sethshoultes/authors-project-init

/authors-project-init

Initialize the per-project memory bible for a writing project.

What this does

Creates two sibling directories in the current working directory:

1. .great-authors/ — the project bible (metadata every author persona reads before editing):

.great-authors/
├── CLAUDE.md       # project orchestration mode — tells Claude to orchestrate, not write
├── project.md      # genre, voice, premise, POV, tense, manuscript config
├── voice.md        # voice rules for this project (judgment calls)
├── voice-lints.md  # voice rules that can be checked mechanically
├── timeline.md     # chronology
├── glossary.md     # invented terms, brands, dialect
├── characters/     # one file per character
├── places/         # one file per place
├── scenes/         # one file per scene or beat card
└── journal/        # dated session entries (YYYY-MM-DD.md)

2. manuscript/ — the actual writing (where /authors-draft and /authors-channel save generated prose):

manuscript/
└── <starting-chapter>.md   # empty to start, filled as you write

When to use

• Starting a new novel, essay collection, book-length nonfiction, or newsletter.
• Any writing project where you want author personas to have persistent context across sessions.
• Not needed for one-off short pieces — personas work fine without a bible for single-session drafts.

Instructions for Claude

When this skill is invoked:

1. Confirm the working directory with the user. Ask: "Initialize .great-authors/ in <cwd>? (yes/no/different path)"

   • If the user gives a different path, confirm that path exists and is writable.

2. Check for existing .great-authors/ in the target directory. If it exists, ask: "A .great-authors/ folder already exists here. Overwrite? (yes/no)" — default to no. If no, exit without changes.

3. Ask the interview questions one at a time, in this order. Use the user's answers to replace the guiding prose in the scaffolded files: a. Working title? (string, may be placeholder) b. Genre? (specific — not "fiction" but "cozy small-town mystery") c. Premise? (one or two sentences) d. POV and tense? (e.g., "third-person limited past") e. Dominant tone? (one word or phrase) f. One non-negotiable voice rule for this project? (can be skipped — user can fill in later) g. Starting chapter filename? Default: chapter-01.md. Accept any valid markdown filename (e.g., prologue.md, part-1-chapter-01.md).

4. Scaffold both directories: a. Copy the template tree from the plugin's templates/project-bible/ to the target .great-authors/ directory. The plugin install path varies; locate it by checking the skill's own file path and resolving ../../templates/project-bible/ relative to SKILL.md. b. Create manuscript/ at the project root (sibling to .great-authors/). c. Create an empty file at manuscript/<starting-chapter>.md using the filename from question 3g.

5. Substitute the user's answers into the relevant sections of project.md and voice.md:

   • Working title, Genre, Premise, POV and tense, Register and voice go into the matching sections of project.md.
   • One non-negotiable rule (if given) goes into voice.md.
   • The starting chapter filename goes into project.md's ## Manuscript section as the Current: field. Leave the rest of the guiding prose as-is — the user fills in or deletes as they work.

6. Report what was created:

   Created .great-authors/ with:
     CLAUDE.md (project orchestration mode — sets Claude's role for this project)
     project.md (working title, genre, premise, POV, tone, and manuscript config filled in)
     voice.md (one rule filled in; rest ready for editing — judgment calls)
     voice-lints.md (skeleton — mechanical rules for continuity checks)
     timeline.md (empty skeleton)
     glossary.md (empty skeleton)
     characters/ (empty)
     places/ (empty)
     scenes/ (empty)
     journal/ (empty — entries added by /authors-journal)
   
   Created manuscript/ with:
     <starting-chapter>.md (empty — ready for your first prose)
   
   The CLAUDE.md in .great-authors/ tells Claude that for this project, the role is orchestrator — dispatch author sub-agents, don't write prose in-context. This prevents the most common failure mode in multi-session writing projects (mechanical prose from the orchestrator pattern-matching a voice). When you reopen this project in a future session, the CLAUDE.md is auto-loaded and orients Claude correctly.
   
   Next: run /authors-channel <author> to write, or /authors-draft "<brief>" <author> to generate a draft. Prose lands in manuscript/ by default. Use /authors-journal at the end of each session to capture decisions.
   

Notes

• This skill does not commit to git. The user owns their repository.
• If the user answers "skip" or leaves an answer blank, leave the guiding prose in that section intact.
• Do not fabricate answers. If the user is uncertain, tell them they can edit the files directly later.