{
 "schema": "aiblocks-page/1",
 "id": "book-writing-project-coach",
 "type": "skill",
 "name": "Book writing project coach",
 "summary": "Get a book writing plan for your stage: an outline, session plan, revision plan, query letter or proposal that keeps your voice and your research gaps visible.",
 "headline": "Book writing project coach",
 "subhead": "Share your writing project, current stage, audience, and goal. It chooses the right help for planning, drafting, revision, or approaching publishers. You get a focused outline, session plan, edit, or submission draft that protects your voice and keeps research gaps visible.",
 "job": {
  "id": "write-and-tell-stories",
  "name": "Write and tell stories"
 },
 "level": "intermediate",
 "thinking": "high",
 "tested": true,
 "updated": "2026-10-28",
 "first_published": "2026-10-25",
 "inputs": [
  {
   "type": "question",
   "required": true,
   "label": "Question",
   "what": "the problem, decision or piece of work you want help with, and what a good outcome looks like"
  },
  {
   "type": "source_text",
   "required": false,
   "label": "Source text",
   "what": "a long source in full: an article, a video or talk transcript, or notes from a book, with its title, author and link"
  }
 ],
 "outputs": [
  {
   "type": "plan",
   "required": true,
   "label": "Plan",
   "what": "a dated plan: what to do, in what order, with a decision rule for each step"
  },
  {
   "type": "story_outline",
   "required": true,
   "label": "Story outline",
   "what": "a story's plan: the premise, the characters and the scenes or chapters in order, with what happens in each"
  }
 ],
 "you_give": [
  "Project type, current stage, audience, goal, constraints, and your draft or idea."
 ],
 "you_get": [
  "A stage-matched outline, writing session, revision plan, query letter, or proposal draft."
 ],
 "use_when": [
  "You have a book idea and need a one-page outline or a pitch line.",
  "You are stuck in a draft and want prompts matched to where the story is.",
  "Your draft is done and you need a revision plan.",
  "You are ready to approach agents or publishers and need a query letter or proposal."
 ],
 "skip_when": [
  "You need your book put into a Word, PDF or EPUB file: use a file tool such as Word, Google Docs or an EPUB maker.",
  "You are writing release notes, help pages or other business documents: ask your AI for plain documentation help, not a book coach.",
  "You only have a quick grammar or spelling question: check a style guide or a spell checker."
 ],
 "output_sample": {
  "input": [
   "Your project type, such as novel or nonfiction book",
   "Where you are now: idea, planning, drafting, revising or submitting",
   "Who the book is for and what you want to finish",
   "Your draft or idea (optional)",
   "Limits like a word cap or deadline (optional)"
  ],
  "prerequisites": [
   "A chat AI that can read the skill's reference files",
   "Python 3 only if you want the optional word count, habit and tracking scripts"
  ],
  "output": [
   {
    "name": "Premise check",
    "contains": "Tests your idea and gives a one-line pitch when you are at the idea stage."
   },
   {
    "name": "Story outline",
    "contains": "Three parts with key turning points and scene stakes, built from your premise."
   },
   {
    "name": "Writing session plan",
    "contains": "Timed blocks, breaks and word targets to turn your goal into a daily plan."
   },
   {
    "name": "Revision plan",
    "contains": "Passes in order from structure to prose to proofreading, with questions for readers."
   },
   {
    "name": "Query letter or synopsis",
    "contains": "A one-page submission draft in the standard structure for fiction or nonfiction."
   },
   {
    "name": "Book proposal",
    "contains": "A nonfiction proposal built section by section from your project details."
   },
   {
    "name": "Gaps list and next step",
    "contains": "Facts still to check and the one thing to do next."
   }
  ]
 },
 "how_to_use": [
  "Before you ask, write down your stage (idea, drafting, revising or submitting), your word target and your deadline. A specific first request gets a better result.",
  "Open a chat in Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini and add the skill files, or paste in the skill text.",
  "Tell your AI your project type, stage, audience, goal and any limits.",
  "Paste your draft or idea if you have one.",
  "Ask for the one thing you need now, such as an outline, a session plan, a revision plan or a query letter. For a first result in about ten minutes, ask for a one-page outline of your idea.",
  "Read the result and change anything that does not sound like you. Your voice comes first.",
  "Then ask for the next piece in order. After an outline, ask for a session plan to start drafting. After a draft, ask for a revision plan. When the book is done, ask for a query letter or proposal. The skill never sends a submission for you.",
  "Run the optional scripts only if your AI can run code. The page works without them."
 ],
 "checks": [],
 "next": [
  {
   "name": "Fair escape checker",
   "url": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/fair-escape-checker",
   "why": "Tell it as a story"
  },
  {
   "name": "Unplotted first-draft writer",
   "url": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/unplotted-first-draft-writer",
   "why": "Tell it as a story"
  },
  {
   "name": "Scene turn checker",
   "url": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/scene-turn-checker",
   "why": "Tell it as a story"
  }
 ],
 "source": {
  "by": "Magnus Hedemark",
  "repo": "magnus919/agent-skills",
  "url": "https://github.com/magnus919/agent-skills/tree/92c327e525da69c9ad3812fd223a1770e977c2e3/writers-helper",
  "licence": "MIT",
  "original_name": "writers-helper",
  "commit": "92c327e525da69c9ad3812fd223a1770e977c2e3"
 },
 "credits": [
  {
   "title": "writers-helper skill",
   "by": "Magnus Hedemark",
   "url": "https://github.com/magnus919/agent-skills/tree/92c327e525da69c9ad3812fd223a1770e977c2e3/writers-helper",
   "used": "Copied under the MIT licence. We gave it a plain name. We added Before you start and After this sections that link to other AI Blocks steps."
  }
 ],
 "files": [
  "evals/evals.json",
  "LICENSE.md",
  "README.md",
  "references/blocks-and-prompts.md",
  "references/craft-and-structure.md",
  "references/drafting-and-process.md",
  "references/editing-and-revision.md",
  "references/genres-and-formats.md",
  "references/habits-and-lifestyle.md",
  "references/pitfalls-and-solutions.md",
  "references/prose-and-style.md",
  "references/publishing-and-career.md",
  "references/workflow-and-planning.md",
  "scripts/habit-log.py",
  "scripts/manuscript-stats.py",
  "scripts/session-planner.py",
  "scripts/submission-tracker.py",
  "scripts/writing-prompt.py",
  "templates/book-proposal.md",
  "templates/character-profile.md",
  "templates/critique-checklist.md",
  "templates/premise-canvas.md",
  "templates/prompt-cards.md",
  "templates/query-letter.md",
  "templates/revision-plan.md",
  "templates/scene-skeleton.md",
  "templates/session-plan.md",
  "templates/story-outline.md",
  "templates/submission-log.md",
  "templates/synopsis.md",
  "templates/worldbuilding-questionnaire.md"
 ],
 "links": {
  "page": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/book-writing-project-coach",
  "markdown": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/book-writing-project-coach.md",
  "json": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/book-writing-project-coach.json",
  "instructions": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/book-writing-project-coach/SKILL.md",
  "download": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/book-writing-project-coach.zip",
  "api_item": "https://useaiblocks.com/api/v1/items/book-writing-project-coach",
  "api_document": "https://useaiblocks.com/api/v1/documents/skill/book-writing-project-coach",
  "mcp": "https://useaiblocks.com/mcp"
 }
}