Craft

---
name: craft
description: "This skill should be used when the user asks to plan a presentation structure, create a content outline, organize sections for a deck, or invoke /deckwright:craft. Translates narrative into a structured content outline with sections, key messages, and flow."
---

# Craft

Translate a validated narrative into a structured content outline. This skill organizes the story into logical sections with key messages, supporting content, and flow — without locking in specific slide counts or layouts (those are decided during the present phase based on visual design research).

## Prerequisites

Before using this skill, ensure one of:
- A narrative document exists (from **/deckwright:narrative**), OR
- User provides clear presentation goals, audience, and key message, OR
- A PptxGenJS generation script exists from a previous import or creation (edit mode)

If no narrative or generation script exists, suggest: "Would you like to use **/deckwright:narrative** first to develop your story?"

## Process

### Edit Mode Check

Before starting, determine mode using **either** signal:

1. **Session context**: If the narrative phase (or any earlier step this session) stated this is an "edit session", treat this as edit mode — do not re-check the filesystem.
2. **Filesystem check**: If no session context exists, check whether a deck folder in `decks/` contains a PptxGenJS generation script (a `.js` file containing `require("pptxgenjs")`).

- **If no generation script and no edit-mode context**: Follow the standard process below.
- **If edit mode** (either signal): This is an edit. Read the generation script to understand the current deck, then:
  1. Group slides into logical sections based on topic flow and any divider/title slides
  2. Present the current content structure to the user:
     > "Here's the current structure I see:
     > - Section 1 (Slides 1-2): [summary]
     > - Section 2 (Slides 3-5): [summary]
     > - ...
     >
     > What would you like to restructure?"
  3. Only rewrite sections the user wants to change — preserve unchanged sections
  4. Produce or update a content outline document, including a slide mapping that notes which existing slides belong to each section
  5. Continue to step 5 (Document the Outline) to save the result

### 1. Review the Narrative

Read the narrative document or user-provided context. Identify:
- Total key points to cover
- Logical groupings
- Required evidence/visuals
- Time constraints

### 2. Estimate Duration and Section Count

Estimate total sections based on:

| Presentation Length | Suggested Sections | Approach |
|---------------------|-------------------|----------|
| 5 minutes | 3-4 sections | Tight, focused |
| 10 minutes | 4-6 sections | Room for evidence |
| 20 minutes | 6-10 sections | Can develop arguments |
| 30+ minutes | 8-12 sections | Consider part groupings |

Present recommendation and get user agreement before detailing sections.

### 3. Create Content Outline

For each section, specify:

```markdown
### Section N: [Title — states the takeaway]
**Key message**: [The one thing the audience should take from this section]
**Content**:
- [Supporting point or evidence]
- [Data, example, or proof point]
**Emphasis**: [high / medium / low — how much visual weight this deserves]
**Speaker notes**: [Key points to hit — concise reference notes, not a script]
**Transition**: [How this connects to next section]
```

**Emphasis levels guide the present phase:**
- **high** — This section deserves maximum visual impact (could become multiple slides, large typography, dramatic layout)
- **medium** — Standard treatment, clear and clean
- **low** — Brief, transitional, or supporting (could be a simple divider or combined with adjacent content)

**For how emphasis maps to slide layouts**, see `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/slide-patterns.md` — the layout catalog consulted in the design phase.

### 4. Validate Incrementally

Present the outline in batches. After each batch:
> "Here are sections 1-4. Does this flow work? Any adjustments?"

### 5. Document the Outline

Save the validated outline to `decks/<name>/content-outline.md` (use the existing deck folder, or create one if it doesn't exist).

**Document format:**

```markdown
# [Presentation Title] - Content Outline

> **Next step:** Use **/deckwright:design** to plan slides and visual direction.

## Overview
- **Estimated duration**: [X minutes]
- **Total sections**: [N]
- **Narrative doc**: [link to narrative if exists]

## Content Outline

### Section 1: [Opening — Title / Hook]
**Key message**: [First impression, context setting]
**Content**:
- [Title, subtitle, presenter info]
**Emphasis**: high
**Speaker notes**: [Introduction context]

### Section 2: [Title — states the takeaway]
**Key message**: [takeaway]
**Content**:
- [supporting details]
**Emphasis**: [high / medium / low]
**Speaker notes**: [talking points]
**Transition**: [connection to next]

[Repeat Section block for each remaining section]

## Source References
- [Carried forward from narrative — preserve all URLs]

## Design Notes
- **Brand requirements**: [if any — logos, fonts, colors the user specified]
- **Constraints**: [any visual preferences or restrictions mentioned during planning]
```

## Handoff

After outline approval, offer next steps. **Carry forward the session mode** so downstream skills inherit the correct context:

If this was **edit mode**:
> "Your content outline is ready. **Edit session** — the existing deck will be updated.
> - Use **/deckwright:design** to revise the visual direction
> - Or refine the outline further"

If this was a **new presentation**:
> "Your content outline is ready. **New presentation** — building from this outline.
> - Use **/deckwright:design** to plan slides and visual direction
> - Or refine the outline further"

## Content Principles

Apply these to every section in the outline. If a section violates any of these, restructure it before finalizing.

- **One key message per section** — If a section has two takeaways, split it
- **Headlines state the takeaway** — "Revenue grew 40%" not "Q3 Revenue Data". The headline IS the point.
- **Keep supporting content focused** — 2-3 supporting points max per section. More than that means the section should be split.
- **Prefer evidence over assertion** — Numbers, examples, and comparisons are stronger than bullet-point claims
- **Speaker notes carry the detail** — Dense explanation belongs in notes, not on screen. Write them as concise reference notes (key points, data to cite, transitions to hit) not as conversational scripts. Exception: if the deck is documentation rather than a live presentation (where the reader is the presenter), notes can be more descriptive.
- **Vary emphasis** — Not every section is high emphasis. Alternating intensity creates rhythm.

### Handling Dense Content

When a narrative point requires complex information:

1. **Split into sub-sections** — Break into 2-3 sections that build on each other
2. **Lead with the insight** — First section states the conclusion, following sections show the evidence
3. **Use the appendix pattern** — Main outline has the simple version, mark detailed backup as appendix material