Prompt

Meaning

A prompt is the entire instruction sent to an AI model. A single line, "write the next scene," is a prompt; so are several thousand characters combining a scene request, viewpoint and style directions, character notes, the preceding text and a list of prohibitions. Depending on the tool it divides into a system prompt (the role and rules the tool inserts in advance) and a user prompt (what the writer types each time). In a fiction tool, the input box the writer sees is only part of the user prompt; the story bible, style sample and previous chapter are attached to the prompt automatically.

Why it matters

The quality of an AI draft is often decided more by the prompt than by the model. Give the same model "write a sad scene" and "the scene where Yuri finds the bankbook; limited third, Yuri's viewpoint; never name an emotion; 800 characters; end just before she opens it," and the results read like two different writers. In fiction prompts the highest-yield elements, in order, are: viewpoint and style directions, a list of what not to do, the preceding text (for continuation), the character's current state, and the scene's end point. The lowest-yield elements are adjectives such as "write it well" or "make it moving." Prompts should be saved and reused. A template that worked keeps the same texture from chapter to chapter.

Example

Weak prompt: Write a moving scene where Yuri finds her grandmother's bankbook.

Strong prompt: Scene: Yuri finds a bankbook with her own name on it in the bottom drawer of her grandmother's kitchen. Viewpoint: limited third, Yuri. Do not write anything Yuri does not know. Style: short sentences. No paragraph over three sentences. No figurative language. Prohibited: the words "sadness," "longing," "tears." Emotion through action only. Character state: two days after the funeral. Barely slept for three nights. Unable to throw away her grandmother's things. Length: 700–900 characters. End: holding the bankbook, unopened. The last sentence is an action by Yuri.

The second prompt has no adjectives. It has viewpoint, style, prohibitions, state, length and an end point. The result is shorter and drier than the first, and therefore sadder.

Common mistakes

• Directing with adjectives. "Moving" and "tense" give the model no information. Convert to actions and constraints.
• No end point. Without one, the model wraps the scene up and adds reflection. Put the cut point in the prompt.
• Writing every prompt from scratch. Save the ones that worked. Consistent style comes from consistent prompts.