---
title: "Chapter Title Goes Here"
chapterNumber: 1
status: draft                # draft | drafted | revised | final
povCharacter: POV Character Name
location: Primary Location / Secondary Location
wordCount: 0                 # Update as you draft, or let `novel-writer sync` recount.
storyDate: "1791-11-01"      # In-world date for timeline ordering.
pov: POV Character Name      # Bare `pov:` line — the draft-scanner readiness check looks for this.
tension_level: 5             # 1-10. Drives the readiness "conflict" check (must be > 0).
summary: "One or two sentences describing what happens in this chapter and what changes by its end."
notes: |
  Author notes: stylistic influences, the emotional turn this chapter must land,
  and where it should end. Keep these out of the exported manuscript.
---

<!-- scene:1 -->
<!-- title: Opening Scene Title -->
<!-- pov: POV Character Name -->
<!-- location: Where this scene takes place -->
<!-- time: Time of day / date within the story -->
<!-- purpose: What this scene accomplishes — establish character, plant a clue, raise the stakes -->
<!-- tone: The mood you are reaching for in the prose -->
<!-- conflict: The friction in this scene — what is opposed to what -->
<!-- tension: 5 -->
<!-- tension_level: 5 -->

Open with a concrete image or action that grounds the reader in place and point of
view. Let the scene's purpose surface through what the POV character notices.

"Dialogue reveals character and pushes the moment forward," she said.

Keep paragraphs lean. When you reach a beat you have not written yet, drop a draft
marker so `novel-writer draft scan` can find it later: [TK: write the confrontation here].
You can also leave notes like [TODO: verify the historical date] or [CHECK: does this
contradict the world rules?] — the scanner collects them all.

End the scene on a small turn — a decision, a revelation, or an unanswered question
that pulls the reader into the next scene.