Quickstart

Write your first scene with Composez in 5 minutes.

This walkthrough takes you from an empty project to a written, summarized scene.

1. Start Composez

mkdir my-novel && cd my-novel
git init
composez

2. Create Your Structure

> /new act The Awakening
Created novel/Act 1 - The Awakening/

> /new 1 chapter Morning Light
Created novel/Act 1 - The Awakening/Chapter 1 - Morning Light/

> /new 1 1 scene The Alarm
Created novel/Act 1 - The Awakening/Chapter 1 - Morning Light/Scene 1 - The Alarm/

The /new command auto-numbers each level. You can also use keyword syntax:

> /new act 1 chapter 1 scene A Strange Visitor

3. Add a Character

> /new db characters elena
Created db entry: db/characters/elena.md

The file opens in your chat. Describe your character:

> Elena Vasquez, 34. Former marine biologist turned lighthouse keeper.
> Sharp-eyed, pragmatic, haunted by something she saw in the deep.
> Speech: clipped sentences, avoids eye contact, dry humor.

4. Write the Summary

Add the scene to your context and write the summary:

> /add 1 1 1
Added novel/Act 1 - The Awakening/Chapter 1 - Morning Light/Scene 1 - The Alarm/ (0 words)

Now describe what happens:

> Elena wakes to the lighthouse alarm at 3 AM. The fog is impossibly thick.
> She checks the radar — something large is moving just offshore.
> She tells herself it's a whale. She almost believes it.

The AI will write the SUMMARY.md for you.

5. Write the Prose

> /write 1 1 1

This spins up a focused session with the scene’s summary, your character sheet, and style guide as context, then generates the full prose in PROSE.md.

6. Review and Revise

Get AI feedback on what you’ve written:

> /feedback 1 1 1

This gives you a prioritized critique with concrete suggestions. Or load the prose and chat about it directly:

> /add prose 1 1 1
Added novel/.../Scene 1 - The Alarm/PROSE.md (847 words)

Now you can chat naturally about the prose:

> Make Elena's internal monologue shorter and more fragmented.
> The radar scene should build more tension — slow it down.

7. Summarize

Once you’re happy with the prose, generate the summary:

> /summarize 1 1 1

This reads the prose and writes a concise synopsis to SUMMARY.md, which will be used as context when writing adjacent scenes.

8. Check Your Prose

> /lint 1 1 1

Vale checks for passive voice, cliches, and other style issues. Fix them interactively or dismiss.

9. See Your Progress

> /ls

Shows your narrative structure, db entries, word counts, and what’s currently loaded in the chat.

> /wordcount

Gives you word counts broken down by act, chapter, and scene.

Next Steps