renky1025 Novel Writing Agent
LOCK system + three-act structure + character arcs — applied to fiction creation.
Overview
A systematic framework for novel creation built on four pillars: LOCK (Lead, Objective, Conflict, Knockout), Three-Act + Two Doors structure, Dialogue & Conflict, and Character Arc design. Use it to construct cohesive stories rather than stitching isolated scenes.
When to Use
- Planning or outlining a new story
- Developing protagonists, antagonists, or supporting cast
- Structuring plot across acts
- Writing dialogue with tension
- Designing character growth trajectories
- Identifying and fixing story problems (flat characters, sagging middle, weak climax)
Core Systems
LOCK System
| Element | What It Governs | Key Question |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | Protagonist design | Who is this person, and why should readers care? |
| Objective | Goal setting | What does the Lead want, and what's at stake? |
| Conflict | Opposition design | What stands in the way? |
| Knockout | Climax design | What's the most powerful ending this story can deliver? |
Lead: Character emerges from genre context. A wuxia Lead's martial lineage shapes personality; a sci-fi Lead's relationship with technology shapes thinking. Surface details (glance habits, nervous gestures) make them visible.
Objective: Scale to story length. Long fiction = multi-stage goals (rise in sect → discover relic → challenge champions). Short fiction = single tight goal. Use objective templates as starting points, not crutches.
Conflict: Match opposition to Lead. Antagonist's power source and motivation must fit the world's logic. A magic-system villain draws from a coherent magical framework, not convenience.
Knockout: Combine time pressure (countdown to collapse), space constraint (sealed room), and relational strain (ally turned rival) to force peak tension.
Three-Act + Two Doors
Act 1 ──[Door 1]──▶ Act 2 ──[Door 2]──▶ Act 3
Setup Commitment Crisis Resolution
Act 1 — Setup: Open with mystery, provocation, or shock. Introduce Lead and world while planting seeds (a broken pocket-watch, a hooded watcher) that bloom later.
Door 1: The event that commits the Lead to the story — they choose to cross the threshold. No going back.
Act 2 — Struggle: Complications escalate. Subplots reveal backstory or expand world. Lead faces setbacks, gains allies, confronts mid-level threats. The antagonist's shadow grows.
Door 2: The crisis that forces resolution — a revelation, a loss, a betrayal. Locks in the ending trajectory.
Act 3 — Resolution: Climax delivers on the Knockout promise. Denouement echoes the theme.
Dialogue & Conflict
| Conflict Type | Function | Example Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Ideological | Reveals worldview clash | Challenge → counterchallenge |
| Interpersonal | Pushes plot | Demand → refusal/deflection |
| Internal | Builds tension through subtext | Said vs. meant |
Principles:
- Conflict must be logical for the characters involved — a noble and a peasant argue politics differently
- Escalation and resolution must feel organic, not forced
- Subtext beats statement: hesitations, truncated sentences, and misdirection reveal more than exposition
- Vocabulary and syntax match the speaker's background
Character Arc
Start State ──[Trigger]──▶ Pressure ──[Choice]──▶ New State
- Start state: Who is this person at the beginning?
- Trigger: What event forces them out of equilibrium?
- Pressure: What sustained force pushes transformation?
- Choice: What decision at Door 2 crystallizes the change?
- New state: Who have they become?
Arc speed matches genre: inspirational stories transform quickly; literary realism transforms slowly and ambiguously. Arc direction serves theme — growth illuminates virtue; decline exposes systemic rot.
Workflow
- Spark: Extract story seeds from the user's premise. Ask what emotions, questions, or images drive the idea.
- Structure: Propose 2-3 structural frameworks with tradeoffs. User selects and modifies. Lock in act breakpoints and Door events.
- Cast: Build characters top-down: Lead first, then opposition, then supporting. Each gets a LOCK mini-profile (who they are, what they want, what blocks them, how they land).
- Scenes: Draft scene by scene. After each major beat, check alignment with structure. Offer branches when the user hits a wall.
- Dialogue: Write dialogue with embedded conflict. Evaluate against speaker profile — does this person talk like this?
- Polish: Focus passes on language (precision, rhythm), logic (cause and effect), and consistency (character voice, world rules). Show before/after comparisons.
Quick Reference
| Task | Start With | Watch For |
|---|---|---|
| New story | LOCK profile for Lead | Generic objectives — make them specific and personal |
| Sagging middle | Door 2 placement | Lack of escalation — each beat must raise stakes |
| Flat character | Arc Start → End contrast | Change too small or too sudden |
| Static dialogue | Conflict type mismatch | Characters agreeing too much — inject opposition |
| Weak climax | Knockout test | Can the reader guess the outcome? If yes, redesign |
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Protagonist without clear want | Define Objective before writing Act 1 |
| Conflict that exists only to inconvenience the Lead | Tie opposition to antagonist motivation and world logic |
| Dialogue where everyone sounds the same | Write a line blind, then guess who said it — if you can't tell, differentiate |
| Arc that happens to the character rather than through choices | Key transformation must come from a decision, not an event |
| Opening that explains instead of hooks | Start with action, mystery, or provocative statement — explain later or never |
| Middle that drifts | Every scene must answer: what does the Lead want now, and what's blocking it? |
相关 Skill
- snowflake-novel-writer — 雪花写作法小说创作助手，提供更详尽的10步创作流程（从一句话概括到初稿写作），中文优先，内置去AI味和反俗套检查。与本技能互补：LOCK系统适合快速搭建叙事骨架，雪花法适合逐层展开的精细创作。