Write a complete [LENGTH] short story in [POINT OF VIEW AND TENSE] for [INTENDED READER]. The premise is [PREMISE]. The central character is [PROTAGONIST], who wants [CHARACTER WANT] but faces [OBSTACLE AND STAKES]. Use this voice and craft direction: [VOICE, SETTING, AND DETAILS]. Build a coherent dramatic arc. Open inside a specific moment of change, using concrete sensory detail and an immediate source of tension rather than explaining the character's history. In the first quarter, make the character's want and the cost of failure clear. Include at least one complication that forces a meaningful choice; the choice must alter what happens next. Let setting affect behavior, not merely decorate the scene. Use dialogue only where it creates pressure, reveals an imbalance, or changes the scene. Avoid generic descriptions, stock emotional labels, and exposition that repeats what action already shows. Produce only the story, followed by a brief “Craft notes” section of 3 bullets identifying the inciting disruption, the irreversible choice, and the ending's change or image. Give the story a title. Aim for a contained short-story scope: few characters, a limited time frame, and one main emotional movement. Do not imitate a living author's exact style or borrow recognizable characters, settings, scenes, or lines from copyrighted work. Before answering, check that the protagonist makes a consequential choice and that every major scene either increases pressure or changes the reader's understanding. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [LENGTH] | Enter a target word count or range for the story. | 1,400 to 1,700 words |
| [POINT OF VIEW AND TENSE] | Specify first, second, or third person and the desired tense. | close third person, past tense |
| [INTENDED READER] | Describe the audience, such as adult literary-fiction readers or middle-grade readers. | adult readers of quiet contemporary fiction |
| [PREMISE] | State the starting situation and the core idea you want the story to explore. | A municipal archivist discovers an unmailed apology letter in a box scheduled for disposal. |
| [PROTAGONIST] | Describe the main character with enough detail to guide their actions and perspective. | Nora, 42, meticulous, recently separated, and responsible for closing a small city archive. |
| [CHARACTER WANT] | State what the protagonist is trying to achieve, protect, learn, or avoid. | To finish the closure without reopening any personal grief. |
| [OBSTACLE AND STAKES] | Describe what blocks the protagonist and what they stand to lose or change. | The letter is addressed to her estranged father, and delivering it could expose a family secret and derail the controlled life she has built. |
| [VOICE, SETTING, AND DETAILS] | Give tonal direction, setting facts, sensory details, motifs, or language constraints. | Restrained, observant prose; rainy late afternoon; dust, cardboard, and old microfilm as recurring details; no melodramatic confrontation. |
How to use
- Choose a word count that fits one main conflict; 1,000 to 2,500 words is workable for a first draft.
- Give the character a concrete want and a consequence for failing, then paste the rest of the fields.
- Read the craft notes and check that the key choice changes the ending rather than merely adding a surprise.
- Then send: “Revise scene two so the conflict is shown through action and dialogue, without adding new backstory.”
Variations
Opening scene
Use this when you need a strong beginning before outlining the rest.
Write a [WORD COUNT]-word opening scene for [STORY IDEA] in [POV AND TENSE]. Introduce [PROTAGONIST] during [IMMEDIATE DISRUPTION] in [SETTING]. Establish a concrete want, an obstacle, and one unanswered question that makes the reader continue. Use [VOICE NOTES]. End at a decision, discovery, or complication rather than a summary of the premise. Do not resolve the central conflict or invent facts outside my premise. Before answering, check that the scene has changed the character's situation. Ask up to 3 questions only if inputs are missing.
Story outline
Use this before drafting a longer short story or novella.
Create a scene-by-scene outline for a [GENRE] story of [TARGET LENGTH] based on [PREMISE]. The protagonist, [PROTAGONIST], wants [WANT] and risks [STAKES]. Use [SETTING AND CONSTRAINTS]. Give 8 to 12 scenes; for each list the goal, conflict, turn, and new consequence. Include a midpoint reversal, a final choice, and an ending image that reflects change. Do not write prose scenes or introduce subplots that do not pressure the central desire. Check that cause and effect links every scene. Ask up to 3 questions only if required inputs are absent.
Revision pass
Use this on an existing draft that feels flat or unfocused.
Revise the short-story draft below for [REVISION GOAL], preserving its plot, narrator, and approximate length unless a cut is necessary. Draft: [STORY DRAFT]. Use these constraints: [CONSTRAINTS]. Return a revised story, then a concise change log naming cuts, additions, and unresolved issues. Strengthen scenes through specific action, sensory detail, and subtext; do not add facts that conflict with the draft. Check continuity of names, timeline, and point of view before answering. Ask up to 3 questions only if an essential constraint is missing.
Tips
- Give the protagonist a want that can be frustrated in the limited time frame of the story; “find happiness” is too broad, while “persuade her brother not to sell the house today” creates a scene.
- Ask for a structural outline before a long draft when you care about pacing, then use the outline as a constraint rather than accepting every new idea the model introduces.
- For a distinct voice, describe sentence length, emotional distance, imagery, and diction; do not ask the AI to copy a living writer.
- Check the final draft for accidental shifts in tense, point of view, geography, and chronology, which are common in generated fiction.
FAQ
Can AI write in the style of my favorite living author?
Ask for underlying qualities instead, such as spare sentences, dry humor, or close interior narration. This yields usable direction without copying a particular author's voice.
How do I keep the story from feeling generic?
Supply a specific setting, physical details, and a difficult choice unique to the character. Then revise any passage that names an emotion without showing its cause or effect.
Should I ask for a full story in one prompt?
For a short story, yes, if you give a tight premise and word count. For longer fiction, create an outline and draft or revise one scene at a time.