Distinguish replay, recap and a requested rewrite
| Symptom | First question |
|---|---|
| A new chapter negotiates yesterday’s completed agreement again | Was a completed event treated as pending? |
| A short opening recalls last night’s choice | Does it support a current decision rather than replaying the scene? |
| The author requested revision of the previous chapter | This is an authorised rewrite rather than faulty continuation. |
Do not delete repeated names or objects mechanically. The same key can be used next chapter and a line can be deliberately quoted. Repair repetition that serves no new purpose or reverses occurred facts into pending events.
Make the handoff explicit without retelling the chapter
Oh Story completes each chapter and commits tracking before the next. Before writing, confirm the completed chapter, current outline and relevant state. The assembly workflow carries the prior ending; inspect the specific manuscript when continuity is uncertain rather than relying on unsourced chat memory.
Tell AI which chapter to continue, what has occurred, what the next chapter does, and what must neither recur nor happen early. An instruction duplicated in the outline is fulfilled once. If prose and tracking disagree, investigate the handoff instead of repeating plot to patch the state.
Advance sequentially during batch drafting. Do not draft chapters concurrently and decide their ordering afterward, or repeat yesterday’s task merely to meet word count.
Complete example: the key is already borrowed
Original chapter five ends with Tao An borrowing the clock-room key from its owner and arranging a nine-o’clock inspection with Luo Cen, without permission to dismantle anything. Chapter six covers arrival, unlocking, observing the stopped clock and recording it. It stops before asking the owner; dismantling remains unauthorised.
A faulty continuation borrows the key again and renegotiates Luo’s arrival. Replace replayed negotiation with current action:
At nine, Tao met Luo outside the clock room. The key was still the one its owner had handed him last night.
“On time,” Luo said, glancing at the dial. “But why does that still say six?”
Tao unlocked the door and kept the key in his pocket. Through the glass, they watched the motionless pendulum.
“Record it first,” he said. “We agreed to inspect it, not take it apart.”
Luo noted the dial and pendulum, then closed the notebook. “Ask the owner together.”
Tao nodded and left the clock where it was.
Borrowing and scheduling do not occur twice. Tao retains the key; both arrive and observe. The cause and permission to dismantle remain unknown, without an automatic answer simply because a new chapter must progress.
A task can say: “Continue chapter six from the borrowed key and nine-o’clock agreement at chapter five’s end. Do not replay borrowing. Follow the outline through arrival, unlocking and observation; stop before asking the owner, without dismantling or a new diagnosis. Preserve book-local style.” This is an original handoff example rather than a running novel project.
Check new results and the continuity retained
Compare the actual prior ending and new opening for time, location, possession, knowledge and promises. Then check that the current chapter’s action occurs rather than rephrasing earlier events. Keep necessary recap; removing repetition must not erase the key’s origin or the no-dismantling agreement.
If later chapters depend on new conditions introduced by the repeated negotiation, repair their affected scope through the existing revision workflow. Distinguish wording changes from changed event state rather than hand-editing tracking views to simulate continuity.
FAQ
Is recap forbidden at chapter openings?
Briefly recall facts needed now or a character’s changed understanding. Do not replay completed events as though they were happening for the first time.
Do it with the skill
Use $story-long-write with the completed ending, current outline and state. Separate revision from continuation, advance from existing results and preserve useful recap while removing replay.
Read the method: Sequential handoff, state sources and targeted history lookup · Current outline and fulfilling duplicated requirements once