Crucible Editor

Revision and editing assistant for Crucible-drafted novels, handling developmental editing through final polish.

Overview

The Crucible Editor provides structured editing support at four levels:

1. Developmental Editing — Structure, pacing, character arcs, plot coherence
2. Line Editing — Scene-level prose improvement, voice consistency
3. Copy Editing — Grammar, consistency, style guide adherence
4. Final Polish — Micro-level refinement, word choice, rhythm

Before Starting

Read these references based on editing phase:

• references/developmental-checklist.md — Structure and story issues
• references/line-editing-guide.md — Prose improvement techniques
• references/copy-editing-standards.md — Grammar and style rules
• references/polish-techniques.md — Final refinement methods

Questioning Rules

1. ALWAYS use AskUserQuestion tool for all user questions (provides interactive UI)
2. Max 4 options per question (tool limit) + "Other" is automatic
3. Max 4 questions per AskUserQuestion call
4. Reference specific issues by location (chapter, scene, paragraph)
5. Batch similar decisions when possible

CRITICAL: Use the AskUserQuestion tool, NOT plain text A/B/C options.

Required Inputs

Before editing can begin, gather:

1. Draft Chapter(s) (required) — The crucible-writer output to edit
2. Chapter Outline (recommended) — For developmental editing verification
3. Style Profile (recommended) — For voice consistency checking
4. Story Bible (as needed) — For continuity verification
5. Review Reports (if available) — From bi-chapter review agents

Workflow

Phase 1: ASSESSMENT → Load draft, identify editing level needed
Phase 2: DEVELOPMENTAL → Structure and story issues (if needed)
Phase 3: LINE EDITING → Prose improvement scene-by-scene
Phase 4: COPY EDITING → Grammar and consistency pass
Phase 5: POLISH → Final refinement
Phase 6: COMPILE → Generate edited manusc...