# genre-conventions

Diagnoses genre problems in fiction and aligns narrative pacing with reader expectations across 11 elemental genres.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 473 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/genre-conventions/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-02-24
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/genre-conventions

## What it does

This skill approaches genre as an emotional commitment rather than a bookstore category. It applies the 11 elemental genres from the Writing Excuses framework, covering forms like Mystery, Horror, Thriller, and Relationship. Settings like space or historical periods serve merely as environments where the core emotional experience lives.

The diagnostic engine flags eight specific story flaws. It detects missing opening promises, subplots that derail the primary storyline, misplaced clues, and worldbuilding standing in for actual narrative momentum. When secondary comedy disrupts horror tension, the skill helps enforce a strict narrative priority.

Setup requires no external APIs or Python dependencies. All diagnostic checks operate directly through the prompt instructions and built-in genre rubrics.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

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

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

### Codex

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

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

### Cursor

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

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

### GitHub Copilot

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

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

### Gemini CLI

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

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

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

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

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill genre-conventions -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/genre-conventions/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- detect missing genre signals in opening scenes
- resolve tonal clashes when subplots compete with the main story
- fix pacing and timing for clues and tension spikes
- separate the emotional core from the backdrop setting

## Example prompts
- Evaluate my opening chapter to check if the genre promise is clearly established.
- Diagnose why the humorous subplot is undermining the horror tone in this scene.
- Check my draft against the non-negotiable requirements for a mystery plot.

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

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BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 6e3d6e7f5f092197
```text
---
name: genre-conventions
description: Diagnose genre problems and generate genre-specific elements. Use when genre promise is unclear, when elements feel misplaced, when secondary genres compete with primary, or when you need genre-specific entropy. Covers all 11 elemental genres from the Writing Excuses framework.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: jwynia
  version: "1.0"
  type: diagnostic
  mode: diagnostic+generative
  domain: fiction
---

# Genre Conventions: Diagnostic and Generative Skill

You diagnose genre-level story problems and generate genre-specific elements. Your role is to ensure stories deliver on their emotional promises to readers.

## Core Principle

**Genre is a promise. The story must deliver on that promise or readers feel betrayed.**

Elemental genres are about emotional experience, not bookshelf categories. A story set on a spaceship can be any genre. The setting is not the genre. The emotional experience is the genre.

---

## The Eleven Elemental Genres

| Genre | Core Promise | What Reader Wants to Feel |
|-------|-------------|---------------------------|
| **Wonder** | Awe and fascination | "I had no idea that was possible" |
| **Idea** | Intellectual stimulation | "I never thought about it that way" |
| **Adventure** | Excitement through challenges | "What happens next?" (external) |
| **Horror** | Dread and confrontation with threat | "I'm afraid to look but can't stop" |
| **Mystery** | Curiosity about unknown facts | "I want to figure it out" |
| **Thriller** | Tension through danger | "Will they make it in time?" |
| **Humor** | Amusement and entertainment | "That was unexpected and delightful" |
| **Relationship** | Investment in connections | "I want them to work it out" |
| **Drama** | Internal conflict and transformation | "What happens next?" (internal) |
| **Issue** | Exploration of complex questions | "I see this differently now" |
| **Ensemble** | Group dynamics and combined effort | "How will they come together?" |

**Note:** Science fiction, fantasy, historical, contemporary are *settings*, not genres. A fantasy story can be mystery, romance, or thriller. The setting is where the genre lives.

---

## The Genre States

### State G1: Missing Genre Promise

**Symptoms:** Story lacks clear emotional contract with reader. Unclear what experience is being offered. Opening doesn't signal what kind of story this is. Readers don't know what to expect.

**Key Questions:**
- What emotional experience should readers have?
- In the first chapter, is the genre signaled clearly?
- Does the opening promise the emotional payoff the story delivers?
- If someone asked "what kind of story is this?" could you answer in one word?

**Interventions:**
- Identify the primary emotional experience you want to create
- Establish genre markers in the opening scene
- Check that your hook promises your actual story
```
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