story-review — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install
Evaluates existing prose across five editorial levels, from plot structure down to copyediting. Useful when a draft needs diagnostic critique instead of automated rewrites.
npx skills add haowjy/creative-writing-skills --skill story-review -a claude-codeWhat story-review does
The skill shifts the agent into an analytical critique mode for existing prose drafts. It does not rewrite text for you. The review follows a strict order from macro to micro: structural issues take precedence, while line-level polish and punctuation come later.
Inside, the skill organizes review checklists into five levels stored in resources/: editorial review, developmental edit (developmental-edit.md), line edit (line-edit.md), copyedit (copyedit.md), and proofreading (proofreading.md). For targeted craft breakdowns, it routes into resources/prose-critique/. It also includes resources/reader-sim-signal.md to incorporate reader simulation data alongside craft analysis.
This skill will break your workflow if you expect it to rewrite scenes directly, because its prompt strictly enforces diagnostic feedback over rewriting.
What it helps with
- diagnose pacing and causality flaws in manuscript drafts
- evaluate prose rhythm, texture, and voice at the line level
- verify grammar, punctuation, and consistency before proofreading
- combine analytical craft critique with reader simulation signals
Example prompts for the agent
- Run a developmental edit on chapter three using story-review
- Do a line edit pass on this scene focusing on dialogue rhythm
- Analyze the manuscript structure with story-review before checking grammar
How to install story-review
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add haowjy/creative-writing-skills --skill story-review -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/story-review/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/story-review/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add haowjy/creative-writing-skills --skill story-review -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/story-review/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add haowjy/creative-writing-skills --skill story-review -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/story-review/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install haowjy/creative-writing-skills story-review2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/story-review/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add haowjy/creative-writing-skills --skill story-review -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/haowjy/creative-writing-skills --path skills/story-reviewManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/story-review/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add haowjy/creative-writing-skills --skill story-review -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about story-review
How to install story-review in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add haowjy/creative-writing-skills --skill story-review -a claude-code.
What does story-review do?
It conducts diagnostic reviews of written prose across five stages: editorial, developmental, line editing, copyediting, and proofreading. It identifies weak points without rewriting sentences for you.
How does story-review differ from reader-sim?
The story-review skill provides structured craft critique, whereas /reader-sim simulates the raw emotional reactions of a first-time reader. You can integrate simulation outputs using reader-sim-signal.md.
Source text
SKILL.md · Apache-2.0
--- name: story-review type: mode-shift description: > Review work after prose exists: editorial review, craft critique, continuity/voice review, copyediting, proofreading, and synthesis of reader-sim signal. Load when diagnosing a draft rather than rewriting it. model-invocable: true --- # Story Review Analytical review of existing prose. This skill is for diagnosis, not rewriting. Keep `/reader-sim` separate when the task needs a felt first-time reader experience rather than analytical critique. Choose the review level before reading. Start big before small unless the caller explicitly asks for a late-stage pass. The edit levels move from structural to surface, and each assumes the levels above it are stable: - **Editorial review** — holistic third-party book-editor pass. What kind of revision does this draft need, and in what order? - **Developmental edit** — structure, promise, causality, pacing, character arc. Is the draft the right shape? - **Line edit** — voice, rhythm, clarity, texture. Does the prose move well? - **Copyedit** — grammar, usage, punctuation, consistency. Is it correct? - **Proofreading** — final surface pass. What slipped through? Each level has a dedicated resource with method and checklist: - `resources/editorial-review.md` - `resources/developmental-edit.md` - `resources/line-edit.md` - `resources/copyedit.md` - `resources/proofreading.md` For adversarial craft critique (as opposed to editorial review), load: - `resources/prose-critique.md` — methodology and focus-area routing. - `resources/prose-critique/` — deep resources per focus area (structure, character, voice, prose, continuity). When review incorporates reader-sim data: - `resources/reader-sim-signal.md` — how to interpret and synthesize reader-sim output alongside analytical critique.
© haowjy · Apache-2.0 · haowjy/creative-writing-skills
