◆ Fantasy Audiobook Studio
0story-seed1–5fantasy-novella2story-structure1, 4, 5fiction-workshop1, 4character-archetypes4prose-mechanics3, 4avoid-ai-writing6speech-flow7narration-prep8kokoro-narrate9listen-check10audiobook-assemble

Stage 0 · Writing · ours

story-seed

A brainstorming partner for the very start. It turns a one-line idea into a set of choices (twists, heroes, endings) and helps the author choose.

  1. 0Seed
  2. 1Story bible
  3. 2Structure
  4. 3Draft
  5. 4Edit
  6. 5Reader test
  7. 6Speech flow
  8. 7Narration prep
  9. 8Narrate
  10. 9Listen check
  11. 10Assemble & publish

When it runs

Before anything else, when a new book is only an idea.

What goes in

A one-line premise

What comes out

seed.md, with the author's choices, open ideas, rejected ideas and parked ideas kept apart

Who does the work

  • Claude suggests options at each step and cuts the result to novella size
  • Author picks, combines or rejects at every step

Step by step

  1. Pick a premise from the collection, or bring a new one.
  2. Choose from 6–10 twists on the idea.
  3. Choose a hero from 3–4 candidates.
  4. Work out what the magic does to the world and what it costs.
  5. Choose an ending from 2–3 candidates, then cut everything to novella size.

Example

Before

The cartographer: whatever she draws becomes real.

→
After

Logline chosen, hero picked, ending decided, 4 ideas parked for another book

The story bible starts from these choices instead of a blank page.

In this project

Runs before the story bible when a book starts as a one-liner (the premises in books/collection.md). One step per turn, the author picks each time: premise ladder (6–10 what-if twists) → protagonist (3–4 candidates with want / need / wound / lie, checked by character-archetypes) → magic implications (who profits, who is hurt, cost / limit / counter) → set pieces, 2–3 endings and the central question → novella fit check (1 magic system, 2–4 places, 3–5 characters; the rest goes to Parked) → names by ear (starts glossary.md).

Output is seed.md, which keeps the author's own decisions (Author said) apart from Claude's open suggestions and the rejected ideas, so the story bible is built only from what the author chose.

From the books

  • Why it exists. Book 2 changed course halfway with "I want a happy ending". Story-seed asks which ending the author wants before there is an outline.
  • Parked ideas. Ideas cut for size are kept with a reason, as raw material for later books in the collection.
For the curious: the instructions Claude reads (SKILL.md)

Claude uses this skill when: Grow a one-line book idea into material to work with before the story bible: premise twists, protagonist options, what the magic implies, a pool of set pieces, candidate endings and a theme, cut down to novella size. Use when the user wants to start a new book from a premise, brainstorm or develop a story idea, asks 'what could this story be', or picks one of the premises in books/collection.md. Runs before fantasy-novella Stage 1 and writes books/<slug>/seed.md.

Story Seed

Stage 0 of the pipeline. fiction-workshop's Stage 1 starts with "Core premise/logline?". This skill is how the author gets to a good answer. It is divergent first, then convergent: generate plenty, let the author choose, then cut to what a 10–20k-word audiobook can hold.

Output: one file, books/<slug>/seed.md (flat layout, no subfolders). fantasy-novella Stage 1 reads it and fills story-bible.md from the chosen material only.

The one rule: keep the author's words apart from yours

seed.md records what the author actually chose or said, in their words where possible, separately from what Claude suggested. Suggestions the author hasn't picked stay under Suggestions not yet chosen. Ideas they turn down go under Rejected, with the reason. Don't fill gaps the author left open on purpose, and don't promote a suggestion to a decision because they didn't object. This stops the bible being padded with ideas nobody chose.

Flow

One step per turn. Stop after each step and let the author pick, combine or throw things out. Their reasons ("too dark", "I like her") calibrate the next round, so note them. If the author says "go with your proposals", record that as a decision and move on.

1. Premise

Offer the unused premises in books/collection.md (skip the ones already written as books), or take a new one. Pick a slug and create books/<slug>/seed.md from the template below.

2. Premise ladder: 6–10 twists

Run the What-if ladder and SCAMPER from ../fiction-workshop/references/brainstorming.md on the premise itself. Vary the axis: who the protagonist is, whose side we're on, the scale (one street vs one kingdom), the genre blend (heist, courtroom, cosy mystery, tragedy), what the magic really is. One or two lines each. Include at least one wild option and one quiet, small one. The author picks one or combines several, and that becomes the logline.

3. Protagonist: 3–4 candidates

For each: who they are in one line, want / need / wound / lie, and why this premise hurts them specifically. Run character-archetypes Audit mode on the shortlist and flag clichés. Once the author picks one, sketch the antagonist or opposing force and 1–3 supporting roles by function (mirror, obstacle, ally, cost).

4. Magic implications

Take the premise's single power and push it out rather than adding more: - Who profits from it, who gets hurt, who polices it, what is illegal? - What breaks in daily life (trade, law, family, death) because it exists? - What is the worst misuse, and the kindest? Then draft answers to the Sanderson checklist in ../fantasy-novella/references/fantasy-worldbuilding.md (cost, hard limit, counter). Offer them as options. Cost is the author's call, and "no personal cost" is a valid answer.

5. Set pieces, endings, theme

  • Set-piece pool, 10–15 moments the story could contain: images and confrontations a listener would remember. Mark which ones show the magic's rules early (needed if the climax uses magic).
  • 2–3 candidate endings: happy, bittersweet and dark, or along other lines. For each, say what it costs the protagonist. Ask which ending the author wants before any outline exists. (Book 2 changed course mid-way with "I want a happy ending"; finding that out at Stage 0 is cheaper.)
  • Central question (the theme as a question the ending answers) and 1–2 recurring motifs that work by ear (a sound, a phrase, an object).

6. Novella fit check

Cut to the hub's limits: one magic system, 2–4 places, 3–5 characters who matter, one POV (two at most), one subplot. Everything cut goes under Parked, with a line on why. That keeps ideas around for a later book without bloating this one. Give each kept place a sensory signature (one smell, one sound, one texture).

7. Ear check and hand-off

  • Draft names using the Names rules in fantasy-worldbuilding.md: distinct first sounds and syllable counts. Ask how each is pronounced and start glossary.md (| Term | Sounds like | Phonemes | Notes |).
  • Read the logline aloud in your head. If it takes more than one breath, tighten it.
  • Hand off: "Seed done. Next: fantasy-novella Stage 1 (story bible)." Create a status.md with stage 0 Seed: done.

seed.md template

# Seed: <working title>

## Premise
- Source: <collection.md premise N / author's new idea>
- Logline (chosen):

## Author said
<!-- decisions in the author's words, dated; this is the authority -->
- YYYY-MM-DD: "…"

## Protagonist
- Name / one line:
- Want / need / wound / lie:
- Opposition:
- Supporting roles (by function):

## Magic implications
- The power:
- Who profits / who is hurt / who polices it:
- Cost / hard limit / counter:

## Places (2–4, with smell / sound / texture)

## Set pieces (kept)

## Ending (chosen) and central question
- Ending:
- Central question:
- Motifs:

## Suggestions not yet chosen
<!-- Claude's options still open; NOT decisions -->

## Rejected
<!-- idea, and the author's reason -->

## Parked
<!-- cut for size; possible material for another book -->

Stopping points

  • After every step: wait for the author's picks.
  • Don't start the story bible, outline or any prose here. That's fantasy-novella's job.
  • If the author already has a full premise, protagonist and ending, skip to step 6 (fit check) or straight to fantasy-novella Stage 1.

Other files in the skill

View the skill on GitHub →