book-genre-creator

Genre Creator

Purpose

Help users discover the right genre for their project, or define a completely new genre by composing patterns from existing ones. This is the entry point when the user's project doesn't fit neatly into an existing category.

Supported Genres (built-in)

Genre	Skill	Core Structure	Best For
fiction	book-fiction	Save the Cat! 15-beat, Snowflake, Hero's Journey	Novels, novellas, short stories
non-fiction	book-nonfiction	Problem-solution, evidence hierarchy	Business, self-help, essays
technical	book-technical	Novice→expert progression, code blocks, labs	Programming, engineering, data science
screenplay	book-screenplay	3-act + sequence method, dialogue/action	Film, TV, web drama scripts
poetry	book-poetry	Form-driven (sonnet/haiku/free verse), imagery	Poetry collections, anthologies
game	book-game	Quest trees, branching dialogue, lore bible	Game scenarios, visual novels, RPGs
academic	book-academic	IMRAD, literature review, argument chains	Thesis, dissertation, research papers

Genre Selection Guide

Ask the user these questions to route to the right genre:

1. What are you creating? (novel / textbook / screenplay / game story / poem collection / thesis / other)
2. Who is the primary audience? (readers / players / reviewers / students / viewers)
3. What matters most? (plot & characters / logical argument / visual storytelling / interactive branching / aesthetic form)

Routing:

• Plot & characters → fiction
• Logical argument + evidence → non-fiction or academic
• Visual storytelling → screenplay
• Interactive branching → game
• Aesthetic form / rhythm → poetry
• Code & hands-on practice → technical

Custom Genre Creation

When the user's project doesn't match any built-in genre:

1. Identify the primary pattern — which built-in genre is closest?
2. Identify divergences — what's different about this project?
3. Compose a hybrid structure — mix patterns from relevant genres
4. Define validation rules — what does "done" look like for this genre?
5. Save as genre spec — write to genre-custom.md in the project directory

Custom genre spec template:

# Genre: {name}

## Parent Genre
{closest built-in genre}

## Structural Template
{chapter/section/scene structure with percentages}

## Key Patterns (from built-in genres)
- From {genre}: {specific pattern}
- From {genre}: {specific pattern}

## Unique Elements
{what makes this genre different}

## Validation Rules
- {rule 1}
- {rule 2}

## Agents Used
{which agents from the pool are relevant, and any genre-specific adjustments}

Agent Mapping by Genre

All genres can use these agents. This table shows genre-specific behavior:

Agent	fiction	non-fiction	technical	screenplay	poetry	game	academic
book-architect	15-beat validation	problem-solution check	progression gradient	sequence validation	collection arc	branch map check	argument chain
chapter-writer	hook-conflict-turn-cliffhanger	hook-problem-evidence-framework-summary	hook-concept-code-explain-pitfalls-summary	slug-action-dialogue-beat	image-turn-resonance	quest steps + dialogue nodes	topic-evidence-analysis-link
scene-generator	GMC+RDD scenes	—	—	beat sheets	—	quest breakdown	—
continuity-editor	character/timeline	term consistency	prerequisite order	prop/location/time	imagery consistency	lore/flag consistency	citation/terminology
style-doctor	voice/tone (STYLE.md)	voice/tone	voice/tone	voice/tone	meter/voice	voice/tone	academic tone
cover-designer	fiction trends	non-fiction trends	tech trends	film poster style	artistic/poetic	game art style	academic press
marketing-expert	Goodreads/BookTok	LinkedIn/podcasts	Dev.to/HN	festivals/competitions	readings/literary mags	gaming communities	conferences/journals

Phase Adaptation by Genre

Not all genres use the same phase flow:

Phase	fiction	non-fiction	technical	screenplay	poetry	game	academic
0. Onboarding	genre + audience + language	same	same	same	form selection	platform + engine	discipline + citation style
1. Ideation	concept + market	same	same	logline + comps	theme + forms	core loop + hook	research gap + questions
2. Outlining	chapter-by-chapter	same	same	sequence outline	collection arc	quest map + branch chart	chapter outline + lit review plan
3. Drafting	scenes → chapters	chapters	chapters + code	sequences → scenes	poems (parallel)	quests + dialogues	sections (lit review → methodology → findings)
4. Editing	5-stage pipeline	same	same	dialogue polish + format check	line-level craft	playtest notes + branch verification	peer review + citation check
5. Publishing	EPUB/PDF/KDP	same	same	PDF + Final Draft export	chapbook/EPUB	game doc bundle	PDF + journal submission

Usage

/book-genre-creator          → Interactive genre selection and setup
/book-genre-creator list     → Show all supported genres with descriptions
/book-genre-creator custom   → Start custom genre creation wizard

When invoked, read the project's PRD.md if it exists. If genre is already set, show the genre-specific workflow. If not, run the selection guide.