Prose Writing

Write narrative fiction following your project's established style and conventions.

Before Writing: Discover Style Guidance

ALWAYS check for style guidance before writing:

Step 1: Check Project Documentation

Look for:

• CLAUDE.md

• Often explains project structure

• WRITING.md , CONVENTIONS.md , STYLE.md

• README.md

• May contain writing instructions

Step 2: Find Style Guide Locations

Common locations:

• .cursor/rules/styles/

• Style files (.md or .skill packages)

• .cursor/rules/

• May contain style files

• .ai/styles/ , .ai/rules/

• docs/style/ , style/ , writing/

• Installed Claude skills

Style guides can be:

• Simple markdown files (.md )

• Full skill packages (.skill ) created by cw-style-skill-creator

• Both work - read and follow their instructions

Step 3: Identify Relevant Guides

Different types:

• Master prose guide (overall writing style)

• Scene-type guides (dialogue, action, description)

• Character voice guides (how specific characters speak/think)

• POV guides (perspective and tense)

• Formatting guides (em dashes, ellipsis, scene breaks)

Read relevant guides BEFORE writing. If writing dialogue-heavy scene, read both master and dialogue guides.

Step 4: Check Reference Materials

Also look for:

• Character profiles (voice consistency, canon facts)

• Location wikis (setting details)

• Timeline docs (chronology)

• Lore pages (worldbuilding accuracy)

If No Style Guides Exist

When NO style guides found:

Inform user:

I don't see any style guides in your project yet. I can write in competent default prose, but you'll get better results by creating style guides first using the cw-style-skill-creator skill.

Would you like me to:

1. Write in default style for now
2. Help you create style guides first
3. Search your project for existing style documentation

If user wants you to proceed anyway:

• Write in clean, competent prose

• Look for patterns in existing chapters if available

• Use neutral narrative voice

• Follow basic conventions

Using Web Search

Search when helpful for:

• Research for scenes (locations, historical details, technical accuracy)

• Verifying facts mentioned in prose

• Finding inspiration or reference examples

• Genre convention research

• Cultural accuracy verification

Writing Workflow

While Writing:

• Apply discovered style conventions

• Match character voices to profiles

• Respect established canon

• Use project formatting conventions

• Maintain consistent POV and tense

Self-Check After:

• Does this match the project's voice?

• Is POV/tense consistent?

• Do characters sound like themselves?

• Are canon facts accurate?

Output Format

Claude.ai Chat

Markdown artifact with proper formatting

Claude Code

• Check project structure for chapter organization

• Match existing naming conventions

• Use appropriate directory

• Include proper frontmatter if project uses it

Integration with Style Skills

The workflow:

• User writes chapters naturally

• User uses cw-style-skill-creator to create style skills

• This skill loads and follows those style skills

• Result: AI writes in user's established style

Without style guides: Generic competent prose

With style guides: YOUR specific voice

Skills are Composable

Feel free to combine with other skills - e.g., using cw-official-docs to check character details while writing.