The Only 7 Prompts AI Authors Need to Write Their First Book

The Nerdy Novelist
16 Aug 202315:55

TLDRThe video script discusses the process of using AI to write a book, highlighting the importance of dialogue and conversation in crafting a compelling narrative. It introduces seven key prompts for brainstorming, creating a synopsis, outlining, character development, story beats, style guidance, and prose construction. The script emphasizes the need for human input to refine AI-generated content, ensuring specificity and a unique authorial voice. By iterating and editing these prompts, users can develop a detailed book from scratch, maintaining a balance between AI assistance and creative authorship.

Takeaways

  • 📚 To get the most out of AI, focus on a few key prompts rather than the multitude available.
  • 🗣️ Dialogue and conversation with AI are crucial for generating quality content, not just the initial prompts.
  • 💭 Brainstorming is the first step in writing a book, requiring a premise and an ending to guide the story.
  • 🎯 AI can provide various premise ideas and endings, but it's important to iterate and refine them.
  • 📝 Take notes and edit AI-generated content to add specificity and a human touch.
  • 📖 Use a synopsis prompt to create a detailed outline in a traditional three-act structure.
  • 📈 Outline prompts help flesh out the story, breaking it down into parts and chapters.
  • 👤 Character prompts are essential for developing well-rounded characters in your story.
  • 🎨 Story beats are detailed actions that define what happens in each chapter, crucial for a coherent narrative.
  • 🖋️ Style prompts allow you to guide the AI's writing style to match your preferences.
  • ✍️ Constructing the prose involves using the gathered information to write the actual text of the book.

Q & A

  • What is the primary focus of the video script?

    -The video script focuses on discussing the most effective prompts to use with AI for writing a book from scratch.

  • How many prompts are considered essential for writing a book using AI, according to the script?

    -The script mentions seven essential prompts for writing a book with AI assistance.

  • What are the two key elements that should be established during the brainstorming phase?

    -The two key elements to establish during the brainstorming phase are a premise and an ending.

  • What is the purpose of asking for an ending in the brainstorming process?

    -Asking for an ending helps the AI understand the direction of the story, allowing it to incorporate foreshadowing and construct a tighter plot.

  • How does the script suggest using the AI to develop a story synopsis?

    -The script suggests providing the AI with a premise, story information, and desired genre, then asking for a detailed synopsis in the traditional three-act structure.

  • What is the significance of the outlining prompt in the writing process?

    -The outlining prompt helps to create a detailed summary of the story, breaking it down into parts and chapters, which serves as a starting point for further development.

  • Why is the character prompt important in the writing process?

    -The character prompt is important because well-developed characters are a key aspect of a good story, and the AI can help generate character profiles.

  • What is the purpose of the story beats prompt?

    -The story beats prompt is used to generate a list of detailed actions that will occur in a specific chapter, ensuring the AI knows what happens in that part of the story.

  • How does the style prompt influence the AI's output?

    -The style prompt allows the user to guide the AI's writing style, including aspects like point of view, tone, dialogue, and description, to better match the desired narrative style.

  • What is the final prompt in the list, and how does it help in writing the prose?

    -The final prompt is for constructing the prose, where the AI is given chapter details, story beats, and style guidelines to write a specific amount of text for a chapter.

  • What is the script's advice on editing AI-generated content?

    -The script advises users to edit the AI-generated content to add a human touch, ensuring specificity and aligning it with the author's vision.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Art of AI Prompts for Writing

The paragraph discusses the overwhelming number of AI prompts available for writing assistance. It emphasizes that while there are many prompts, only a few are necessary to maximize AI's potential. The importance of dialogue and conversation with AI is highlighted, as it varies greatly between prompts. The video aims to introduce seven key prompts for writing a book from scratch, starting with brainstorming prompts that help establish a premise and an ending, which are crucial for guiding the AI's output and incorporating foreshadowing.

05:01

📝 Crafting a Detailed Synopsis

This paragraph explains the second prompt, which is to create a detailed synopsis based on the premise and ending established in the brainstorming phase. The AI is instructed to follow a traditional three-act structure, with each act clearly labeled and building towards the described ending. The synopsis provided by the AI serves as a detailed outline, which can be further developed and personalized by the user.

10:02

📋 Outlining the Story

The third prompt focuses on turning the synopsis into a more detailed outline. The AI is asked to create a summary of the story, breaking it down into parts using the user's preferred outlining method. The AI's knowledge of common outlining methods like the hero's journey or the save the cat beat sheet is mentioned, but the user can also provide their own method. The outline serves as a starting point for the user to add their own touch and specificity.

15:03

🎭 Developing Character Profiles

The fourth paragraph introduces the character prompt, which is essential for creating well-rounded characters in the story. The AI is given information about the protagonist and asked to write a character profile, including physical description and backstory. The user is encouraged to edit the AI's output to add unique details and ensure the character's profile aligns with their vision.

📌 Plotting Story Beats

This section discusses the importance of story beats in determining the specific events that occur in each chapter. The AI is prompted to generate a list of detailed action beats for a script, ensuring that the narrative is clear and specific. The user is advised to refine these beats to meet their standards and maintain consistency with the overall story.

🖋️ Defining Writing Style

The sixth prompt is about creating a style prompt to guide the AI's writing style. This prompt can be as detailed or concise as needed, depending on the AI software being used. The user can develop a personal style prompt over time, including elements they like or dislike in the AI's output. The paragraph provides an example of a style prompt for the novel, focusing on first-person point of view, realistic dialogue, and strong action.

✍️ Constructing the Prose

The final prompt is about writing the prose itself. The AI is instructed to write a chapter using the detailed chapter outline, character profiles, and story beats provided. The user can set specific parameters like genre, tone, point of view, and setting to guide the AI. The paragraph demonstrates how the AI can generate a starting paragraph for a chapter, which the user can then refine and expand upon.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a creative process where ideas are generated in a spontaneous and free-flowing manner. In the context of the video, it is the initial step for developing a book, focusing on generating a premise and an ending to provide direction for the story. The video mentions using brainstorming prompts to come up with various ideas for an Epic Fantasy Dragon shifter book.

💡Premise

A premise is the central idea or concept that serves as the foundation for a story. It sets the stage for the narrative and provides a starting point for the plot. In the video, the premise is crucial for the AI to understand the direction of the story and to incorporate foreshadowing and a coherent plot.

💡Ending

The ending of a story is its conclusion, which wraps up the plot and resolves the conflicts. It is important for the AI to know the ending to ensure the story's progression leads towards it. The video emphasizes the importance of having a clear ending in mind to guide the narrative.

💡Synopses

A synopsis is a brief summary of a story, outlining the main points and structure. It helps in understanding the overall narrative and is used to create a detailed outline for the story. In the video, the AI is prompted to generate a highly detailed synopsis for an Epic Fantasy Dragon shifter story, following a traditional three-act structure.

💡Outlining

Outlining is the process of breaking down a story into its constituent parts, usually chapters or scenes, and detailing what happens in each. It serves as a roadmap for the writing process. The video discusses using an outlining prompt to create a detailed summary of the story, fleshing out additional details and organizing it into parts.

💡Character Profile

A character profile is a detailed description of a character, including their physical attributes, backstory, personality traits, and motivations. It helps in developing well-rounded and believable characters. The video emphasizes the importance of character development and suggests using a character prompt to create a profile for the protagonist.

💡Story Beats

Story beats are the key events or actions that drive the narrative forward. They are the pivotal moments in each chapter or scene that contribute to the overall plot. The video discusses using a prompt to generate a list of detailed action beats for a script, ensuring that the AI understands what specifically happens in each chapter.

💡Style Prompt

A style prompt is a set of instructions or guidelines that dictate the tone, perspective, and narrative techniques used in the writing. It helps the AI to produce text that aligns with the author's desired style. The video mentions crafting a personal style prompt to guide the AI's output towards a specific writing style.

💡Constructing the Pros

Constructing the pros, or prose, refers to the actual writing of the story, using the outlines, character profiles, and story beats as a guide. It is the process of turning the structured elements into a coherent and engaging narrative. The video describes using a prompt to write a chapter, incorporating all the previously developed elements.

Highlights

There's a plethora of prompts for AI interaction, yet only a few are essential for maximal output.

AI interaction benefits significantly from dialogue and conversation, which varies with each prompt.

The first crucial prompt is for brainstorming, adaptable in form to generate premises and endings.

Brainstorming should focus on generating a premise and an ending to guide the story's direction.

The second important prompt is for creating a detailed synopsis, using the premise, ending, and style notes.

The outlining prompt, third in the list, further details the story by breaking it down into parts or chapters.

Character development prompts help create deep profiles for protagonists, antagonists, or other key characters.

Story beats prompts are essential for fleshing out each chapter with detailed action beats.

Style prompts help tailor the AI's output to the author's specific stylistic preferences.

The final step involves constructing the prose, integrating all collected information into detailed narrative.

Editing for specificity and human touch is crucial throughout the process to enhance AI-generated content.

The process uses seven types of prompts as starting points for iterative conversation and development with AI.

Personalized style prompts evolve over time, reflecting the author's preferences and correcting AI tendencies.

Detailed outlines and character profiles are instrumental in guiding the AI to produce cohesive and engaging stories.

The approach allows for the complete writing of a book from scratch, emphasizing creativity and collaboration with AI.