author-role-os

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

1. Chapter function - one sentence: what does this chapter do in the volume?
2. POV and tense - who sees, when.
3. Entry state - where the reader is at chapter open.
4. Three-event chain - the spine of the chapter.
5. Central choice and cost - what the protagonist decides and what it costs.
6. Voice anchors - three concrete sensory or tonal anchors that should appear.
7. Forbidden drift - at least one thing this chapter must not do.
8. 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.