Chapter Drafter: Orchestrator Skill
You autonomously draft and polish chapter scenes through iterative editorial passes. Given an outline, you produce polished first-draft prose by drafting each scene, evaluating it against editorial criteria, and revising until quality thresholds are met.
Core Principle
Orchestration is iteration with hierarchy. Fix structure before character, character before originality, originality before dialogue, dialogue before prose. Don't polish what might be cut; don't revise dialogue in a scene that needs structural rework.
Prerequisites
Before invoking this skill, ensure:
Complete outline exists - Scene beats with goals, conflicts, and intended outcomes Characters defined - Lie/want/need, voice patterns, arc positions World established - Setting details sufficient for scene work Story-sense diagnosis complete - No structural story problems remaining
Do NOT use this skill if:
Outline is still in flux Character arcs undefined Story-sense would diagnose structural problems The Orchestration Loop FOR each scene in chapter outline:
1. BUILD CONTEXT
- Load character voices from previous scenes
- Load open plot threads
- Load cliche avoidances
- Extract scene purpose from outline
2. DRAFT SCENE
- Generate initial prose from outline beat
- Apply character voices
- Maintain plot thread continuity
3. EVALUATION LOOP (max 5 cycles)
│
├─► Pass 1: scene-sequencing (35%)
│ └─► If FAIL: REWRITE scene
├─► Pass 2: character-arc (25%)
├─► Pass 3: cliche-transcendence (15%)
├─► Pass 4: dialogue (15%)
└─► Pass 5: prose-style (10%)
│
Calculate composite score
│
├─► >= 80: ACCEPT
├─► 60-79: TARGETED FIX → re-evaluate
├─► 40-59: REWRITE → return to draft
└─► <40: REJECT → full re-draft from outline
4. POST-ACCEPT
- Extract character voice patterns → update context
- Track plot thread changes → update registry
- Record cliche transcendences → update avoidances
- Write scene to output
- Update progress tracker
END FOR
Pass Criteria Pass 1: Scene-Sequencing (35% weight)
Evaluates Goal-Conflict-Disaster structure and pacing.
Criterion PASS WARN FAIL Goal clarity POV goal clear in opening beats Goal exists but buried No discernible goal Conflict escalation Opposition intensifies Conflict static but present No real opposition Disaster quality "Yes, but..." or "No, and..." Simple "No" Clean "Yes" or no resolution Sequel presence Reaction-dilemma-decision present Abbreviated sequel Missing after high-tension Scene-sequel ratio Matches intended pacing Slight mismatch Severely mismatched
Critical: If scene-sequencing FAILS, do NOT proceed to other passes. Structural problems invalidate downstream evaluation.
Pass 2: Character-Arc (25% weight)
Evaluates transformation consistency and arc progress.
Criterion PASS WARN FAIL Lie visibility False belief evident in choices Lie present but unstated No lie operative Want/Need gap Clear tension between stated/actual Gap exists but unclear Want = Need (no tension) Arc progress Scene advances or challenges arc Arc static but consistent Character contradicts arc Transformation markers Choices reflect arc position Position unclear Acts against personality Pass 3: Cliche-Transcendence (15% weight)
Evaluates originality via orthogonality test.
Criterion PASS WARN FAIL Form axis Non-default form Slight variation Exactly genre default Knowledge axis Own concerns, accidental intersection Some plot awareness Fully story-serving Goal axis Own agenda that collides Goal connected to plot Purely protagonist-serving Role axis Own story that intersects Somewhat independent Exists only for hero Orthogonality test 2+ axes orthogonal 1 axis orthogonal All axes match default Pass 4: Dialogue (15% weight)
Evaluates voice distinctiveness, subtext, and function.
Criterion PASS WARN FAIL Voice distinctiveness Characters distinguishable without tags Some overlap Identical voices (D1) Subtext presence Gap between said and meant Occasional direct statements Everything on-the-nose (D4) Double-duty test 3+ functions per exchange 2 functions Single function only (D5) Naturalness Contractions, interruptions, rhythm Slightly formal Wooden/stilted (D2) Exposition handling Information through conflict Minor "as you know" Exposition dump (D3) Pass 5: Prose-Style (10% weight)
Evaluates sentence-level craft.
Criterion PASS WARN FAIL Sentence variety Length and structure vary Some variation Monotonous (P4) Clarity Concrete, clear antecedents Occasional abstraction Unclear writing (P2) Voice consistency Diction level consistent Minor shifts Random shifts (P6) Economy Words earn place Minor redundancy Overwrought (P3) Active voice Passive intentional Some default passive Passive overuse (P5) Composite Scoring
Each pass produces a score from 0-100:
All PASS = 100 Each WARN = -15 Each FAIL = -40
Composite = SUM(pass_score × pass_weight)
Composite Outcome Action
= 80 ACCEPT Scene complete, proceed to next 60-79 REVISE Fix lowest-scoring pass, re-evaluate 40-59 REWRITE Regenerate with failure constraints < 40 REJECT Full re-draft from outline Iteration Limits Level Limit On Exceed Per-pass 3 Escalate to rewrite Per-scene 12 Accept at threshold 50, flag for review Per-chapter 50 Stop, report remaining issues
Diminishing returns detection: If improvement < 10% between iterations, accept current state or escalate.
Context Accumulation
Maintain across scenes:
Character Voices
After each scene, extract and store:
Vocabulary patterns per character Sentence rhythm patterns Directness level Verbal tics and avoidances
Use as constraint for subsequent scenes: "Character X speaks like [markers]"
Plot Threads
Track:
Open threads - Introduced, not resolved Closed threads - Resolved this chapter Foreshadowing - Planted for future payoff
Each scene checks:
No contradiction with established facts Open threads acknowledged or advanced At least one element progresses Cliche Avoidances
After cliche-transcendence pass, record:
Which defaults were avoided How they were transcended New elements that feel fresh
Use as constraint: "Already transcended [X], maintain freshness"
Progress Tracker
Use the progress tracker template to persist state:
Chapter Progress: [Title]
Started: [timestamp] Current: Scene [N], Pass [M], Iteration [K]
Scenes
| Scene | Status | Pass | Iterations | Score | Issues |
|-------|--------|------|------------|-------|--------|
Context
- Character Voices: [accumulated]
- Plot Threads: [open/closed]
- Cliche Avoidances: [list]
Change Log
- [timestamp] [change]
Revision Strategy Targeted Fix (score 60-79) Identify lowest-scoring pass Extract specific failure criteria Generate minimal fix addressing that criterion Re-evaluate that pass + downstream passes If pass improves, recalculate composite Rewrite (score 40-59) Preserve scene goal from outline Generate new draft with explicit constraints: "Must include clear goal in opening" "Conflict must escalate" etc. based on failures Re-run full evaluation loop Reject (score < 40) Return to outline beat Re-draft from scratch Treat as new scene (reset iterations) Conflict Resolution
When fixing one pass breaks another:
Detect: Re-run all passes after any fix Compare: Did any pass regress? Prioritize: Higher-weight pass wins ties Seek synthesis: Can fix satisfy both? Accept trade-off: If irreconcilable, accept per hierarchy
Escalation: If conflict persists after 2 attempts, flag scene for human review.
Anti-Patterns The Infinite Polisher
Pattern: Keeps iterating because one criterion is at WARN. Fix: WARN is acceptable. Accept at threshold after iteration limit.
The Pass Skipper
Pattern: Jumps to prose-style when scene-sequencing failed. Fix: Hard gate on structural passes. FAIL blocks progression.
The Context Amnesiac
Pattern: Each scene drafted in isolation, losing voice and threads. Fix: Explicit context loading before each scene draft.
The Cascade Blind Spot
Pattern: Fixes dialogue, doesn't check if prose-style regressed. Fix: Always re-evaluate current pass + downstream after any fix.
The Silent Failer
Pattern: Hits iteration limit, proceeds without documentation. Fix: Log all limit exits with categorized remaining issues.
Output Persistence Progress Tracker Location: context/chapter-drafter/[chapter]-progress.md Update: After each scene acceptance Purpose: Resume point if interrupted Scene Output Location: drafts/[story]/[chapter]/scene-[N].md Update: On scene acceptance Purpose: Accumulated draft prose Context State Location: context/chapter-drafter/[chapter]-context.md Update: After each scene Purpose: Character voices, threads, avoidances Integration Inbound (feeds into chapter-drafter) Skill What it provides outline-collaborator Scene beats with goal-conflict-disaster character-arc Lie/want/need for each character worldbuilding Setting details for scene work story-sense Confirmation structure is solid Outbound (chapter-drafter produces) Output Next step Draft chapter revision (for full manuscript revision) Flagged scenes Human review Context state Next chapter drafting Example Invocation
Input: Chapter outline with 5 scene beats
Process:
Load outline, confirm prerequisites Initialize progress tracker For each scene: Build context from prior scenes Draft initial prose Run evaluation loop On ACCEPT: extract context, write output Complete: 5 polished scenes, flagged issues documented
Output:
5 scene files in drafts/[story]/[chapter]/ Progress tracker showing all iterations Context file for next chapter List of any flagged issues for human review