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---
name: story-init
description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "start a new story", "initialize a story project", "create a story", "new book", "set up a story", or wants to begin a new fiction writing project from scratch.
---
# Story Initialization
## Overview
Initialize a new story project with a structured markdown folder layout. Creates the story bible, character registry, worldbuilding index, plot structure, and chapter tracker - all as cross-referenced markdown files with YAML frontmatter.
## When to Use
- Starting a new story, book, or fiction project
- Setting up the folder structure for an existing story idea
- NOT for adding to an existing story project (use the domain-specific skills instead)
## Workflow
1. Ask for basic story information:
- Title
- Genre and sub-genre
- Brief synopsis (2-3 sentences)
- Setting era/time period
- Key themes (2-4)
- POV style (first-person, third-person-limited, third-person-omniscient)
- Tense (past, present)
If the Story CLI is available, prefer using it to create the starter project, then inspect and refine the generated files as needed:
```shell
story init "{Title}" --genre "{genre}" --sub-genre "{sub-genre}" --setting-era "{era}" --pov "{pov-style}" --tense "{tense}" --synopsis "{synopsis}" --theme "{theme-1}" --theme "{theme-2}"
```
If `story` is not installed, use the bundled maintenance fallback when available, resolving the script path relative to the `story-maintenance` skill:
```shell
node ../story-maintenance/scripts/story.js init "{Title}"
```
If neither command is available, create the files manually using the steps below.
2. Create the folder structure at the current working directory:
```
{story-title-kebab}/
├── story.md
├── characters/
│ └── _index.md
├── worldbuilding/
│ ├── _index.md
│ ├── locations/
│ └── systems/
├── plot/
│ ├── _index.md
│ ├── arcs/
│ └── timeline.md
└── chapters/
└── _index.md
```
3. Populate `story.md` with the story bible:
```yaml
---
title: "{Title}"
schema-version: 1
genre: {genre}
sub-genre: {sub-genre}
setting-era: {era}
status: planning
themes:
- {theme-1}
- {theme-2}
pov: {pov-style}
tense: {tense}
---
```
Below the frontmatter, include sections:
- **Synopsis** - the 2-3 sentence synopsis provided
- **Tone & Style** - brief notes on the story's voice (derive from genre/themes)
- **Notes** - empty section for the user to fill in
4. Populate each `_index.md` with an empty registry:
**`characters/_index.md`:**
```markdown
---
type: character-registry
story: {story-title-kebab}
---
# Characters
## Registry
| Name | Role | Status | File |
|------|------|--------|------|
| *No characters yet* | | | |
## Family Trees
*No family trees defined yet.*
## Relationship Map
*No relationships defined yet.*
```
**`worldbuilding/_index.md`:**
```markdown
---
type: world-registry
story: {story-title-kebab}
---
# Worldbuilding
## World Overview
*Describe the world at a high level here.*
## Locations
| Name | Type | Region | File |
|------|------|--------|------|
| *No locations yet* | | | |
## Systems
| Name | Type | File |
|------|------|------|
| *No systems yet* | | |
```
**`plot/_index.md`:**
```markdown
---
type: plot-registry
story: {story-title-kebab}
structure: three-act
---
# Plot Structure
## Story Structure
**Model:** Three-Act Structure (adjust as needed)
## Arcs
| Name | Type | Status | File |
|------|------|--------|------|
| *No arcs yet* | | | |
## Theme Tracking
| Theme | Arcs | Chapters |
|-------|------|----------|
| *No themes tracked yet* | | |
```
**`plot/timeline.md`:**
```markdown
---
type: timeline
story: {story-title-kebab}
---
# Story Timeline
| When | Event | Arc | Chapter |
|------|-------|-----|---------|
| *No events yet* | | | |
```
**`chapters/_index.md`:**
```markdown
---
type: chapter-registry
story: {story-title-kebab}
---
# Chapters
## Registry
| # | Title | POV | Status | Word Count | File |
|---|-------|-----|--------|------------|------|
| *No chapters yet* | | | | | |
## Total Word Count: 0
```
5. Present a summary of what was created and suggest next steps:
- "Add your first character" (triggers character-management skill)
- "Start worldbuilding" (triggers worldbuilding skill)
- "Define your plot structure" (triggers plot-structure skill)
6. When CLI access is available, run a final maintenance check:
```shell
story validate {story-title-kebab}
```
If using the bundled fallback, replace `story` with `node ../story-maintenance/scripts/story.js`, resolving the path relative to this skill folder.
## Conventions
These conventions apply across ALL story skills:
- **Kebab-case filenames** for all entity files (e.g., `sera-voss.md`, `ashen-citadel.md`)
- **YAML frontmatter** on every file for structured metadata
- **Schema version** - `story.md` frontmatter includes `schema-version: 1`
- **`_index.md`** files are authoritative registries for each domain
- **`story.md`** is the top-level bible read by all skills for context
- **Bidirectional cross-links** - when referencing another entity, update both files
- **Character identifiers** use the kebab-case filename without extension (e.g., `sera-voss`)
- **Markdown-first artifacts** - create and edit story content directly in the target `.md` files. Do not create project-local build scripts, generator scripts, or bulk writer scripts (for example `build-*.js`) to emit story files.
- **CLI helpers stay external** - the only JavaScript helper agents should run is the installed or bundled Story CLI (`story`, `bun run story --`, or `story-maintenance/scripts/story.js`) for deterministic maintenance. Do not copy it into the user's story project, and remove any unavoidable scratch helper before finishing.