Creative Writing Skills - Quick Reference
Quick guide to choosing the right skill for your task.
The Skills
cw-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 (beats, scenes)
- Worldbuilding exploration (magic, cultures, geography)
- Character development (motivations, arcs, relationships)
- Timeline and continuity work
Key trait: Multiple options coexist, preserves vagueness, exploratory
cw-official-docs
Use for: Documenting finalized decisions, creating canonical reference (wiki pages)
Creates: Polished, reader-ready wiki/documentation pages with citations
Handles:
- Character profiles
- Location documentation
- Lore/system pages
- Event documentation
- Any finalized worldbuilding
Key trait: Single version, no [TBD], encyclopedic/wiki tone
cw-story-critique
Use for: Getting feedback on written chapters/scenes
Analyzes:
- Plot and pacing
- Character development
- Prose quality
- Story structure
- Whatever needs feedback
Key trait: Feedback on existing writing, not creating content
cw-prose-writing
Use for: Actually writing story prose in your style
Writes:
- Scenes and chapters
- Dialogue
- Narrative prose
- Story content
Key trait: Creates actual story text, matches your voice
cw-style-skill-creator
Use for: Creating custom style skills for prose writing
Creates: Skills that teach Claude your specific writing style
Key trait: Meta-skill for building other skills
Key Distinction: Brainstorm vs Documentation
This is the most common confusion:
Still figuring it out? → cw-brainstorming
- "Maybe X, or Y, or Z?"
- [TBD] markers everywhere
- Multiple versions coexist
- Skeletal notes
You've decided and it's ready to show someone? → cw-official-docs
- Single authoritative version
- Polished and reader-ready
- No [TBD] markers
- Canonical documentation
Common Scenarios
"I'm exploring worldbuilding ideas for my magic system"
→ cw-brainstorming (exploring, not finalized yet)
"I've finalized my magic system and want to document it"
→ cw-official-docs (decided and ready to document)
"I'm thinking through how this chapter should flow"
→ cw-brainstorming (planning/exploring)
"I need to write this chapter"
→ cw-prose-writing (actually writing)
"I wrote this chapter and want feedback"
→ cw-story-critique (getting feedback)
"I need a character profile for my protagonist"
→ cw-official-docs if finalized, cw-brainstorming if still exploring
"I need a wiki page for my protagonist"
→ cw-official-docs (creating wiki/documentation)
"I'm figuring out character motivations and relationships"
→ cw-brainstorming (exploring)
"I want to document this character's canon profile"
→ cw-official-docs (documenting finalized)
"Help me work out the timeline of events"
→ cw-brainstorming (working through chronology)
"I want Claude to write in my specific style"
→ cw-style-skill-creator first (create style skill), then cw-prose-writing
Decision Tree
Are you writing story prose?
└─ Yes → cw-prose-writing
└─ No ↓
Do you want feedback on something written?
└─ Yes → cw-story-critique
└─ No ↓
Are you figuring things out or have you decided?
└─ Figuring out → cw-brainstorming
└─ Decided → cw-official-docs
Need a custom writing style?
└─ Yes → cw-style-skill-creatorSkills Work Together
You can use multiple skills in combination:
- Brainstorm → finalize → Docs (explore then document)
- Brainstorm → Prose (plan then write)
- Prose → Critique (write then get feedback)
- Brainstorm + Docs (check existing docs while brainstorming)
- Critique + Brainstorm (get feedback and brainstorm fixes)
Skills are composable - use whatever combination helps.
Still Unsure?
Default rules:
- Exploring/uncertain? → brainstorming
- Finalized/polished? → official-docs
- Need feedback? → story-critique
- Actually writing? → prose-writing
When in doubt, start with brainstorming. You can always move to docs later when things are decided.