getting-started_skill

Overview

This skill activates when you start a new novel project and guides you through a seven-step methodology from idea to analysis. It offers gentle prompts, concise explanations, and direct commands to move you step-by-step. The goal is to remove startup friction and keep your creative work aligned and actionable.

How this skill works

When you indicate you want to write a novel or start a project, the skill presents a welcome flow that maps the seven steps (constitution → specify → clarify → plan → tasks → write → analyze). Each step includes targeted prompts, required inputs, and a command to proceed. You can follow the recommended order or jump steps when appropriate; the skill remembers context and enforces the guiding principles you set.

When to use it

• When you decide to begin a new novel and need a structured onboarding
• If you feel overwhelmed and want a clear, repeatable workflow
• When you need to define creative boundaries and technical specs before writing
• To convert a vague idea into an actionable plan and task list
• When you want periodic quality checks and consistency analysis during drafting

Best practices

• Start with /constitution to define core values, standards, and red lines
• Use /specify to lock down genre, audience, length, and must-have elements
• Let /clarify run five focused questions to remove major ambiguities early
• Turn the plan into discrete tasks and track status (pending/in_progress/completed)
• Run /analyze regularly after writing sessions to catch structural or consistency issues

Example use cases

• A first-time novelist who needs a guided roadmap and guardrails
• An experienced writer wanting to standardize project setup across multiple books
• A short-story author who wants a quick specification and task breakdown
• A team coordinating on a serialized novel, using tasks to split chapters
• A writer iterating on drafts who uses analyze to find cohesion problems