40 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
40 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
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---
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description: Build a chronological timeline from a manuscript's events
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argument-hint: "[path, glob, or selection]"
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allowed-tools: [Read, Glob, Grep]
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---
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Read the material at `$ARGUMENTS` and construct a chronological timeline of events. The result is a reference document the writer can use to spot inconsistencies and ground future revisions.
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## What to extract
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For each event of plot significance, capture:
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- **Event** — what happens, in one sentence
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- **When** — absolute date/time if given, otherwise relative timing ("the morning after X", "three days before the inciting incident")
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- **Duration** — if the event takes more than a moment
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- **Characters involved**
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- **Location**
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- **Source** — chapter/scene where this is established
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- **Significance** — major plot point, minor beat, background
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Include events from any era the text references — pre-story backstory, on-page action, and any post-story implications mentioned in epilogue or dialogue.
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## Output format
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Three sections:
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### 1. Backstory timeline
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Events that happened before the story opens, in chronological order. Include character histories and world events the text references.
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### 2. Story timeline
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On-page events, in chronological order (not necessarily the order they're presented in the text). Note where the narrative diverges from chronology — flashbacks, parallel scenes, time-jumps.
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### 3. Consistency issues
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- **Contradictions** — A happens before B in one place and after in another
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- **Impossibilities** — character in two places at once, travel times that don't add up
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- **Gaps** — unexplained jumps in character or plot timeline
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- **Vague spots** — events where the timing is ambiguous and should be firmed up
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Format the timelines as Markdown lists or tables. Cite chapters/scenes for every entry. Keep entries to one or two sentences each.
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