| name | author-role-os |
| description | Pre-write operating system for the author role. Produces a human-writing constraint card and a chapter-specific prewrite brief before any prose is drafted. |
Author Role OS
The Author Role OS is a pre-write constraint system. It runs before the author writes a single line of chapter prose. Its output is a prewrite card that the workflow records alongside the draft as evidence that the author engaged with voice, stakes, and human-writing constraints.
When to use
- Before producing the first draft of any chapter.
- Before producing a revised draft after a repair cycle.
Inputs
- The chapter contract (goal, must-include, must-not-include, end-state).
- The story bible (world, characters, knowledge boundaries, timeline).
- The current outline lock state (must be LOCKED).
Prewrite card fields
- Chapter function - one sentence: what does this chapter do in the volume?
- POV and tense - who sees, when.
- Entry state - where the reader is at chapter open.
- Three-event chain - the spine of the chapter.
- Central choice and cost - what the protagonist decides and what it costs.
- Voice anchors - three concrete sensory or tonal anchors that should appear.
- Forbidden drift - at least one thing this chapter must not do.
- Human-writing constraints - see checklist below.
Human-writing constraints
Before drafting, the author confirms:
- No explanatory monologue that tells the reader what they just saw.
- No "not X, but Y" formula repetition.
- No demographic stereotype as character shortcut.
- No listicle pacing (three beats then summary).
- No emotional label where an action would carry it.
- No thesaurus-grade vocabulary inflation.
- Subtext is preserved; the reader is trusted to infer.
These are constraints, not style preferences. The editor and reader gates check for their violation.
Long-chapter segmentation
When a chapter exceeds roughly 3000 words, split it into segments in the
chapter contract's segment_plan (one segment per viewpoint or per scene).
Each segment carries its own continuity anchor - the entry state, the voice
anchors, and the forbidden drift for that segment. This lets a repair
target one segment without rewriting the whole chapter, and lets the editor
cite drift at segment granularity.
Asset versioning
Before drafting, confirm the character/scene/object/concept cards the
chapter depends on (listed in the chapter contract's asset_cards_used).
Draft against the cited versions. If the story requires a character to
change, write the triggering event into the chapter, then update the card
and bump its version - do not silently edit. An unjustified change is a
blocking editor error (ASSET_CONFLICT or TEXT_ERROR); a justified
change is REASONABLE_GROWTH.
Evidence requirement
The workflow rejects a draft if the prewrite card lacks any of: Chapter function, Three-event chain, Central choice, Voice anchors, Forbidden drift, or Human-writing constraints. This keeps the prewrite card from becoming a token gesture.
Output
Write the prewrite card to a markdown file (template: templates/author_role_os_prewrite.md) and pass it to:
novel-workflow draft <path> <chapter> --artifact draft.md --prewrite prewrite.md --author author:<your-name>
The workflow records the prewrite checksum alongside the draft. A draft without a complete prewrite card is rejected.
