sethshoultes/authors-build-character

/authors-build-character <name> [--author <author>]

Build a structured character entry in the project bible.

When to use

• A new character has entered your novel and you want other author personas to know about them.
• You're pre-planning a novel and sketching out the cast.
• You have a character that's been drifting (eye color changes, accent shifts) and you want to nail them down.

Not for: writing scene prose where this character appears (use /authors-channel <author> for that); editing an existing passage (use /authors-edit).

Instructions for Claude

When this skill is invoked:

1. Parse the arguments:

   • First positional: character name (required). If missing, ask the user for a name before proceeding.
   • Optional flag: --author <name>. Valid values: hemingway, orwell, didion, mcphee, king, vonnegut, baldwin, mccarthy, wallace, le-guin. Case-insensitive. If passed, note it for the builder dispatch.

2. Verify .great-authors/ exists in the current working directory. If not, tell the user to run /authors-project-init first and stop here.

3. Check for existing character file. If .great-authors/characters/<name>.md already exists, ask: "A character file for <name> already exists. Overwrite? (yes/no)" — default no. If no, exit.

4. Dispatch the character-builder agent. Use the Agent tool with:

   • subagent_type: character-builder
   • Prompt should include:
     • Mode: interactive
     • Character name: <name>
     • Author lens: <author> (if --author was passed, else none)
     • Working directory: <cwd> so the sub-agent can read bible files
     • Instructions to conduct the interview in the user's conversation (i.e., the sub-agent's questions come back to the user via you)

5. Relay the interview. The builder will ask questions one at a time. Pass each question through to the user verbatim, pass the user's answers back to the builder verbatim. Do not paraphrase or answer on behalf of the user.

6. Confirm creation. After the builder returns, confirm the file was created at .great-authors/characters/<name>.md and report back:

   Created .great-authors/characters/<name>.md
   
   Referenced by: (list any other character files that now point to this one via the Connections section, if the user chose to add a relationship)
   
   Next: run /authors-channel <author> and paste a draft passage featuring <name>, or continue with /authors-build-character for the next character.
   

Notes

• This skill is interactive — it's a conversation, not a one-shot command.
• The builder runs in a fresh sub-agent context per the Agent tool semantics; it does not inherit your conversation history. Pass all necessary context in the dispatch prompt.
• If the user says "cancel" or "abort" at any point during the interview, stop the dispatch and confirm with them that no file was written.
• Do not write to the manuscript itself — builders only write to .great-authors/characters/.