Prose Writing

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

1. Check project structure for chapter organization
2. Match existing naming conventions
3. Use appropriate directory
4. Include proper frontmatter if project uses it

Integration with Style Skills

The workflow:

1. User writes chapters naturally
2. User uses cw-style-skill-creator to create style skills
3. This skill loads and follows those style skills
4. 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.