scene Breakdown\nRead input + summary + outline\nPropose scene plan"];
    draft [label="Stage 3: Draft\nWrite full chapter\ninto chXX-draft.md"];
    revision [label="Stage 4: Review\nAuthor edits, then Claude reviews\nclarity/grammar/flow"];
    continuity [label="Stage 5: Continuity\nUpdate world/character files\n+ story summary + timeline"];

    detect -> seed [label="no input file"];
    detect -> breakdown [label="input exists, no draft"];
    detect -> draft [label="draft in progress"];
    detect -> revision [label="draft complete"];
    detect -> continuity [label="final exists"];

    seed -> breakdown;
    breakdown -> draft;
    draft -> revision;
    revision -> continuity;
}

On Invoke

Parse chapter number from args (default: ask). Set XX = zero-padded number.

Detect Book Number

Determine which book we're working on by checking the chapter directory path:

• Look for chapters/book{N}/chXX-input.md — the {N} is the book number
• If the user has a chXX-input.md open in the IDE, derive the book number from its path
• If ambiguous, check which chapters/book{N}/ directories exist and ask the user
• Set BOOK = detected book number (e.g., 1, 2, 3)

All subsequent file references use book{BOOK} instead of hardcoded book1.

Key Context Files (per book)

These files provide continuity context. Read the story summary and timeline instead of re-reading prior chapter drafts:

File	Purpose
world/story-summary-book{BOOK}.md	Running summary of all prior chapters — characters, events, plot threads, financial state. Primary context source.
world/timeline-book{BOOK}.md	Bell/time references, day-of-week tracking, elapsed time. Check before writing any time reference.
chapters/book{BOOK}/CLAUDE.md	Book-specific premise, themes, milestone beats
outline/book{BOOK}-outline.md	Chapter-by-chapter outline
world/magic/exploits-log.md	All exploits used (cross-book)

Detect Stage

Check which files exist in chapters/book{BOOK}/:

Files Present	Stage
No chXX-input.md	Create from template, ask author to fill it
chXX-input.md only	Stage 2: Scene Breakdown
chXX-input.md + partial chXX-draft.md	Stage 3: Resume/complete draft
chXX-input.md + complete chXX-draft.md	Stage 4: Author edits, then review
chXX-final.md exists	Stage 5: Continuity update

Stage 1: Seed

If chXX-input.md doesn't exist, create it from chapters/book{BOOK}/chapter-input-template.md with the chapter number filled in. Tell the author to fill in their notes and re-invoke.

If chXX-input.md exists but sections are empty (only HTML comments), tell the author it needs content before proceeding.

Stage 2: Scene Breakdown

Read these files for context:

• chapters/book{BOOK}/chXX-input.md — author's notes for this chapter
• world/story-summary-book{BOOK}.md — prior chapter context (DO NOT re-read full chapter drafts)
• world/timeline-book{BOOK}.md — timeline and time references
• outline/book{BOOK}-outline.md — chapter outline
• chapters/book{BOOK}/CLAUDE.md — book-specific instructions
• world/magic/exploits-log.md — exploits used so far
• Relevant character files from characters/ (check story summary for which characters are active)

Propose a scene-by-scene plan:

• Number of scenes with estimated word counts
• What each scene accomplishes
• Where input dialog and character moments slot in
• Opening hook and closing beat
• Timeline placement (what day, what bells) — cross-reference with timeline-book{BOOK}.md

Wait for author approval before proceeding to Stage 3.

Stage 3: Draft

Write the full chapter in one pass based on the approved scene plan. Save to chXX-draft.md.

Before drafting: Re-read the story summary and timeline to ensure continuity. Do NOT re-read full prior chapter drafts — the summary contains everything needed.

Process:

1. Write all scenes sequentially into a single complete chapter draft
2. Save the entire draft to chXX-draft.md
3. Tell the author the draft is ready for their editing

Rules during drafting:

• First-person, past tense, Phelan's voice (dry wit, ADD tangents, precise observations)
• KDP formatting from first draft (em dashes —, smart quotes, * * * scene breaks)
• Flag continuity concerns: [CONTINUITY FLAG: note]
• Target 3,000–5,000 words total
• End with resolved beat or micro-hook
• All time references (bells, days, day-of-week) must match timeline-book{BOOK}.md

After saving: Tell the author the draft is in chXX-draft.md and to edit it directly. When they're satisfied with their edits, they should re-invoke /chapter-workflow XX for the final review.

Stage 4: Review

The author has edited chXX-draft.md. Now perform a final review focused on:

1. Clarity — are descriptions, actions, and dialog clear and unambiguous?
2. Grammar — correct spelling, punctuation, tense consistency, subject-verb agreement
3. Chapter flow — does the chapter read smoothly from opening to close? Are transitions between scenes natural?
4. Sentence flow — varied sentence length, no awkward constructions, rhythm feels right for each scene type (clipped in action, discursive in investigation, slower in quiet moments)
5. Voice consistency — every paragraph sounds like Phelan
6. Continuity — cross-check against world/story-summary-book{BOOK}.md and world/timeline-book{BOOK}.md for conflicts with established canon
7. KDP formatting — em dashes, smart quotes, scene breaks, structure

Output format: Present findings organized by category. For each issue, quote the relevant text and suggest a fix. After author approval of any changes, rename chXX-draft.md to chXX-final.md using mv — do NOT rewrite the file contents.

Stage 5: Continuity Update

Update project files with new canon from the chapter:

• world/story-summary-book{BOOK}.md — add chapter summary, update character tracker, plot threads, financial ledger, and world facts
• world/timeline-book{BOOK}.md — add timeline entries for new chapter (bells, days, elapsed time)
• world/magic/exploits-log.md — new exploits
• characters/ — new or changed characters
• world/locations/ — new locations
• world/ — new world facts

Report what was updated.