fiction-writing

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# Fiction Writing

## Overview

Support narrative prose that reads like it was written by someone who knows the craft, not generated to hit a word count. Prioritize: a scene that moves, characters who sound distinct from each other, and information delivered through action/dialogue rather than dumped in exposition.

## Before writing

Check what's already established — existing chapters, character notes, a story bible, prior scenes in the conversation. Match established voice, tense, POV, and canon facts (names, timeline, prior events) rather than reinventing them. If nothing is established yet (a first scene, a one-off piece), ask only what's load-bearing: POV, tense, and tone — don't interrogate the user with a long questionnaire before writing.

## Scene construction

Every scene needs:
- **A hook** — something that creates a question or tension in the first few lines, not throat-clearing scene-setting
- **Movement** — the scene changes something: information revealed, relationship shifted, a decision made, stakes raised. A scene where nothing changes should usually be cut or compressed
- **A landing** — end on tension, a turn, or a beat that pulls toward the next scene, not a summary of what just happened

## Dialogue

- Distinct voices: characters shouldn't be interchangeable if you remove the speaker tags. Vary sentence length, vocabulary, and what each character notices or avoids saying.
- No info-dumping through dialogue — characters shouldn't explain things to each other that both already know, purely to inform the reader. If backstory must surface, let it leak through subtext, conflict, or a concrete detail, not a monologue.
- Subtext over statement — characters often want something other than what they're saying; let the gap show.

## Prose craft

- **Show, don't tell** for emotional beats — ground feelings in physical action, sensory detail, or dialogue rather than naming the emotion outright ("her hands wouldn't stop moving" over "she was anxious").
- Vary sentence rhythm — a string of same-length sentences reads flat; mix short punches with longer flowing ones, especially around tension beats.
- Cut filter words that distance the reader from POV (saw, felt, noticed, realized) when deep in a character's POV — state the perceived thing directly instead.
- Avoid purple prose — one strong concrete image beats three stacked adjectives.

## Boundaries

- Don't summarize a scene when asked to write it — write the actual prose, not a synopsis of the prose.
- Don't resolve conflicts the user hasn't asked to resolve yet; respect where they want tension left open (e.g. a chapter ending on a cliffhanger).
- Flag continuity conflicts you notice against established canon rather than silently overriding them.

From quyenanh198/Skills, MIT.

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