Creative Writing — Quick Reference
Quick guide to choosing the right skill or agent for your task.
Skills (knowledge loaded into context)
brainstorming
Use for: Exploring ideas, figuring things out, thinking through options Creates: Skeletal working notes with [TBD] markers and source tags Handles: Story/plot brainstorming, chapter planning, worldbuilding exploration, character development, timeline and continuity work Key trait: Multiple options coexist, preserves vagueness, exploratory
prose-writing
Use for: Actually writing story prose in your style Writes: Scenes, chapters, dialogue, narrative prose Key trait: Creates actual story text, matches your voice
prose-critique
Use for: Getting feedback on written chapters/scenes Analyzes: Plot and pacing, character development, prose quality, story structure Key trait: Feedback on existing writing, not creating content
prose-analysis
Use for: Quantitative analysis of prose patterns — sentence rhythm, word frequency, voice consistency Key trait: Diagnostic data, not subjective critique
wiki-docs
Use for: Documenting finalized decisions, creating canonical reference (wiki pages) Creates: Polished, reader-ready wiki/documentation pages with citations Key trait: Single version, no [TBD], encyclopedic/wiki tone
story-architecture
Use for: Structural analysis — arc shape, tension curves, pacing across chapters Key trait: Zoomed-out view of story structure, not line-level feedback
story-context
Use for: Loading relevant story context (characters, locations, prior events) before a task Key trait: Context-gathering, not content-creating
story-decisions
Use for: Recording and retrieving authorial decisions about the story Key trait: Decision log, not brainstorming
knowledge-graph
Use for: Maintaining the project knowledge graph (characters, locations, relationships, events) Key trait: Structured data maintenance
writing-principles
Use for: Understanding what makes fiction work — four reward channels, documented AI failure modes, craft tradition Key trait: Foundational theory, not task-specific guidance
writing-artifacts
Use for: Understanding the artifact types the system produces and where they go Key trait: File conventions and output formats
writing-staffing
Use for: Understanding which agent handles what, and when to fan out across multiple agents Key trait: Agent roster and coordination patterns
Agents (spawned for independent work)
story-orchestrator — Primary entry point. Coordinates brainstorming, drafting, critique, and knowledge maintenance across all agents.
draft-orchestrator — Runs the draft/critique loop: spawns writers, critics, and reader-sims in parallel.
knowledge-orchestrator — Coordinates knowledge maintenance: wiki updates, graph maintenance, continuity checks.
writer — Writes prose in the project's style.
critic — Provides structured critique across the four reward channels.
reader-sim — Simulates a reader's experience and reports per-channel engagement.
character-sim — Simulates a character's behavior for dialogue testing and scene exploration.
brainstormer — Wide-open option generation on a scoped question.
outliner — Structural decomposition into beat sheets and arc maps.
explorer — Fast codebase/project exploration — finds files, searches content, answers structural questions.
researcher — Web research for worldbuilding, fact-checking, and reference gathering.
continuity-checker — Checks draft against established canon for consistency errors.
wiki-editor — Creates and maintains wiki documentation pages.
graph-maintainer — Updates the project knowledge graph from new content.
chronicler — Records session decisions and discoveries into persistent notes.
session-miner — Mines past session transcripts for unreported decisions and context.
style-creator — Analyzes existing prose to create a style guide.
Key Distinction: Brainstorm vs Documentation
Still figuring it out? → brainstorming skill (or spawn a brainstormer agent)
- "Maybe X, or Y, or Z?"
- [TBD] markers everywhere
- Multiple versions coexist
You've decided and it's ready to document? → wiki-docs skill (or spawn a wiki-editor agent)
- Single authoritative version
- Polished and reader-ready
- No [TBD] markers
Common Scenarios
| Request | Skill or Agent | |---|---| | "Exploring worldbuilding ideas for my magic system" | brainstorming | | "Finalized my magic system, want to document it" | wiki-docs | | "Thinking through how this chapter should flow" | brainstorming | | "Write this chapter" | prose-writing (or spawn writer) | | "Wrote this chapter, want feedback" | prose-critique (or spawn critic) | | "Character profile for my protagonist" | wiki-docs if finalized, brainstorming if exploring | | "Analyze the pacing across my chapters" | story-architecture | | "Check this draft for continuity errors" | spawn continuity-checker | | "Run a full draft/critique loop" | spawn story-orchestrator |
Decision Tree
Are you writing story prose?
└─ Yes → prose-writing / writer agent
└─ No ↓
Do you want feedback on something written?
└─ Yes → prose-critique / critic agent
└─ No ↓
Are you figuring things out or have you decided?
└─ Figuring out → brainstorming / brainstormer agent
└─ Decided → wiki-docs / wiki-editor agent
Need structural/pacing analysis?
└─ Yes → story-architecture
Need a custom writing style?
└─ Yes → spawn style-creator agent
Still Unsure?
- Exploring/uncertain? → brainstorming
- Finalized/polished? → wiki-docs
- Need feedback? → prose-critique
- Actually writing? → prose-writing
- Need the full pipeline? → spawn story-orchestrator
When in doubt, start with brainstorming. You can always move to docs later when things are decided.