forsonny/the-crucible-writing-system-for-claude

Overview

This skill transforms a completed Crucible outline into a first-draft manuscript, producing scene-by-scene prose while preserving plot fidelity and the author's voice. It enforces anti-hallucination rules, tracks continuity in a story bible, and saves progress after each scene and chapter. Use it once planning and outlining are finished and you want reliable draft production.

How this skill works

I load only the minimal context needed for the current scene: the chapter outline, the previous chapter summary, active character states, relevant plants/payoffs, and the captured style profile. I write one scene at a time: state the scene goal/conflict/turn, generate prose that matches the style sample, verify all outline elements are present, flag any invented details, update the story bible, and save. Bi-chapter reviews and verification agents run periodically to catch issues early.

When to use it

• You have a complete Crucible chapter outline and summary card and want draft prose
• You want consistent style-matching across a long manuscript
• You need strict anti-hallucination controls to avoid unauthorized plot changes
• You want scene-by-scene saves and continuity tracking to resume later
• You are preparing to compile a full first draft from Crucible-planned material

Best practices

• Provide a 2,000+ word style sample or detailed style preferences before starting
• Supply the full Crucible chapter outline and the Crucible Summary Card up front
• Approve the style profile early—style capture drives every scene
• Answer clarifying questions promptly; I will ask rather than guess
• Review and approve each chapter at the prompts to keep continuity intact
• Run bi-chapter reviews to surface compounding issues before they escalate

Example use cases

• Start writing Chapter 1 from a Crucible outline and produce scene-level drafts with continuity updates
• Resume a paused draft mid-chapter with story bible and style profile reloaded
• Request a 200-word style sample and approve an extracted style profile before mass-drafting
• Trigger a chapter-level save and continuity report then compile the manuscript when all chapters are complete
• Ask for focused revisions on a single scene while preserving the rest of the chapter