WriteStory

What this skill does

## 🚨 MANDATORY: Voice Notification (REQUIRED BEFORE ANY ACTION)

**You MUST send this notification BEFORE doing anything else when this skill is invoked.**

1. **Send voice notification**:
   ```bash
   curl -s -X POST http://localhost:31337/notify \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"message": "Running the WORKFLOWNAME workflow in the WriteStory skill to ACTION"}' \
     > /dev/null 2>&1 &
   ```

2. **Output text notification**:
   ```
   Running the **WorkflowName** workflow in the **WriteStory** skill to ACTION...
   ```

**This is not optional. Execute this curl command immediately upon skill invocation.**

# WriteStory

**Voice:** `PAI/USER/WRITINGSTYLE.md` | **AI patterns:** `PAI/USER/AI_WRITING_PATTERNS.md`

Layered fiction writing system that constructs stories across seven simultaneous narrative dimensions, powered by Will Storr's *The Science of Storytelling* and Mark Forsyth's *The Elements of Eloquence*.

## Customization

**Before executing, check for user customizations at:**
`~/.claude/PAI/USER/SKILLCUSTOMIZATIONS/WriteStory/`

If this directory exists, load and apply:
- `PREFERENCES.md` - User preferences, default genre, aesthetic, voice
- Additional files specific to the skill

## Workflow Routing

Route to the appropriate workflow based on the request.

**When executing a workflow, output this notification directly:**

```
Running the **WorkflowName** workflow in the **WriteStory** skill to ACTION...
```

| Workflow | Trigger | File |
|----------|---------|------|
| **Interview** | "interview me", "extract my story ideas", "help me plan a story" | `Workflows/Interview.md` |
| **BuildBible** | "build story bible", "create story plan", "map the story" | `Workflows/BuildBible.md` |
| **Explore** | "explore ideas", "brainstorm", "creative exploration", "what if" | `Workflows/Explore.md` |
| **WriteChapter** | "write chapter", "write scene", "write prose", "draft" | `Workflows/WriteChapter.md` |
| **Revise** | "revise", "edit", "improve", "polish", "rewrite" | `Workflows/Revise.md` |

## The Seven Story Layers

Every story in this system is constructed across seven simultaneous layers:

1. **Meaning** — Theme, philosophical argument, lesson
2. **Character Change** — Sacred flaw -> transformation arc (Storr)
3. **Plot** — Cause-and-effect chain of events
4. **Mystery** — Information management (reader knows vs. doesn't)
5. **World** — Setting, politics, physical environment, rules
6. **Relationships** — How key bonds evolve and pressure characters
7. **Prose** — Rhetorical figures, voice, aesthetic, style

## Core References

| Reference | File | Purpose |
|-----------|------|---------|
| Layer Architecture | `StoryLayers.md` | Seven-layer system definition |
| Storr Framework | `StorrFramework.md` | Character change, sacred flaw, mystery |
| Pressfield Framework | `PressfieldFramework.md` | Concept, Hook, Clothesline, Theme-as-question, Villain, Gift |
| Phases and Events | `PhasesAndEvents.md` | Three-act structure, phases, mandatory events with positions |
| Rhetorical Figures | `RhetoricalFigures.md` | Comprehensive rhetorical figures catalogue |
| Anti-Cliche System | `AntiCliche.md` | Freshness enforcement, banned patterns |
| Story Structures | `StoryStructures.md` | Dramatica, Story Grid, Sanderson, Hero's Journey |
| Aesthetic Profiles | `AestheticProfiles.md` | Genre and style configuration |
| Critic Profiles | `Critics.md` | Multi-pass review system for prose refinement |

## Quick Reference

- **Theoretical Foundation:** Storr (character science) + Pressfield (concept/structure) + Forsyth (rhetoric) + classical rhetoric
- **Story Bible:** PRD-based plan mapping all 7 layers start-to-finish
- **Scale:** Short story (100s of ISC) to multi-book series (10,000s of ISC)
- **Anti-Cliche:** Built-in freshness system bans generic AI patterns
- **Aesthetic:** Configurable per project (Adams, Tolkien, sparse sci-fi, etc.)

## Examples

**Example 1: Starting from scratch**
```
User: "I have an idea for a fantasy novel about an elven princess raised by orcs"
→ Invokes Interview workflow
→ Extracts character concepts, world details, themes
→ Maps ideas across seven story layers
→ Produces structured input for BuildBible
```

**Example 2: Building the full story plan**
```
User: "Build the story bible for my novel"
→ Invokes BuildBible workflow
→ Creates Story Bible PRD with all layers mapped start-to-finish
→ Identifies milestones, character transformations, mystery reveals
→ Outputs comprehensive layered narrative plan
```

**Example 3: Writing actual prose**
```
User: "Write chapter 3 based on the story bible"
→ Invokes WriteChapter workflow
→ Reads Story Bible PRD for chapter milestones across all layers
→ Deploys rhetorical figures for memorable dialogue
→ Produces fresh, anti-cliche prose in configured aesthetic
```

## Gotchas

- **Uses Will Storr's storytelling science** — not generic creative writing. The methodology matters.
- **Story bibles are the source of truth for series continuity.** Always read the bible before writing new content.
- **Rhetorical figures are specific literary devices** — use them precisely, not as decoration.
- **Character arcs follow Storr's model** (flawed belief → crisis → transformation). Don't simplify to "character grows."

## Execution Log

After completing any workflow, append a single JSONL entry:

```bash
echo '{"ts":"'$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)'","skill":"WriteStory","workflow":"WORKFLOW_USED","input":"8_WORD_SUMMARY","status":"ok|error","duration_s":SECONDS}' >> ~/.claude/PAI/MEMORY/SKILLS/execution.jsonl
```

Replace `WORKFLOW_USED` with the workflow executed, `8_WORD_SUMMARY` with a brief input description, and `SECONDS` with approximate wall-clock time. Log `status: "error"` if the workflow failed.