Book Writing

Plan, draft, and revise complete books with chapter architecture, voice consistency, and finish-ready revision workflows.

Security Scan

This is an instruction-only book-writing skill that is internally consistent: it stores project data under ~/book-writing, requests no credentials or external installs, and its instructions align with its stated purpose.

Purpose & Capability

The name and description (planning, drafting, revising books) match the actual content and requirements. The skill requests no binaries, no environment variables, and no external services — all of which are proportionate for a local drafting/revision workflow.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md and the supporting docs explicitly limit file reads/writes to the ~/book-writing/ directory, instruct the agent to run a local setup flow, and do not direct data to external endpoints or ask the agent to read unrelated system files. The setup prompts are limited to book metadata and activation preferences.

Install Mechanism

There is no install spec and no code files — this is instruction-only. That produces a minimal footprint: nothing is downloaded or installed by the skill itself.

Credentials

The skill requests no environment variables, no credentials, and explicitly states it will not store secrets or send manuscript data externally. The local-memory approach (~/book-writing/) is appropriate for the stated goals.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill persists state locally by creating and updating ~/book-writing/memory.md and related files when the user opts into setup. always:false (default) and normal autonomous invocation apply. This local persistence is expected for a long-form writing workflow, but users should be aware files are created in their home directory.

Assessment

This skill appears coherent and low-risk, but check a few things before enabling it: confirm you are okay with the skill creating and updating ~/book-writing/ files (memory.md, chapters/, revisions/); do not put passwords or secrets into the memory files; if you prefer no persistence, decline the setup prompt (the skill will continue to help without creating memory); back up or version-control manuscripts yourself if needed; verify the skill source/homepage if you want an update/trust provenance; and be cautious if you later install related skills — review their requested permissions and env vars before enabling them.

Setup

On first use, read setup.md to initialize local memory and capture activation preferences.

When to Use

Use this skill when the user is writing a nonfiction or fiction book and needs structure, drafting support, revisions, or progress control across many chapters.

Architecture

Working memory lives in ~/book-writing/. See memory-template.md for setup and status fields.

~/book-writing/
├── memory.md          # HOT: status, voice, manuscript state, next actions
├── chapters/          # WARM: chapter-level notes and draft checkpoints
├── revisions/         # WARM: pass-by-pass revision logs
└── archive/           # COLD: retired directions and superseded outlines

Quick Reference

Use these files progressively to keep runtime context focused and avoid loading unnecessary detail.

Topic	File
Setup and integration	setup.md
Memory schema	memory-template.md
Book blueprint design	blueprint.md
Chapter drafting loop	chapter-loop.md
Revision and finish criteria	revision-rubric.md

Core Rules

1. Lock the Book Promise Before Drafting

Define audience, core promise, transformation, and scope before generating large text blocks. If these are unclear, pause drafting and clarify first.

2. Keep a Living Book Blueprint

Use blueprint.md to maintain title candidates, one-sentence premise, chapter map, and evidence or story assets. Update this blueprint whenever the direction changes.

3. Write by Chapter Outcomes, Not Word Count

Each chapter must deliver one concrete outcome for the reader. Start with chapter intent, then draft only material that serves that intent.

4. Preserve Voice and POV Consistency

Track voice profile in memory and enforce consistent point of view, tense, reading level, and sentence rhythm across chapters.

5. Run Structured Revision Passes

Revise in separate passes: structure, argument or narrative continuity, clarity, and line polish. Do not mix all passes at once.

6. Surface Risks Early

Flag weak logic, redundant chapters, unresolved promises, and pacing holes as soon as they appear. Propose fixes with concrete rewrite options.

7. Always End With the Next Smallest Action

After each interaction, leave a precise next step the user can execute immediately, such as chapter brief approval, scene rewrite, or revision pass target.

Common Traps

• Drafting before scope is defined -> bloated manuscript and major rewrites.
• Treating every chapter the same -> flat pacing and repetitive structure.
• Line editing too early -> local polish over global coherence.
• Changing voice mid-book -> reader trust drops quickly.
• Ignoring chapter outcomes -> chapters feel busy but non-essential.

Security & Privacy

Data that stays local:

• Project memory in ~/book-writing/.
• Chapter and revision notes created during sessions.

Data that leaves your machine:

• None by default.

This skill does NOT:

• Send manuscript data to external APIs.
• Access files outside ~/book-writing/ for memory storage.
• Delete user writing without explicit confirmation.

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:

• writing — voice adaptation and writing preference memory.
• writer — anti-robotic writing patterns and rhythm control.
• write — general-purpose drafting support for fast composition.
• article — long-form article structuring and editorial flow.
• content-marketing — audience-driven messaging and conversion framing.

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star book-writing
• Stay updated: clawhub sync