# Creative Writing Skill > Patterns for fiction, narrative structure, character development, dialogue, and storytelling craft. Use when this capability is needed. - Skill: `tomevault-io/creative-writing-skill` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/creative-writing-skill` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/creative-writing-skill/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/creative-writing-skill --- # Creative Writing Skill > Patterns for fiction, narrative structure, character development, dialogue, and storytelling craft. ## Story Structure Models ### Three-Act Structure | Act | Purpose | Proportion | | --- | ------- | ---------- | | **Act I: Setup** | Introduce world, character, conflict | 25% | | **Act II: Confrontation** | Rising stakes, complications | 50% | | **Act III: Resolution** | Climax, resolution, denouement | 25% | ### Key Plot Points ```text Act I Act II Act III ┌─────────────────┬──────────────────────────┬─────────────────┐ │ │ │ │ │ Inciting Turning Midpoint Turning Climax │ │ Incident Point 1 Point 2 │ │ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ │ └──────┴──────────┴──────────┴─────────┴──────────┴───────────┘ 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% ``` ### Alternative Structures | Structure | Best For | Key Feature | | --------- | -------- | ----------- | | **Hero's Journey** | Epic, fantasy | 12 stages, transformation | | **Save the Cat** | Commercial fiction | 15 beats, clear timing | | **Seven-Point** | Plotting from ending | Hook → Resolution | | **Freytag's Pyramid** | Classic drama | Rising/falling action | | **Kishōtenketsu** | Eastern narrative | No conflict required | | **In Medias Res** | Thrillers | Start in middle of action | ## Character Development ### Character Dimensions | Dimension | Questions | | --------- | --------- | | **Want** (External) | What does the character pursue? | | **Need** (Internal) | What must they learn/change? | | **Lie** | What false belief holds them back? | | **Ghost** | What past event created the lie? | | **Flaw** | What weakness emerges from the lie? | | **Strength** | What positive trait will save them? | ### Character Arc Types | Arc | Description | Example | | --- | ----------- | ------- | | **Positive** | Overcomes flaw, achieves need | Most protagonists | | **Negative** | Succumbs to flaw, tragic end | Breaking Bad | | **Flat** | Changes others, not self | Sherlock Holmes | | **Corruption** | Starts good, ends bad | Anakin Skywalker | | **Disillusionment** | Loses positive belief | Noir protagonists | ### Character Voice Checklist - Vocabulary level and word choice - Sentence rhythm and length - Speech patterns and verbal tics - What they notice (reveals values) - What they avoid talking about - How they refer to others - Unique expressions or phrases ## Dialogue Craft ### Dialogue Functions | Function | Example | | -------- | ------- | | **Reveal character** | Word choice shows personality | | **Advance plot** | Deliver essential information | | **Create tension** | Subtext, disagreement | | **Establish relationships** | How characters speak to each other | | **Provide exposition** | Disguised as natural conversation | ### Subtext Techniques | Technique | How It Works | | --------- | ------------ | | **Saying opposite** | "I'm fine" (clearly not fine) | | **Deflection** | Answering a different question | | **Non-sequitur** | Changing subject reveals discomfort | | **Action contradiction** | Words say one thing, actions another | | **Silence** | What's NOT said speaks volumes | ### Dialogue Tags | Tag Type | Usage | | -------- | ----- | | "Said" | Invisible, preferred for most | | Action beat | "I know." She turned away. | | Specific verb | "Whispered" (sparingly) | | Adverb | Avoid "said angrily" — show instead | ### Dialogue Formatting - New speaker = new paragraph - Action by speaker in same paragraph - Use contractions naturally - Read aloud to test flow - Cut greetings and small talk (usually) ## Point of View ### POV Options | POV | Advantages | Limitations | | --- | ---------- | ----------- | | **First Person** | Intimate, voice-driven | Limited to narrator's knowledge | | **Third Limited** | Flexible, maintains intimacy | One character's head at a time | | **Third Omniscient** | All-knowing narrator | Can feel distant | | **Second Person** | Immersive, unusual | Hard to sustain | | **Multiple POV** | Multiple perspectives | Risk confusing reader | ### POV Consistency Rules - Don't "head hop" within scenes - Signal POV shifts clearly (chapter/section break) - Maintain consistent psychic distance - Filter everything through POV character's perception ## Scene Construction ### Scene vs. Summary | Scene | Summary | | ----- | ------- | | Moment-by-moment | Compressed time | | Dialogue, action | Narration | | High importance | Transition, backstory | | Show | Tell | ### Scene Checklist - [ ] Clear POV character - [ ] Character wants something - [ ] Obstacle to that want - [ ] Something changes by end - [ ] Hooks to next scene ### Scene-Sequel Pattern | Scene | Sequel | | ----- | ------ | | Goal | Reaction (emotion) | | Conflict | Dilemma (thought) | | Disaster | Decision (action) | ## Prose Style ### Show vs. Tell | Telling | Showing | | ------- | ------- | | "She was angry" | Her jaw tightened. She gripped the table edge. | | "He was nervous" | He wiped his palms on his pants for the third time. | | "The room was old" | Dust motes floated through slanted light. Wallpaper peeled at the corners. | ### Sensory Details | Sense | Often Forgotten | | ----- | --------------- | | Sight | ✓ Usually covered | | Sound | Ambient sounds, silence | | Smell | Powerful memory trigger | | Touch/Texture | Temperature, surfaces | | Taste | Beyond food — fear, excitement | ### Prose Rhythm - Vary sentence length - Short sentences = tension, speed - Long sentences = description, reflection - Fragment for emphasis - Read aloud to check flow ## Genre Conventions ### Genre Expectations | Genre | Reader Expects | | ----- | -------------- | | **Mystery** | Fair clues, satisfying solution | | **Romance** | HEA (Happily Ever After) | | **Thriller** | High stakes, fast pace | | **Fantasy** | Consistent magic system | | **Literary** | Beautiful prose, deep themes | | **Horror** | Building dread, catharsis | ### Genre Blending - Know both genres' conventions - Identify which is primary - Meet core expectations of primary - Add elements from secondary ## Revision Strategies ### Revision Passes | Pass | Focus | | ---- | ----- | | **1. Story** | Plot holes, arc, structure | | **2. Character** | Consistency, motivation, voice | | **3. Scene** | Pacing, purpose, tension | | **4. Prose** | Sentences, words, rhythm | | **5. Polish** | Typos, formatting | ### Beta Reader Questions - Where were you confused? - Where did you get bored? - What did you predict? - Which characters felt real? - What would you cut? ### Kill Your Darlings If a passage is: - Beautiful but slows pacing - Clever but confuses - Beloved but unnecessary ...consider cutting it. ## Screenwriting Specifics ### Screenplay Format ```text SCENE HEADING (SLUGLINE) INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY Action lines describe what we SEE and HEAR. Present tense. Active voice. Brief. CHARACTER NAME Dialogue goes here. Keep it snappy. OTHER CHARACTER (parenthetical) Response with direction if needed. ``` ### Visual Storytelling - Show don't tell (literally) - Enter scenes late, leave early - Action reveals character - Subtext over on-the-nose dialogue - One page ≈ one minute of screen time ## Poetry Elements ### Poetic Devices | Device | Effect | | ------ | ------ | | **Imagery** | Sensory experience | | **Metaphor** | Comparison without "like" | | **Simile** | Comparison with "like/as" | | **Alliteration** | Repeated initial sounds | | **Assonance** | Repeated vowel sounds | | **Enjambment** | Line breaks mid-thought | ### Form Considerations - Free verse — no set rules - Sonnet — 14 lines, specific rhyme - Haiku — 5-7-5 syllables - Villanelle — 19 lines, refrains ## Synapses ### High-Strength Connections - [writing-publication] (High, Extends, Bidirectional) — "Publishing creative work" - [academic-research] (Medium, Complements, Bidirectional) — "Research for historical fiction" ### Medium-Strength Connections - [knowledge-synthesis] (Medium, Uses, Forward) — "Synthesizing story elements" - [cognitive-load] (Medium, Applies, Forward) — "Reader experience management" ### Supporting Connections - [meditation-facilitation] (Low, Supports, Forward) — "Creative reflection" - [appropriate-reliance] (Low, Applies, Forward) — "Balancing AI assistance with creative voice" --- > Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/fabioc-aloha) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.