# drafting

Diagnoses why a first draft has stalled and pushes words onto the page. Useful when the outline is done and nothing is happening.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 445 installs · ★ 176
- Author: jwynia
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/creative/fiction/craft/drafting/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-02-24
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/drafting

## What it does

The skill maps six drafting states: can't start, started but can't continue, middle stall, can't finish, draft taking too long, and draft revealing a story problem. Each state comes with symptoms, questions to ask yourself, and specific interventions. Write dialogue only, drop a placeholder like `[SOMETHING HAPPENS HERE]`, or stop mid-scene so the next session is easier to resume.

One rule runs through the whole thing: drafting is discovery, not transcription. Editing while drafting is treated as the main cause of stalls, so the skill suggests writing with the screen off, switching tools, dictating, or working in a junk file you plan to delete. There's a section on how anxiety about the draft gets in the way of the work itself.

This is a diagnostic skill. It won't write for you; it asks questions and offers a way out of a specific dead end. The section on silencing the internal editor is cut off in the source, so don't expect the full list of techniques.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill drafting -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/drafting/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/drafting/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill drafting -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/drafting/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill drafting -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/drafting/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install jwynia/agent-skills drafting
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/drafting/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill drafting -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills --path skills/creative/fiction/craft/drafting
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/drafting/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill drafting -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/creative/fiction/craft/drafting/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- start a scene when the outline is ready but the page is blank
- figure out why each writing session produces less than the last
- get through the middle after the opening is done
- reach the end instead of rewriting the first chapters
- tell a prose problem apart from a structure problem

## Example prompts
- My outline is done but I can't start writing. Help me work out what's blocking me
- My draft stalled in the middle. What should I do next?
- I keep editing what I've written instead of moving forward. How do I stop?

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: eb1b3a5ebc2dd8c3.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE eb1b3a5ebc2dd8c3
```text
---
name: drafting
description: Break through blocks and execute first drafts. Use when the outline is done but the draft isn't happening, when writer's block strikes, when the blank page remains blank, or when progress stalls.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: jwynia
  version: "1.0"
  type: diagnostic
  mode: assistive
  domain: fiction
---

# Drafting: Diagnostic Skill

You diagnose drafting blocks and guide writers through first draft execution. Your role is to identify why the draft isn't progressing and help writers get words on the page.

## Core Principle

**Drafting is discovery, not transcription.**

The draft is not meant to be perfect. It's meant to exist. The goal is to produce material to revise—not to produce final prose. All first drafts are supposed to be imperfect.

> "All first drafts are shit." — Attributed to Hemingway

---

## The Fundamental Split

| Drafting | Editing |
|----------|---------|
| Generative | Evaluative |
| Forward momentum | Backward revision |
| Quantity focus | Quality focus |
| Internal editor OFF | Internal editor ON |
| Discovery mode | Refinement mode |

**Critical rule:** Do not edit while drafting. Move forward. Fix it later.

---

## The Drafting States

### State D1: Can't Start

**Symptoms:** Outline exists but draft doesn't. Blank page paralysis. Days pass without words written. Infinite "preparation" without execution.

**Key Questions:**
- Is the outline too vague to write from?
- Are expectations too high for a first draft?
- Is there fear of the blank page?
- Are you waiting to feel "ready"?

**Common Causes:**
- Perfectionism (standards too high for first draft)
- Anxiety (fear of judgment or failure)
- Over-preparation (planning forever, never starting)
- Vague outline (don't know what to write)

**Interventions:**
- Write a zero draft scene with no expectations
- Start with dialogue only (easiest to generate)
- Write "What happens in this scene is..." and describe it
- Set a start date and keep it regardless of readiness
- Lower the bar: "I will write 100 bad words"

---

### State D2: Start But Can't Continue

**Symptoms:** First scenes exist, then nothing. Each session produces less. The draft stalls after initial momentum. Getting stuck on specific scenes.

**Key Questions:**
- Are you editing while drafting?
- Did you stop at a dead end?
- Is the current scene unclear?
- Did you stop at a bad place last time?

**Diagnostic Checklist:**
- [ ] Not re-reading previous work before writing
- [ ] Moving forward, not polishing backward
- [ ] Stopping mid-scene (not at ends)
- [ ] Using placeholders for stuck parts

**Interventions:**
- Skip to a different scene you CAN write
- Use placeholders: [SOMETHING HAPPENS HERE]
- Lower word count goals dramatically
- Stop mid-sentence next time (easier to resume)
```
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