Write a novel with AI. Keep your continuity.
I’ve spent a lot of time on specification-driven AI for code (the opposite of vibe coding). Canon-First is that habit pointed at fiction: a ChatGPT novel writing system that acts more like novel writing software than a chat thread. Locked canon, scoped prompts, and AI-assisted drafting that doesn’t quietly invent a cousin in chapter nine.
Founding kit £29 (then £49). One email when it’s ready. That’s it.
The problem with AI novel writing
Most creative writing AI tools are either story generators or a blank chat box. Neither cares about your book. Chat history isn’t canon. Characters drift. You ask it to “write my novel”, it skips the hard bits (outline, voice, continuity), and you spend longer untangling the mess than you saved. A bit odd, given how good the models are when you actually put rails on them.
What’s in the Canon-First kit
It’s a zip of Markdown and AI writing prompts: the same structure I’d want if I were shopping for fiction writing software, minus the install.
- Vault blueprint: Canon → Outlines → Drafts → Revision
- Session pack: what to load every time you sit down to write with AI
- Prompt pack: draft, align, continuity, revise (one scene at a time; ChatGPT prompts for writing a novel included)
- Bring your own model: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini; your files stay canon either way
- Templates: character bible, continuity log, chapter scene cards
How to write a novel with AI (without surrendering the book)
The process is structured thus:
- Lock style, cast, and continuity files before you ask for bulk prose.
- Outline one chapter as scene cards, not a vibes brief in the chat.
- Draft one scene with a scoped prompt; log new facts the same day (yes, even the boring ones).
- Run alignment and continuity checks before you open chapter two.
Why I’m the one packaging this
By day I’m a Product Engineer. I’ve talked and written about specification-driven AI: when models help, and when a plain rule would do. I got tired of “creative writing AI” that writes past you. Canon-First is AI-assisted writing with the model on a leash. If you wanted an AI story writer that owns the plot, this isn’t it. That’s deliberate.
FAQ
- Is this novel writing software or a prompt pack?
- Call it a novel writing system you run yourself: templates + prompts in Markdown. No install. I may build an app later (Inscriva); the kit doesn’t depend on it.
- Will this write the novel for me?
- No. You outline and decide. The AI drafts inside rails you set. That’s AI-assisted writing, not “press button, receive book”.
- Does it work with ChatGPT?
- Yes. The ChatGPT novel writing prompts are in the pack; Claude and Gemini work the same way. Continuity lives in your files, not the sidebar.
- Do I need Obsidian?
- No. Any folder of Markdown files will do. The structure is the product.
Want in on the founding kit?
Join the waitlist if you want to write a novel with AI without the continuity drift. You get a Markdown system, scoped AI writing prompts, and the founding price when it ships. Have a play with the idea; drop your email above and I’ll let you know when it’s ready.