Manuscript Creation for Sports Time-Travel Stories

via Freelancer ·

Budget / SalaryC$30–250
TypeFreelance project
LocationRemote
Posted1 hour ago
I’m building a series of commercial sports time-travel stories, with 50+ titles already in development across different sports, eras and historical settings. Right now I’m looking for one freelancer to produce one complete first-draft manuscript as a paid test project, with the potential for substantial ongoing work if the fit is right.

This is not a blank-page ghostwriting assignment. I’m not asking you to invent the book. I’m asking you to build the book I’ve already designed. You will receive a detailed production package that may include the approved story architecture, character and relationship map, chapter guidance, historical research, era fact sheets, psychological profile, voice guide, continuity tools, writing rules, pacing and propulsion guidance, likely book-cover/visual references, and detailed prompts designed to help you use leading AI writing tools, preferably Claude, to produce the manuscript efficiently. If you can deliver the required result another way, that’s fine too.

Target manuscript length is approximately 70,000–90,000 words unless otherwise specified in the individual project brief. The objective is not to pad the manuscript simply to reach a number, but to deliver a full-length, structurally complete novel with enough room for character development, historical immersion, relationships, competition, psychological adjustment and a properly developed ending.

I think this work will suit someone who is highly organized, can conceptualize story mechanics, understands story construction and continuity, and can see how character, pacing, relationships, historical detail and cause-and-effect fit together across a full novel. I am looking for someone who can follow a detailed creative system while still bringing judgment to scene construction, dialogue, transitions, specificity and the human texture of the story.

AI-assisted writing is permitted and expected to be useful in this workflow. However, raw AI output is not an acceptable deliverable. The freelancer remains responsible for the manuscript. Every chapter should be reviewed and edited for continuity, character consistency, pacing, propulsion, repetition, historical accuracy, psychological plausibility, dialogue, book-specific voice and obvious AI-writing patterns. The goal is a manuscript that feels deliberate, specific and humanized rather than mechanically generated.

All spoken dialogue must always have clear character attribution. The reader should never have to stop and determine who is speaking. Dialogue attribution should feel natural and unobtrusive, but clarity takes priority over stylistic ambiguity.

Payment and Milestones

Payment is fixed at:

Milestone 1: $100 CAD for the complete first draft

Milestone 2: $50 CAD for the repaired and revised Version 2 manuscript

These terms are firm. I completely understand that this rate will not suit everyone. If it does not work for you, there is no need to apply. I am not looking to negotiate the budget upward or consider higher quotes. I am looking for serious applicants who are comfortable with the posted structure and interested in the possibility of substantial repeat work if the first project goes well.

Milestone 1 — First Draft

The first draft should be complete from beginning to end and should substantially follow the supplied story architecture and production materials.

I will be looking for:

* completion
* coherence
* chapter-to-chapter causality
* pacing
* story propulsion
* continuity
* character consistency
* relationship progression
* historical execution
* psychological plausibility
* clear dialogue attribution
* book-specific voice
* readable scene construction
* avoidance of obvious generic AI prose patterns
* a properly developed climax, return and aftermath where required

The first draft does not need to be publication-ready. It is expected to require revision.

After the complete first draft is delivered, I will take up to seven calendar days to read and validate the manuscript against the supplied story plan and production materials.

I may also use a structured manuscript-audit process to help check completion, continuity, pacing, propulsion, character consistency, psychological continuity, historical accuracy, dialogue attribution, voice, repetition, setup/payoff and obvious AI-writing patterns.

The key acceptance question is:

Has the freelancer delivered a complete, coherent first version of the novel I commissioned, such that the next logical step is revision rather than reconstruction?

An acceptable first draft releases the $100 CAD Milestone 1 payment.

Ordinary first-draft weaknesses are not grounds for rejection. Problems such as repetition, pacing issues, prose that needs tightening, dialogue that needs improvement, continuity repairs and local voice problems are exactly what the second pass is intended to address.

A first draft would generally not be accepted only if it were materially incomplete or clearly failed to constitute the commissioned manuscript — for example, missing chapters, unfinished scenes, major story elements omitted, the approved ending missing, severe continuity breakdown, large sections contradicting the supplied architecture, extensive unsupported historical invention, repeated failure to follow dialogue-attribution requirements, or large sections that read like raw AI output rather than edited fiction.

Milestone 2 — Repaired Version 2

After my review, I will provide one consolidated editorial memo.

The second milestone is not simply proofreading. It is a deliberate repair and improvement pass.

The Version 2 revision should address, where applicable:

* continuity
* pacing
* chapter propulsion
* character consistency
* relationship development
* psychological continuity
* historical accuracy
* dialogue quality
* dialogue attribution
* book-specific voice
* scene construction
* repetition
* compression
* setup and payoff
* weak act turns or structural sections
* generic AI-writing patterns
* overall readability and humanization

The second pass should specifically remove or reduce repetitive AI-like constructions, generic aphorisms, over-signposting, repeated “not this, but that” structures, unnecessary one-line paragraphs, repetitive chapter-ending mic drops, over-explanation after emotional beats, generic sensory lists, excessive thematic summary, identical character speech patterns and other recurring prose habits that make the manuscript feel mechanically generated.

Version 2 should feel tighter, more coherent, more deliberate and more humanized than Version 1.

The freelancer should provide:

1. the complete revised Version 2 manuscript
2. the updated continuity ledger
3. a short revision report identifying major changes made, chapters substantially revised, continuity repairs, unresolved historical questions and any editorial request intentionally not followed

Acceptance of the repaired Version 2 manuscript releases the $50 CAD Milestone 2 payment.

Long-Term Opportunity

This first project is intended as a paid test, not necessarily a one-time assignment.

I currently have 50+ titles in development, and I am looking for a way to scale the production of this entire sports time-travel story library.

I may offer this same initial agreement to more than one freelancer at the same time, with each person working on a different title. This is not a competition where multiple people are being asked to write the same manuscript. Each freelancer will be paid for their own assigned title under the posted milestone terms.

The objective is to test the production process across several stories and identify the writer or writers who are the strongest fit for a longer-term partnership.

My preference is to find one or possibly a small number of reliable long-term partners who consistently demonstrate:

* strong organization
* story sense
* continuity control
* pacing
* chapter propulsion
* character understanding
* historical awareness
* humanized prose
* intelligent use of AI tools
* ability to follow a developed story architecture without losing the humanity of the fiction

If you produce great work, there is substantial additional work available across the 50+ titles already in the pipeline.

Over time, the process should also become easier and faster as you become familiar with the story system, prompts, continuity expectations, quality standards and production workflow.

If this sounds like the kind of structured fiction-production work you enjoy, I’d be interested in seeing your application.
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