Writer Studio Template

A structured workspace for AI-assisted fiction writing. Designed for use with Claude Code and similar AI writing tools.

Getting Started

1. Fork or clone this template
2. Rename the root folder to your project name
3. Edit CLAUDE.md to define your voice, pillars, and reference architecture
4. Start building your world from the inside out

Directory Structure

The template follows a foundation → synthesis → drafts → final flow that mirrors how a writer actually moves through a project: build the world before you plot it, plot before you draft, draft before you finalize.

[Your Project]/
  CLAUDE.md                          <-- AI writing persona & reference map
  README.md                          <-- This file

  00_FOUNDATIONS/                    <-- Foundation layer: built first, referenced always
    world/                           <-- Lore, mechanics, consequences
      01_[MECHANIC].md
      02_[ANTAGONIST].md
      03_[CONSEQUENCE].md
    characters/                      <-- Character bibles & voice guides
      CHARACTER_BIBLES.md
    research/                        <-- Historical, technical, world research
      01_SETTING/                    <-- Atmosphere, locations, culture
      02_OBJECTS_AND_PROPS/          <-- Things characters use, hold, wear
      03_LOGISTICS/                  <-- How people and things move
      04_FORCES_AND_CONFLICTS/       <-- What opposes the characters

  01_TREATMENT/                      <-- Synthesis layer: what the story IS
    TREATMENT.md                     <-- BBC/Hollywood-style treatment
    BEAT_SHEET.md                    <-- Save the Cat, 3-Act, or custom beat structure
    PRODUCTION_ANALYSIS.md           <-- Pacing, runtime, author notes

  02_DRAFTS/                         <-- Working layer: in-progress prose
    scripts/                         <-- Screenplay / script drafts (.fountain)
      [Story]_DRAFT_01.fountain
    short-stories/                   <-- Prose short-story drafts
      [Story Name]/                  <-- One subfolder per story
        [STORY]_STORY.md             <-- Working draft (HTML-comment notes inline)
        [STORY]_BOOK.md              <-- Clean book-formatted markdown
        REVIEW_Draft_XX.md           <-- Structured review documents
    novellas/                        <-- Novella-length prose

  03_FINAL/                          <-- Publication layer: frozen deliverables
    [Story Name]/
      [Story Name] - [Studio].pdf    <-- Cover + book PDF, print/tablet ready
      [Story Name] - [Studio].txt    <-- Clean plaintext for posting (Wattpad, AO3, etc.)
      chapters/                      <-- Individual chapter .txt for platform upload
      chapters-elevenlabs/           <-- Speaker-tagged chapters (audiobook pipeline)

The audiobook pipeline (ElevenLabs speaker tagging) lives at ../../packages/audiobook-pipeline/ so all three sibling studios (Writer / Thesis / Blog) can share it.

The Three Pillars

Every project defines three narrative pillars in CLAUDE.md:

1. Sensory Ground — The raw, tactile, visceral detail work
2. Epic Register — The elevated, mythic, or grand moments
3. Core Style — The baseline pacing, tone, and accessibility

These pillars guide the AI's narrative voice without naming specific influences in the output.

Workflow

Phase 1: Foundations

• Build character bibles (00_FOUNDATIONS/characters/)
• Research your setting (00_FOUNDATIONS/research/)
• Define your world mechanics (00_FOUNDATIONS/world/)
• Write your treatment (01_TREATMENT/)

Phase 2: Drafting

• Write chapters in pairs — review the end of the last, start the next
• Use CLAUDE.md as the AI's reference map for every writing session
• Draft notes live in HTML comments at the bottom of the story file

Phase 3: Review

• Generate a structured review against your character bibles and beat sheet
• Categories: Voice Consistency, Character Bible Compliance, Continuity Audit, Pacing Analysis, Emotional Arc Tracking, Recommended Revisions

Phase 4: Publication

• PDF with cover (tablet/print ready)
• Plain text (Wattpad, AO3, FanFiction.net)
• Individual chapter files (platform upload)
• Speaker-tagged chapters (ElevenLabs audiobook production)

Requirements

• Claude Code or similar AI writing assistant
• Node.js (for md-to-pdf PDF generation)
• Python 3 (for text processing and PDF merging)

Optional

• md-to-pdf — npm install -g md-to-pdf
• pypdf — pip install pypdf
• VS Code with Fountain extension (for screenplay work)

Credits

Developed @ 626Labs

License

This template is free to use. Your stories are yours.