Writing Guidelines
Guidelines for writing chapter prose. Adapt to the story's genre, tone, and POV as defined in story.md.
Show, Don't Tell
- Convey emotion through action, dialogue, and sensory detail rather than stating feelings
- BAD: "She was angry."
- GOOD: "Her fingers whitened around the hilt. She spoke through her teeth."
POV Consistency
- First person: Everything filtered through narrator's voice, knowledge, and bias
- Third-person limited: Stay in one character's head per scene. Only describe what they perceive, think, and feel
- Third-person omniscient: Can reveal any character's thoughts, but maintain a consistent narrative voice
Do NOT shift POV mid-scene. If a POV shift is needed, use a scene break (marked with ---).
Dialogue
- Dialogue should reveal character, advance plot, or both
- Each character should have a distinct voice (reference their Voice & Speech Patterns)
- Use dialogue tags sparingly - "said" is invisible, fancy tags distract
- Break up long speeches with action beats
- Avoid exposition dumps disguised as conversation
Pacing
- Short sentences and paragraphs = fast pace, tension, action
- Longer sentences and paragraphs = slower pace, reflection, atmosphere
- Vary sentence length for rhythm
- Scene length should match importance - don't over-write minor moments
Scene Structure
Each scene should have:
- Goal: What the POV character wants in this scene
- Conflict: What opposes them
- Outcome: What happens (often a setback that drives the next scene)
Not every scene needs explosive conflict - quiet character moments matter too. But every scene should change something.
Sensory Detail
Ground scenes in the physical world:
- Sight, sound, smell, touch, taste
- Choose 2-3 senses per scene, not all five
- Use details specific to the location (reference the location file)
- Sensory details should reflect the POV character's state of mind
Chapter Openings
- Orient the reader quickly: who, where, when
- Hook with tension, mystery, or voice
- Avoid opening with weather or waking up (unless deliberately subverting the cliche)
Chapter Endings
- End on a moment of change, revelation, or tension
- Cliffhangers work for action chapters
- Quiet resonance works for character chapters
- The last line should make the reader want to continue
Continuity
Before writing, check:
- Previous chapter's ending (pick up threads, don't contradict)
- Character states (injuries, emotional state, knowledge)
- Timeline consistency (time of day, travel times, seasons)
- Plot arc progress (what beats need to land)