Novels and short fiction
When to use
Use for prose fiction requiring sustained character development, structural choices, or short-story compression. A Roman is a novel; romance is a separate genre choice.
Inputs and assumptions
Confirm intended length, genre, audience, language, viewpoint strategy, and whether the task is planning or drafting.
Portable workflow
- Read format guidance and the approved brief.
- Establish the central conflict or inquiry, the character's changing choices, and the ending promise.
- Choose a structure suited to the material. Braided or episodic stories need clear transitions, not forced convergence at arbitrary percentages.
- At chapter scale, balance external events, relationships, and interior change. Each subplot should earn its space.
- At short-story scale, constrain the number of promises and start close to the pressure point.
- Draft with the prose skill, review against the intended reader effect, and preserve the author's voice.
- Follow the saved-project workflow rather than attempting an entire manuscript in one response.
Safety and side effects
Do not rewrite the premise or ending merely to fit a template. Save revisions separately and ask before structural changes that invalidate existing chapters.
Scripts, references, and dependencies
No external dependencies. Use the shared format and project references.
Verification
Check scene causality, subplot relevance, viewpoint consistency, and whether the ending answers or deliberately reframes the promises made to the reader.
Pi adapter
Start with /writer new book "The Glass Orchard" --format novel, or use --format short-story for a compact work.
1---2name: writer-novel3description: Write and plan novels, literary or genre fiction, and short stories at scene, chapter, or book scale without confusing a novel with the romance genre.4license: MIT5---67# Novels and short fiction89## When to use1011Use for prose fiction requiring sustained character development, structural choices, or short-story compression. A Roman is a novel; romance is a separate genre choice.1213## Inputs and assumptions1415Confirm intended length, genre, audience, language, viewpoint strategy, and whether the task is planning or drafting.1617## Portable workflow18191. Read [format guidance](../../references/formats.md) and the approved brief.202. Establish the central conflict or inquiry, the character's changing choices, and the ending promise.213. Choose a structure suited to the material. Braided or episodic stories need clear transitions, not forced convergence at arbitrary percentages.224. At chapter scale, balance external events, relationships, and interior change. Each subplot should earn its space.235. At short-story scale, constrain the number of promises and start close to the pressure point.246. Draft with the prose skill, review against the intended reader effect, and preserve the author's voice.257. Follow [the saved-project workflow](../../references/project-workflow.md) rather than attempting an entire manuscript in one response.2627## Safety and side effects2829Do not rewrite the premise or ending merely to fit a template. Save revisions separately and ask before structural changes that invalidate existing chapters.3031## Scripts, references, and dependencies3233No external dependencies. Use the shared format and project references.3435## Verification3637Check scene causality, subplot relevance, viewpoint consistency, and whether the ending answers or deliberately reframes the promises made to the reader.3839## Pi adapter4041Start with `/writer new book "The Glass Orchard" --format novel`, or use `--format short-story` for a compact work.
Firstp1ck