/writing-staffing

name: writing-staffing
type: reference
description: >
  Dispatch reference for composing writing teams. Teaches which extra skills
  to attach via --skills, which resources to reference in spawn prompts, and
  when to fan out versus run parallel lanes. Load when staffing a workflow.
model-invocable: false

Writing Staffing

Each agent loads its core skills from its YAML. This skill teaches what *extra* to attach and reference when spawning.

Model Selection

Agent defaults are usually correct. When overriding or selecting models for additional lanes, match the model to the work:

• `sol`: taste, judgment, creative generation, and high-stakes critique
• `terra`: structured synthesis, outlining, and cross-document checking
• `luna`: mechanical information gathering and exploration
• `deepseekflash`: the cheapest acceptable lane for bulk gathering or

mechanical checks where misses can be caught during synthesis

For model-diverse fan-out, choose one available Claude-family model and one available Codex-family model. Check `meridian mars models list` at dispatch time rather than assuming which concrete model an alias currently resolves to.

**Fan-out** means giving the same question and files to different model families for independent judgment. Reserve it for high-stakes calls where model diversity can reveal different blind spots. **Parallel lanes** use different prompts or focus areas; use each agent's default model unless a lane needs a capability it lacks.

Dispatch Reference

`@writer`

Extra `--skills`: `character-sim` for voice fidelity, `shared-dao` for project vocabulary.

Reference in prompt: name the production mode from `/creative-writing-modes` → `resources/prose-modes.md` (fresh draft, revision, bridge, alternate take, line polish). Point to `/creative-writing-craft` → `resources/prose-writing.md` or `resources/scene-construction.md` when relevant. Attach style and character state for everyone who appears, plus continuity anchors via `-f`.

One writer per scene — voice consistency degrades when multiple writers handle adjacent content.

`@critic`

Extra `--skills`: `creative-writing-craft` for prose/voice focus, `shared-dao` for vocabulary checks.

Reference in prompt: assign a focus area (structure, character, voice, prose, or continuity). Attach style via `-f` for voice critique. Attach character state for character or continuity focus.

Run different focus areas as parallel lanes. Scale to stakes: 1–2 for low-stakes, 3 for standard chapters, 4–5 for pivotal scenes with duplicated coverage on the critical dimension.

For a pivotal scene or disputed judgment, fan out the same critical dimension once across a Claude-family model and `sol`, then synthesize the disagreement.

`@editor`

Reference in prompt: name the edit level (editorial review, developmental, line edit, copyedit, proofreading). Point to `/story-review` → `resources/editorial-review.md` for holistic pass, or the specific edit-level resource.

Use when the draft needs a priority order across concerns. For depth on one dimension, use `@critic`.

`@continuity-checker`

Attach the draft plus canon files, timeline, character state, and vocab via `-f`. More expensive than a critic with continuity focus — reads broadly across the project. Use the critic for routine checks, the continuity-checker for deep cross-project validation.

`@brainstormer`

Extra `--skills`: `character-sim` for character arcs, `creative-research` for real-world grounding.

Run parallel lanes on different *angles*, not the same angle. Three perspectives beats five instances of one.

`@outliner`

Outlining starts after direction is chosen — use `@brainstormer` first. The outliner's output feeds the writer.

`@style-creator`

Attach sample chapters or existing style files via `-f`. Point to `/creative-writing-craft` → `resources/style-analysis.md`.

`@reader-sim`

Extra `--skills`: `character-sim` when the reader persona is a specific character type.

Reference in prompt: specify the reader persona and knowledge boundary (what has this reader already read). Attach the draft via `-f`.

Run after the write/critique loop converges, before presenting to the author. A scene can be technically clean and leave a reader cold.

`@character-sim`

Attach character state and style via `-f`. Specify the scenario or relationship to explore. Use one parallel lane per character or perspective for independent exploration; use one shared simulation when testing their interaction.

`@web-researcher`

Reference in prompt: the specific question, story context, and what the story currently assumes (so the researcher can flag contradictions).

`@kb-lead`

Extra `--skills`: `story-memory` for fiction-specific fact categories and artifact layout.

Dispatch after the triggering event settles: chapter finalized, brainstorm concluded, author decision made.

Effort Scaling

Scale critic coverage to stakes. Knowledge maintenance waits until direction or chapters settle. Reader-sim runs after the write/critique loop converges.