A local-first writing system

A long story.
A steady hand.

Keep the thread from your first chapter to your last. A thoughtful Markdown workflow for characters, timelines, and all the things a long novel asks you to remember.

Start writing Explore on GitHub
Open source. Local files. Your story.
A writing desk with manuscript pages, a pen, character cards, and a timeline
A SMALL HABIT, EVERY CHAPTERWrite the scene.
Remember what changed.brief → context → draft → delta → review
THE WRITER’S WORKBENCHFIG. 01
Plain Markdown
Local, by default
One chapter loop
Always your story
01 / THE CHAPTER LOOP

A chapter ends.
The story carries on.

Five small steps keep the manuscript and its consequences connected. Explore each part of the loop.

brief.md

Decide what this chapter changes.

Begin with the outline and current story state. Set the chapter’s purpose, conflict, and intended change—with room left for the writing itself.

Read the daily writing guide
brief.mdILLUSTRATIVE TEMPLATE
# Chapter brief

## Purpose
[The change this chapter must move forward]

## Central conflict
[Resistance, choice, and cost]

## Ending state
[What the next chapter inherits]

↳ Updated story state becomes the starting point for your next chapter.

02 / ROOM FOR THE WRITING

Less to hold in your head.
More to put on the page.

A world that remembers

Track who knows the secret, who carries the object, and which promise is still waiting to be paid off.

A voice that stays yours

Continuity and prose checks point to passages worth a second look. Literary judgment stays with the author.

Files you can keep

Your manuscript and live story state stay in a Git-ignored workspace. No account, database, or cloud service is required.

03 / YOUR FIRST CHAPTER

A blank page.
A place to begin.

Clone the workflow, create your private workspace, and open your first chapter. Start small. Let the system grow with the story.

Full setup guide

YOU’LL NEED
Windows · PowerShell 5.1+ or 7 · Git

PowerShell
# Get the public workflow
git clone https://github.com/chenzhiyong1994/novelist-workflow.git
cd novelist-workflow

# Create your private writing workspace
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\init_project.ps1 -Title "My Novel"

# Open volume one and your first chapter
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\new_volume.ps1 -Volume 1 -StartChapter 1 -EndChapter 30
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\new_chapter.ps1 -Chapter 1 -Volume v01 -Title "Chapter One"

04 / THE FIELD GUIDE

Keep a few good references close.

Architecture

How outlines, manuscript, and living story state fit together.

Daily writing loop

A practical guide from chapter brief to state updates.

Privacy boundary

What stays on your machine, and what belongs in public.

For the story you want to see through.

Make room for chapter one