Here are 100 command prompts designed to generate specific narrative outputs, categorized by different aspects of storytelling.
1. Openings & Beginnings
Start the story in media res, in the middle of a high-speed chase.Start the story with a line of dialogue that raises immediate questions.Begin with a detailed, atmospheric description of a "perfect" setting that feels unsettling.Write an opening paragraph that introduces a character waking up, but in a place they do not recognize.Start with a philosophical question posed by a narrator.Begin with a piece of "found text" (e.g., a diary entry, a news clipping, a classified ad).Write an opening that describes the antagonist performing a mundane task.Start the story with a single, short, declarative sentence.Begin with a character's powerful, defining memory.Open with the weather, but use it to reflect the main character's inner turmoil.
2. Character & Development
Introduce a protagonist who is an expert in a useless field.Describe a character by showing the contents of their bag or pockets.Write a scene where a character is forced to make a difficult moral choice.Show a character's fatal flaw through a simple, everyday action.Describe a character's hands and what they reveal about their life.Introduce a mentor who is clearly hiding a dark secret.Write a scene where a character's "public mask" cracks.Show a character confronting a fear they thought they had overcome.Describe a character receiving unexpected, life-changing news.Write about a character's "comfort ritual" (e.g., making tea, sharpening pencils) and then interrupt it.Show, don't tell: Write a scene where a character is deeply grieving without using the words "sad" or "grief".Introduce a "round" character—one full of contradictions.Describe a character at their breaking point, and what pushes them over the edge.Write a scene where the protagonist is completely wrong about something.
3. Setting & Atmosphere
Describe a futuristic city from the perspective of someone from the past.Write a scene set in an abandoned building just after a storm.Describe a bustling, fantastical market a character is visiting for the first time.Build a scene of extreme tension using only darkness and sound.Describe a "safe haven" or "home base" for the characters in loving detail.Write a scene set in a single, confined space (e.g., an elevator, a submarine, a panic room).Describe a familiar, mundane setting (like a grocery store) as if it is a place of horror.Show a setting after a disaster, focusing on small, personal details.Describe a room that reveals the personality of the character who lives there, but is not present.Write a scene set in an environment of extreme natural beauty (e.g., a mountaintop, a coral reef).Build an atmosphere of paranoia in a crowded, public place.
4. Dialogue & Monologue
Write a dialogue where the subtext is the exact opposite of what is being said.Write a scene of two characters arguing about something trivial (like dishes), when it's really about their relationship.Write a villain's monologue that makes the audience sympathize with them.Write a character's internal monologue while they are being lied to.Craft a dialogue scene where one character is desperately trying to hide a secret.Write a scene where two characters meet for the first time.Write a dialogue that consists only of questions.Write a "call to arms" or "rallying cry" speech given by a reluctant leader.4S.Write a dialogue between a human and a non-human entity (e.g., an AI, an animal, a ghost).Write a character's "confession" (to a priest, a therapist, or a loved one).Write a scene where a character gives a public speech that goes terribly wrong.
5. Plot & Conflict
Write the inciting incident that forces the protagonist out of their normal life.Write a "point of no return" scene where the character destroys their only way back.Craft a "ticking clock" scenario where the characters have one hour to prevent a disaster.Write a scene where the protagonist and antagonist are forced to cooperate.Describe a major betrayal from the perspective of the one being betrayed.Write a scene where the protagonist's "perfect plan" fails spectacularly.Describe a "battle of wits" (e.g., a legal argument, a chess match, a negotiation).Write a "calm before the storm" scene where characters share a quiet moment before the climax.Write a "Character vs. Nature" conflict (e.g., a blizzard, a jungle, a desert).Describe a character discovering a secret room or a hidden message.Write a scene involving a high-speed chase (in cars, on foot, or on horseback).Write a training montage that shows the character's progress.Craft a scene where the hero fails, and the villain wins this round.Write a scene where a minor, forgotten detail from earlier becomes critically important.
6. Tones & Genres
Write the opening paragraph of a hard-boiled detective novel, set in a sci-fi city.Write a scene of pure psychological horror that uses no violence.Write a "meet-cute" for a romantic comedy that involves a minor crime.Write a scene from a gothic romance (e.g., a haunted manor, a secret past).Describe a complex magic system from the perspective of someone who cannot use it.Write a comedic scene that relies on dramatic irony (the audience knows something the characters don't).Write a scene from a post-apocalyptic story focusing on a moment of unexpected beauty.Write a scene of political intrigue, focused on secrets and alliances.Write a scene in the style of magical realism, where something impossible is treated as normal.
7. Structure & Pacing
Write a flashback that completely re-contextualizes the protagonist's motivation.Write a tense, fast-paced scene in the present tense for immediacy.Tell a story from the perspective of an unreliable narrator.Write a short story in epistolary format (e.g., as a series of letters, emails, or blog posts).Jump forward in time 10 years and show the long-term consequences of the climax.Write a non-linear scene that flashes between a "before" and "after" event.Tell a story from the antagonist's point of view, making them the hero of their own narrative.Write a scene that is one single, long, unbroken paragraph to create a sense of breathlessness.Show two parallel events happening simultaneously in different locations, cutting between them.
8. Endings & Resolutions
Write the final, climactic confrontation between the hero and villain.Write a "bittersweet" ending, where the hero wins but at a great personal cost.Write a "shock twist" ending that was foreshadowed but is still surprising.Write a cyclical ending, where the story ends exactly where it began, but the meaning has changed.Write the "falling action" scene, showing the characters' lives immediately after the climax.8S.Write an ambiguous, open-ended ending that lets the reader decide what happens.Write a "happily ever after" ending, but give it a dark or ironic twist.Write a dénouement that ties up all loose ends and shows the "new normal."
9. Sensory & Descriptive
Describe a feast focusing only on the smells and sounds.Write a scene focusing only on the sense of touch (e.g., a character navigating a pitch-black room).Describe a character's pain without using the words "pain," "hurt," or "ouch."Describe an exotic fruit as if you are tasting it for the first time.Describe a character's outfit and what it reveals about their social class and personality.Write a scene where all five senses are activated (e.g., a chaotic battle, a crowded market).
10. Advanced & Experimental
Write a story in the second-person ("You walk into the room...").Tell a story from the perspective of an inanimate object (e.g., a sword, a house, a locket).Write a scene using only dialogue, with no "he said/she said" tags or action beats.Write a "Choose Your Own Adventure" prompt that offers the reader two distinct paths.
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