Build a Simple AI Novel Writing App Using OpenAI API (MVP

1. Analyze the Original Outline The system should identify: * Central premise * Main conflict * Protagonist * Antagonist * Supporting characters * Setting * Stakes * Themes * Intended ending * Missing information * Potential contradictions When important information is missing, the system may make reasonable creative decisions while keeping them consistent throughout the project. 2. Create a Story Bible The application should create and save an internal story bible containing: * World rules * History * Timeline * Major locations * Cultures or factions * Technology or magic rules * Important objects * Creatures, when relevant * Terminology * Naming conventions * Facts that must remain consistent * Information characters know or do not know The story bible must remain connected to the project and be referenced during every later generation step. 3. Create a Character Bible For every major and recurring character, generate and store: * Full name * Age * Physical description * Personality * Voice and speech patterns * Strengths * Flaws * Fears * Goals * Motivations * Secrets * Relationships * Backstory * Skills or powers * Starting emotional state * Character arc * Final emotional state * Important facts the character knows * Information the character has not yet learned The application should use these records to prevent personality drift, unexplained changes, and inconsistent descriptions. 4. Build the Complete Novel Structure Before writing prose, the application should create: * Opening hook * Inciting incident * Main conflict * Major turning points * Subplots * Relationship arcs * Midpoint * Major reversal * Lowest point * Climax * Resolution * Final emotional payoff * Setup for another book, when selected The plot must support the selected target word count rather than artificially repeating scenes or adding filler. 5. Generate Detailed Chapter Outlines Each chapter outline should contain: * Chapter number * Temporary chapter title * Point-of-view character * Location * Time and date, when relevant * Chapter purpose * Opening situation * Main events * Conflict * Character development * Information revealed * Setup or payoff * Closing hook * Approximate target word count * Continuity facts required from previous chapters The chapter outlines should add up to approximately the requested manuscript length. 6. Run a Pre-Draft Structure Check Before drafting, the system should check the plan for: * Missing plot logic * Weak character motivation * Unresolved major subplots * Repeated chapter purposes * Poor pacing * Contradictory world rules * Characters appearing without introduction * Knowledge being revealed too early * Climax occurring too soon or too late * Insufficient setup for later events The system should revise the outline automatically when significant problems are found. 7. Write the Novel Sequentially The novel must be generated chapter by chapter rather than through one enormous prompt. For every chapter, the application should use: * Original user outline * Story bible * Character bible * Full plot structure * Current chapter outline * Relevant previous chapter summaries * Unresolved plot threads * Character emotional states * Timeline and continuity information * Writing preferences selected by the user After generating each chapter, the system should save it immediately before moving to the next chapter. The application must be able to resume an interrupted generation without starting the entire novel again. 8. Maintain a Continuity Ledger After each chapter, the application should update a structured continuity record containing: * Current location of every major character * Current emotional state * Injuries * Clothing or physical changes when important * Objects being carried * New information learned * Secrets revealed * Relationships changed * Promises made * Unresolved questions * Active subplots * Dates and elapsed time * Important consequences * Setup that still requires payoff This continuity ledger should be referenced before generating each new chapter. 9. Review Every Chapter Automatically After drafting each chapter, the application should run a separate quality-review step that checks for: * Contradictions * Repeated information * Repetitive sentence structures * Unnatural dialogue * Excessive exposition * Inconsistent character behavior * Point-of-view errors * Timeline errors * Missing transitions * Weak openings * Weak endings * Scenes without a clear purpose * Unnecessary filler * Grammar and punctuation problems * Accidental changes to names, ages, appearances, relationships, or locations When significant problems are detected, the application should revise that chapter before approving and saving the final chapter version. 10. Run a Full-Manuscript Developmental Review After all chapters are completed, the application should evaluate the entire novel for: * Plot coherence * Pacing * Character arcs * Emotional progression * Subplot resolution * Foreshadowing and payoff * Continuity * Repetition * Tone consistency * Genre expectations * Ending satisfaction * Word-count distribution * Chapters that feel too long or too short * Scenes that should be expanded, shortened, moved, or rewritten The system should then revise the affected sections. 11. Run a Full-Manuscript Copyediting Pass The final editing pass should check: * Spelling * Grammar * Punctuation * Sentence clarity * Word misuse * Repeated words and phrases * Formatting * Dialogue punctuation * Paragraph breaks * Chapter numbering * Character-name consistency * Location-name consistency * Capitalization of fictional terms The application should preserve the story and character voices while correcting technical writing problems. 12. Produce the Final Manuscript The finished export should include: * Title page * Copyright-page placeholder * Optional dedication * Optional table of contents * Clearly separated chapters * Consistent chapter headings * Page breaks between chapters * Clean paragraph formatting * Complete manuscript text Required export: * DOCX Preferred additional exports: * TXT * PDF * EPUB, only if it can be included within the agreed MVP budget Project Dashboard The application should show: * Project title * Current generation stage * Progress percentage * Chapters planned * Chapters completed * Current word count * Target word count * Estimated API usage or cost * Errors or interrupted tasks * Resume button * Export button Editable Project Materials The user should be able to view and edit: * Original outline * Story bible * Character bible * Full plot * Chapter outlines * Individual chapters The user should also be able to regenerate an individual chapter without regenerating the entire novel. A regenerated chapter must use the same project bible and continuity records. Reliability Requirements The application must: * Save progress after every major step * Save each completed chapter separately * Resume after an interruption * Avoid losing completed work * Display API or generation errors clearly * Retry failed requests safely * Prevent accidental duplicate chapters * Prevent multiple generation processes from running simultaneously * Keep a backup of the latest approved version * Allow the complete project data to be downloaded Cost and Usage Controls The application should include: * Estimated API cost before starting the full novel * Current API usage during generation * Maximum spending limit for a project * Pause-generation control * Resume-generation control * Stop-generation control * Warning before expensive regeneration tasks The developer should explain how model selection, token usage, chapter length, review passes, and revision passes affect API costs. Technical Requirements The developer may recommend the most appropriate stack, but the project should include: * Responsive mobile-friendly frontend * Secure backend * Database or reliable structured project storage * OpenAI API integration * Background job or queue system for long-running novel generation * DOCX generation * Error logging * Source-code repository * Environment-variable configuration * Basic deployment instructions A long novel should not depend on the browser remaining open throughout the complete generation process. The backend should continue processing safely or save enough progress to resume later. Deliverables The selected freelancer must provide: * Working deployed MVP * Complete source code * Database structure * Prompt templates and workflow logic * Setup instructions * Deployment instructions * Instructions for entering or changing the OpenAI API key * Instructions for creating, pausing, resuming, and exporting a novel * All project credentials created for the application * Full ownership of the completed code and custom project materials * Reasonable bug fixes for problems found during acceptance testing No recurring developer-owned service should be required unless approved in advance. Acceptance Test The project will be considered complete when I can: 1. Sign in from my phone. 2. Create a new novel project. 3. Enter a one-to-three-page outline. 4. Select the target genre, audience, tone, chapter count, and word count. 5. Press Generate Novel. 6. Allow the application to plan and write the story automatically. 7. Close and reopen the application without losing progress. 8. Resume an interrupted project. 9. Review the generated story bible, character bible, outline, and chapters. 10. Regenerate one chapter without restarting the entire project. 11. Run the final continuity and editing passes. 12. Download the complete manuscript as a properly formatted DOCX file. Important Quality Expectation I understand that artificial intelligence cannot guarantee a perfect, publication-ready novel requiring absolutely no human review. However, the application should be designed to produce the strongest and most consistent manuscript reasonably possible by using structured planning, persistent story memory, chapter-by-chapter generation, continuity tracking, automated criticism, rewriting, developmental review, and copyediting. The developer should not describe a simple one-prompt text generator as satisfying this requirement. Proposal Instructions Please answer all of the following: 1. Have you built an application using the OpenAI API? 2. Have you built a long-form writing or multi-step AI workflow? 3. How will you preserve continuity across an 80,000–90,000-word novel? 4. How will the application continue processing if the browser is closed? 5. How will completed chapters be saved and recovered after an error? 6. How will you securely protect the API key? 7. How will you generate and export DOCX files? 8. What technology stack do you recommend? 9. What exactly can you complete within the proposed price? 10. What features would require an additional milestone? 11. Please include relevant examples, screenshots, or demonstrations. 12. Please begin your proposal with the words NOVEL ENGINE so I know you read the full description. Communication will be handled through Upwork messaging. I do not use phone calls or video meetings.