# Novella Conversion

> **Reference copy.** This is the internal process specification. The user-invocable command lives at `.claude/skills/novella/SKILL.md`.

> **Transform screenplay episodes into prose fiction chapters.**

---

## Purpose

Convert generated microdrama screenplays into novella-format prose while maintaining story consistency. The novella is an **expansion** of the visual product, not a replacement.

---

## Source Material Hierarchy

| Source | Use For |
|--------|---------|
| **Screenplay** (primary) | Scene structure, dialogue, action beats, pacing |
| **Treatment** (reference) | Emotional context, "THE MOMENT", thematic intent |
| **Character Voices** | Internal thought patterns, idiom consistency |

**Why screenplay as primary:** The screenplay is the canonical version. The novella should feel like reading what viewers watch, with added interiority.

---

## Conversion Process

### Per Episode → Chapter

1. **Read the screenplay** — Note scene structure, dialogue, action
2. **Reference treatment** — What was THE MOMENT? What emotional weight?
3. **Expand action blocks** — Add sensory detail, internal thought, physical sensation
4. **Convert dialogue** — Add tags, internal reactions, subtext
5. **Add backstory texture** — The history/context cut from screenplays belongs here
6. **Maintain POV** — Usually close third person, following protagonist

---

## Expansion Guidelines

### Action Block → Prose Paragraph

**Screenplay:**
```
Her lamp sweeps across the void and finds something impossible:
a CRYO-POD, pristine white against the grime, suspended over
an abyss on cables that should have snapped decades ago.
```

**Novella:**
```
Jinx's lamp swept across the void—and stopped. Her breath caught,
fogging in the recycled air that tasted like copper and rust.

A cryo-pod. Pristine white against centuries of grime, suspended
over an abyss on cables that should have snapped decades ago.
Pre-Launch tech. The real stuff, from before the debt system
turned the Leviathan into a prison of compound interest and
terminal ledgers.

She ran the numbers automatically—couldn't help it, the way
some people couldn't help breathing. Worth more than she'd ever
owe. Worth more than her life, statistically speaking. The math
was simple: crack it open, sell the contents, clear her debt
and her mother's and still have enough left over to buy passage
to a level where the air didn't taste like dying.

Except nothing on this ship was ever that simple.
```

**What was added:**
- Sensory detail (breath fogging, copper taste)
- Internal calculation (the numbers running)
- Backstory context (debt system history)
- Character voice (gambling math thinking)
- Tension/foreshadowing (nothing is ever simple)

---

### Dialogue → Prose Dialogue

**Screenplay:**
```
JINX
Sixty-forty I don't die in this hole.
```

**Novella:**
```
"Sixty-forty I don't die in this hole," she muttered, and
the familiar calculation settled something in her chest.
Good odds. Practically a sure thing, by Tartarus standards.
```

**What was added:**
- Dialogue tag with action ("muttered")
- Internal reaction (the calculation settling something)
- Character voice continuation (Tartarus standards)

---

## Word Count Targets

| Episode | Screenplay (see CONSTANTS.md) | Novella Chapter |
|---------|-------------------------------|-----------------|
| Standard | 450-500 (per CONSTANTS.md) | 1,500-2,500 |
| Key beat | 450-500 (per CONSTANTS.md) | 2,500-3,500 |
| Climax | 450-500 (per CONSTANTS.md) | 3,000-4,000 |

**Total 60-episode series:** ~120,000-180,000 words (novel length)

---

## POV Guidelines

| Project Style | Novella POV |
|---------------|-------------|
| Single protagonist | Close third, single POV |
| Dual leads (Leviathan) | Alternating close third by scene |
| Ensemble | Chapter-based POV rotation |

**Internal thought handling:**
- Screenplay V.O. → Direct internal thought (italics optional)
- Action block prose color → Expanded internal reaction
- Treatment's "why it matters" → Woven into prose

---

## What Belongs in Novella (Not Screenplay)

| Element | Screenplay | Novella |
|---------|------------|---------|
| Backstory/history | Treatment only | Woven into prose |
| Internal calculation | V.O. or cut | Free internal thought |
| Sensory detail | Minimal | Rich and immersive |
| Character knowledge | Must be shown | Can be stated |
| Emotional interpretation | Brief phrase only | Full exploration |
| Subtext explanation | Never | Selective reveal |

---

## Chapter Structure

Each chapter follows screenplay's Kill Box structure but with prose expansion:

| Kill Box Section | Novella Function |
|------------------|------------------|
| HOOK | Opening paragraph hook, establish tension |
| SETUP | Scene-setting, character state, stakes reminder |
| ESCALATION | Rising tension with internal/external conflict |
| TURN | Pivot point, may expand for emotional weight |
| CLIFFHANGER | Chapter ending, may add 1-2 sentences of dread/anticipation |

---

## Consistency Checklist

Before finalizing chapter:
- [ ] Dialogue matches screenplay exactly (no additions/changes)
- [ ] Scene structure follows screenplay beats
- [ ] Internal voice matches characters.md patterns
- [ ] Backstory consistent with series_bible.md
- [ ] THE MOMENT from treatment is emphasized, not buried
- [ ] Cliffhanger lands with same impact as screenplay

---

## Cross-Reference

| Topic | Source |
|-------|--------|
| Screenplay format | `/skills/format_v12/SKILL.md` |
| Character voice patterns | `[project]/scripting/bible/characters.md` |
| Treatment context | `[project]/scripting/treatment.md` |
| Series worldbuilding | `[project]/scripting/bible/series_bible.md` |

---

*This skill is READ-ONLY reference. Project-specific novella settings live in project ORCHESTRATION.md.*