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Creative Workflow and Production Pipeline

Craft guidance for structuring IF production—stage separation, handoffs between roles, quality gates, and export configurations.

The Core Pipeline

Stage Overview

Interactive fiction production flows through distinct stages:

Vision → Structure → Prose → Validation → Canon → Export
Stage Focus Output
Vision What story to tell Concept, scope, themes
Structure How it branches Briefs, topology
Prose What players read Passages, dialogue
Validation Quality assurance Pass/fail, feedback
Canon Committed truth Approved artifacts
Export Distribution format Bundled deliverables

Why Stages Matter

  • Clear handoffs — Each stage produces defined outputs
  • Quality gates — Issues caught before they cascade
  • Parallel work — Different aspects can progress independently
  • Iteration — Problems fixed at the right level

Stage 1: Vision

What Happens

  • Define story concept and themes
  • Establish scope (number of passages, branches)
  • Set genre, tone, audience
  • Identify research needs

Outputs

Output Content
Concept What the story is about
Scope Size and complexity targets
Style direction Genre, tone, voice
Research agenda What needs verification

Key Decisions

  • How many passages?
  • What branching complexity?
  • Who is the audience?
  • What makes this story worth telling?

Stage 2: Structure

What Happens

  • Design story topology (hubs, branches, convergences)
  • Create passage briefs for each planned passage
  • Define choice points and their connections
  • Plan state tracking (what to remember)

The Brief Pipeline

Scope (N passages) → Topology Design → Passage Briefs (N briefs)

Critical Rule: Topology must be valid before creating briefs. Validate structure first.

Outputs

Output Content
Topology map How passages connect
Passage briefs Intent, stakes, choices for each passage
State plan What flags/variables to track
Gate conditions What locks/unlocks content

Scope Budget

N passages means at most N unique destinations.

Each passage ID you reference costs one from your budget. Design patterns that fit:

Passages Pattern Options
3 Linear, or hub with 2 endings
5 Hub with 3-4 endings, or short branch-and-merge
10+ Complex branching, multiple hubs, longer arcs

Stage 3: Prose

What Happens

  • Write passage prose from briefs
  • Develop dialogue and description
  • Craft choice text
  • Integrate story beats

The Prose Pipeline

Passage Brief → Scene Draft → Style Review → Passage

Rule: Prose must have a brief to work from. No brief = no passage.

Outputs

Output Content
Passages Full prose for each brief
Choice text Options players select
Integrated beats Story moments woven in

Brief Fidelity

Prose honors brief intent:

  • Respect topology — Don't add/remove connections
  • Honor stakes — Keep what matters at risk
  • Deliver beats — Include planned moments
  • Match constraints — Avoid what brief prohibits

Stage 4: Validation

What Happens

  • Check work against quality bars
  • Provide actionable feedback
  • Gate progression to canon

Two Validation Modes

Mode When Depth Speed
Pre-gate During creation Quick checks Fast
Full-gate Before canon All 8 bars Thorough

Pre-Gate Validation

Quick checks during creation:

  • Schema compliance
  • Required fields present
  • Obvious errors
  • Basic structure

Purpose: Catch issues early, before more work builds on them.

Full-Gate Validation

Comprehensive review before commitment:

  • All 8 quality bars assessed
  • Cross-references verified
  • Canon alignment checked
  • Spoiler hygiene confirmed

Purpose: Ensure work is ready for permanent record.

Validation Outcomes

Outcome Meaning Action
Pass All bars satisfied Promote to next stage
Partial Some issues found Fix and revalidate
Fail Critical problems Significant rework needed

Stage 5: Canon

What Happens

  • Approved work committed to permanent record
  • Becomes source of truth
  • Immutable once committed

Canon Commitment

Validated Artifact → Lifecycle Transition → Cold Store

Critical Rule: Never commit without validation. Never bypass quality gates.

Hot vs Cold

Store Purpose Mutability
Hot (Workspace) Work in progress Mutable
Cold (Canon) Committed truth Immutable

Work flows: Hot → Validation → Cold

Stage 6: Export

What Happens

  • Build distribution bundles from canon
  • Format for target platforms
  • Include appropriate assets

Export Configurations

Configuration Purpose Contents
Playtest Internal review MD, HTML only, no assets
Milestone Stakeholder review + EPUB, art/audio plans
Production Player distribution All formats, full assets
Translation Localization QA Source + target languages

Playtest Build

Quick build for internal review:

  • Formats: Markdown, HTML
  • Languages: Primary only
  • Assets: None
  • Speed: Fast

Use for: Narrative flow testing, early feedback.

Milestone Build

Stakeholder-ready package:

  • Formats: Markdown, HTML, EPUB
  • Languages: Primary only
  • Assets: Plans included (not renders)
  • Speed: Moderate

Use for: Progress reviews, editorial feedback.

Production Build

Release-ready bundle:

  • Formats: All (MD, HTML, EPUB, PDF)
  • Languages: All supported
  • Assets: Full renders and audio
  • Speed: Comprehensive

Use for: Player distribution.

Export Rules

  • Never export from Hot — Only canon
  • Snapshot first — Tag version before export
  • Match configuration to purpose — Don't over-build for playtests

Handoffs Between Stages

Vision → Structure

From To Handoff
Concept owner Architect Scope, themes, constraints

Clear handoff includes:

  • Number of passages
  • Branching complexity target
  • Key themes and tone
  • Any structural requirements

Structure → Prose

From To Handoff
Architect Writer Passage briefs

Clear handoff includes:

  • Complete brief for each passage
  • Topology showing connections
  • State/flag requirements
  • Style guide reference

Prose → Validation

From To Handoff
Writer Validator Completed passages

Clear handoff includes:

  • Passage artifacts with brief references
  • Declaration of completion
  • Any known issues flagged

Validation → Canon

From To Handoff
Validator Archivist Approved artifacts

Clear handoff includes:

  • Validation report (all bars pass)
  • Lifecycle transition request
  • Artifacts ready for cold store

Iteration and Rework

When Validation Fails

Fail → Feedback → Rework → Revalidate

Feedback must be actionable:

  • Specific location
  • Clear problem
  • Which bar violated
  • Suggested fix

Scope Changes

If scope needs to change mid-production:

  1. Stop current work — Don't continue on invalid assumptions
  2. Reassess structure — Does topology still work?
  3. Update briefs — Reflect new scope
  4. Communicate change — All affected parties

When to Escalate

Situation Action
Scope insufficient for story Escalate to vision owner
Brief conflicts with style Escalate to style owner
Canon conflict discovered Escalate to lore owner
Quality bar keeps failing Escalate to project lead

Pipeline Anti-Patterns

Skipping Structure

Problem: Going directly from vision to prose.

Result: Inconsistent topology, structural rework late in process.

Fix: Always create briefs before prose.

Bypassing Validation

Problem: Committing work without quality checks.

Result: Errors propagate, compound over time.

Fix: Mandatory validation before canon.

Premature Export

Problem: Building distribution bundles from work-in-progress.

Result: Incomplete or inconsistent deliverables.

Fix: Export only from validated canon snapshots.

Scope Creep in Structure

Problem: Adding passages beyond budget during structure phase.

Result: Incomplete story, orphaned passages.

Fix: Respect scope budget; escalate if insufficient.

Quick Reference

Stage Input Output Gate
Vision Idea Concept, scope Scope approval
Structure Scope Briefs, topology Topology validation
Prose Briefs Passages Pre-gate
Validation Passages Pass/fail Full-gate
Canon Approved Committed Lifecycle transition
Export Canon Bundles Configuration match
Export Type Formats Assets Languages
Playtest MD, HTML None Primary
Milestone + EPUB Plans Primary
Production + PDF Full All

See Also