Project Scaffolding
This skill provides the complete template library and directory conventions for long-form fiction projects. It defines the standard project structure, file naming rules, and templates for every document type the project might eventually need.
Important: These templates are a library, not a checklist. /start-project creates only the core documents the project needs immediately (pitch, characters, continuity — and conditionally world, outline, or north-star). Other documents are created later, when the project's complexity warrants them. The commands /write-chapter and /wrap contain the logic for when to propose each document. This skill provides the template to use when that moment arrives.
Directory Conventions
The full project structure when all documents have been created. A new project starts with only a few docs and grows into this over time:
project-root/
├── AGENTS.md # Agent workflow rules and defaults
├── docs/ # All planning and tracking documents
│ ├── 00-pitch.md # Always created at start
│ ├── 01-north-star.md # Created at start if user has clarity
│ ├── 02-world.md # Created at start if world needs definition
│ ├── 03-characters.md # Always created at start
│ ├── 04-outline.md # Created at start if user has structural vision
│ ├── 05-glossary.md # Proposed when 10+ invented terms accumulate
│ ├── 06-scene-log.md # Proposed after first chapter is drafted
│ ├── 07-continuity.md # Always created at start
│ ├── 08-voice.md # Proposed after 3-5 chapters or via /voice-session
│ ├── 09-chapter-outline-template.md # Emerges from first few outlines
│ ├── 13-threads.md # Proposed when 3+ subplots are running
│ ├── 19-foreshadowing-checklist.md # Proposed when deliberate seeds are planted
│ └── 25-style-guide.md # Proposed after 3-5 chapters when patterns stabilize
├── outlines/ # Chapter outlines by volume
│ ├── book-one/
│ ├── book-two/
│ └── book-three/
├── draft/ # Draft chapters by volume
│ ├── book-one/
│ ├── book-two/
│ └── book-three/
└── manuscript/ # Final assembled manuscript
Purpose of each directory
- docs/ -- All planning, tracking, and reference documents. Numbered for sort order. Grows with the project.
- outlines/ -- Per-chapter outlines organized by volume. Written before drafting.
- draft/ -- Narrative chapter files organized by volume. The working text.
- manuscript/ -- Final assembled output for export or submission.
File Naming Conventions
- Docs:
NN-name.md where NN is a two-digit number for ordering (00, 01, 02...). - Chapter outlines:
NN-chapter-title.md (e.g., 01-the-crossing.md). - Draft chapters:
NN-chapter-XX-TITLE.md (e.g., 01-chapter-01-The-Crossing.md). - Numbers provide sort ordering and cross-reference anchors across documents.
Document Templates
The following templates are available for use as documents are created throughout the project lifecycle. /start-project creates the core documents (pitch, characters, continuity, and conditionally world, outline, north-star). Other templates are used when the corresponding document is proposed by /write-chapter or /wrap.
00-pitch.md
markdown
# [Project Title] — Pitch
## One-line hook
[One sentence: who, what situation, what choice]
## Short synopsis
[3-5 paragraphs: setup, conflict, stakes, what makes this story worth telling]
## Series note
[Standalone / Series — if series, what's the scope?]
## Core contrasts
-[Contrast 1] (e.g., freedom vs. security)
-[Contrast 2] (e.g., freedom vs. safety)
-[Contrast 3] (e.g., identity vs. role)
01-north-star.md
markdown
# North Star (Decisions + Guardrails)
## Goal
[What are we building? One sentence.]
## Vibe targets
-Atmosphere: [adjective + adjective + genre feel]
-Moral center: [what ethical stance does the narrative take?]
-Humor: [what kind, how much?]
## Open decisions (answer to lock the draft)
-Target length: [word count / chapter count]
-Series shape: [standalone / duology / trilogy / series]
-POV + tense: [first/third, past/present, limited/omniscient]
-Rating lines: [any content boundaries?]
02-world.md
markdown
# World
## Geography
[Major regions, climate, distances, travel routes]
## Society
[Power structures, social classes, economy, culture]
## Technology / Magic Level
[What exists in this world? What are the rules and limits?]
## History
[Key events that shaped the current world state]
## Daily Life
[What does ordinary life look like for ordinary people?]
03-characters.md
markdown
# Characters
## Protagonist
-Name:
-Age/description:
-Starting state:
-Core want:
-Core need (may differ from want):
-Arc: [beginning state] → [end state]
-Voice: [how they think/speak — vocabulary, rhythm, worldview]
## Mentor / Guide
-Name:
-Role in protagonist's life:
-What they offer:
-What they withhold or get wrong:
-Arc:
## Antagonist
-Name:
-Motivation:
-Method:
-Why they believe they're right:
-Arc:
## Supporting Cast
| Name | Role | Key trait | Relationship to protagonist | Arc note |
|------|------|-----------|----------------------------|----------|
| | | | | |
04-outline.md
markdown
# Outline
## Act Structure
[3-act, 4-act, or custom — describe the shape]
## Major Beats
1.[Opening image / status quo]
2.[Inciting incident]
3.[First turning point]
4.[Midpoint]
5.[Second turning point]
6.[Climax]
7.[Resolution]
## Sequence Breakdown
### Act I: [name]
-Sequence 1: [chapters NN-NN — what happens, what changes]
-Sequence 2: [chapters NN-NN — what happens, what changes]
### Act II: [name]
-Sequence 3: [chapters NN-NN]
-Sequence 4: [chapters NN-NN]
### Act III: [name]
-Sequence 5: [chapters NN-NN]
-Sequence 6: [chapters NN-NN]
05-glossary.md
markdown
# Glossary
| Term | Definition | Variants/Aliases | First Appearance |
|------|-----------|-----------------|-----------------|
| | | | |
06-scene-log.md
markdown
# Scene Log
Use this as a running ledger so we don't lose continuity.
## Template
-Scene ID:
-Location:
-Time:
-POV:
-Setting function:
-Texture beats:
-What changes:
-New facts introduced:
-Loose threads:
---
## Logged
[Entries added automatically after each drafted chapter]
07-continuity.md
markdown
# Continuity (Facts We Must Not Break)
## Protagonist baseline
-[Key facts about the main character]
## World baseline
-[Key facts about the world that cannot be contradicted]
## Terminology conventions
-[Established terms and their usage rules]
## Timeline
-[Key dated events in story order]
08-voice.md
markdown
# Voice
## Authorial Consciousness
### Attention filter
[What does this narrator notice? Physical spaces, social dynamics, power, the mundane, interior states? What gets lingered on vs. passed over?]
### Beliefs about the world
[Operating assumptions — not the novel's theme, but the narrator's lens. Do people change? Are institutions redeemable? Is violence clarifying or corrupting?]
### What this narrator refuses to say directly
[How much is stated vs. implied? Confessional or withholding? How much interiority is on the page?]
### Relationship to suffering
[How pain, loss, injustice are presented. Clinical, empathetic, dark humor, detached?]
### Relationship to humor
[When humor appears, what form, what it's allowed to touch]
### Energy levels
-Level 1 — [quiet observation, understated weight]
-Level 2 — [analytical, working through, building]
-Level 3 — [committed, landing claims, intensity rising]
-Level 4 — [compressed, declarative, peak moments — rare]
### Prose anti-patterns (kill on sight)
-[Project-specific anti-patterns]
-[AI fiction anti-patterns relevant to this project's voice]
### What this narrator sounds like at their best
[2-3 example passages or descriptions of the target voice when it's working]
### The gap to watch for
[Where will the AI drift? Over-polishing? Under-expressing? Defaulting to generic competent prose?]
---
## Character Voices
### [Character Name] — [Role]
-Speech patterns: [vocabulary, syntax, typical expressions, rhythm]
-Interior voice: [how they think — formal/intuitive, rushed/deliberate, honest/self-deceiving]
-Blind spots: [what they refuse to see or can't perceive]
-False certainties: [what they're sure about that's wrong]
-Energy range: [what moves them between registers]
-Evolution: [how voice shifts across the arc — early vs. late]
[Repeat for each POV character]
---
*Living document. Sharpens through drafting sessions. The first 3-5 chapters are calibration.*
09-chapter-outline-template.md
markdown
# Chapter Outline Template
Use this when we're ready to draft a chapter.
## Chapter summary (3-6 sentences)
## Lived-in targets (fill before drafting)
-Setting function (what this place is *for* day-to-day):
-2-3 texture beats (non-plot):
-
-
-
-One supporting-character motive to surface (fear/debt/pride/kindness-with-cost):
## Scenes
For each scene:
-POV:
-Location/time:
-Goal:
-Obstacle:
-Action beats (bullets):
-Outcome/turn:
-New question raised:
## Continuity updates
-Add names/terms to `docs/05-glossary.md`
-Add durable facts to `docs/07-continuity.md`
-Add scene entry to `docs/06-scene-log.md`
13-threads.md
markdown
# Threads (Introduced → Developed → Paid Off)
Use this to ensure long arcs get oxygen across chapters and don't vanish for 100 pages.
## How to use
-Every thread should appear at least once every 2-4 chapters (even as a reminder, rumor, symbol, or consequence).
-Mark chapters where the thread is: **I** (introduced), **D** (developed), **P** (paid off), **S** (seed/foreshadow).
## Core threads
### [Thread Name]
-Question: [what the reader wonders about this thread]
-I: [chapter]
-D: [chapters]
-S: [chapters]
-P: [chapter or "Book X"]
19-foreshadowing-checklist.md
markdown
# Foreshadowing Checklist
Track seeds planted and their intended payoffs so nothing is dropped and nothing feels invented at the last minute.
## [Category Name] seeds ([Book/Act] payoffs)
-[What to seed]: [status — planted in ChNN / not yet planted]
-Payoff target: [when this should pay off]
## [Category Name] seeds
-[What to seed]: [status]
-Payoff target: [target]
25-style-guide.md
markdown
# Style Guide
Use this as the drafting north-star so tone stays consistent.
## Prose register
-Default voice: [plain/literary/lyrical — describe the target readability]
-[Specific prose guidance]
## Length targets
-Default chapter length: [word range]
-Prologue/epilogue: [word range]
-Capstone/climax chapters: [guidance]
## POV and tense
-[First/third person, past/present tense]
-[Head-hopping rules]
-[Interior thought style]
## Dialogue
-[Dialogue philosophy — pressure scenes, subtext, etc.]
## "Lived-In" checklist (apply per chapter)
-Include 2-3 texture beats that are not plot turns
-Show the setting's daily function
-Add at least 1 small supporting character motive
-Use consequence glue: decisions → immediate effects
-Vary sentence starts
## Humor
-[Style and boundaries]
## Violence
-[Approach and limits]
## Magic / Supernatural
-[Level and presentation rules]
AGENTS.md
The AGENTS.md template is adaptive — it starts minimal and grows as the project's infrastructure develops. /start-project creates a version appropriate to the project's starting state, listing only documents that actually exist. As new tracking documents are created, AGENTS.md is updated to reference them.