5 Tips for Writing AI Prompts That Bring Your Stories to Life

Writing prompts for AI is weirdly like giving stage directions to an actor who may or may not understand what a spaceship is. Sometimes you get gold, other times you get a suburban family dinner with six moons in the background. Prompting isn’t just about what you say—it’s how you say it.

Focal gives you a front-row seat to how small prompt tweaks can totally shift your story’s tone, pacing, or visuals. You’re not just “describing a scene”—you’re directing one. And once you figure out how to speak the AI’s language, it starts to feel less like a guessing game and more like creative flow.

So… what exactly are you asking it to make?

Tip 1: Think Like a Director, Not a Dictator

AI storytelling thrives when you give it just enough direction to set the tone — but not so much that you choke the life out of it. Think of yourself more like a film director setting up the shot and giving actors motivation, not a tyrant dictating every syllable. Let the model interpret, not just follow.

Set the scene, don’t strangle it

Your job isn’t to micromanage the AI — it’s to give it the kind of direction that opens up possibilities.

Instead of:
“A man walks into a room and sits down.”

Try:
“A jaded detective limps into a dim, flickering hallway, haunted by a case gone cold.”

See the difference? One’s paint-by-numbers. The other’s a trailer teaser.

Give characters motivations, not just actions

Prompts that focus on why characters do something often lead to richer, more coherent generations.

• Not just what happens.
• But who it’s happening to.
• And why it matters.

That’s the magic trifecta.

Leave a little room for the model to surprise you

You don’t need to narrate every eyelash twitch. Give it mood, tone, and conflict — then back off a bit.

Think of your prompt like a good jazz setup: You lay the groove, let the model riff.

Tip 2: Use Genre as a Launchpad, Not a Cage

Genres help ground your prompt in a certain tone or world, but they shouldn’t box it in. The fastest way to get bland outputs? Just saying “sci-fi story” or “fantasy setting.” AI will regurgitate whatever clichés it’s seen the most. Instead, use genre as a starting point — and then flip it, bend it, or mix it up.

“Sci-fi” doesn’t mean it has to look like The Matrix

Let’s be real — AI models are trained on a lot of generic genre tropes.

If you just write “sci-fi scene,” you’ll probably get chrome corridors and blue lighting. Again.

So instead:
• Reference specific films or aesthetics (e.g., Afrofuturist marketplace, lo-fi robot village)
• Use emotional tone: “bittersweet sci-fi with nostalgic undertones”

Mix unexpected genres together for depth

Mush up genres like a chaotic smoothie. It works.

Examples:
• “Wes Anderson-style horror comedy”
• “Cyberpunk Western set in a forgotten mall”
• “Fantasy courtroom drama with an unreliable narrator”

Weird prompts = unforgettable outputs.

Tip 3: Be Specific, But Not Suffocating

Specificity gives the model a direction. But overload it, and you’ll end up with stiff, overworked prose. The goal is guided ambiguity: clear visuals, evocative mood, but with just enough breathing room for the model to generate something compelling.

Too many adjectives = dead energy

Throwing 17 adjectives into a sentence doesn’t make it deep. It makes it unreadable.

Instead, zoom in on one strong image:
• “A glasswing butterfly pinned to a courtroom file”

Now that hits. Clean, vivid, loaded with story.

Anchor the vibe with 1–2 clear references

You can guide tone without overwriting. Try:

• “In the style of a David Lynch dream sequence”
• “Like an indie zine meets 90s Nickelodeon”
• “As if Studio Ghibli met Euphoria”

Minimal words. Maximal vibe.

Tip 4: Characters First, Tools Second

This might sound obvious, but in AI land, it’s easy to get swept up in the “look what the model can do” energy. The real flex? Making people feel something. And that starts with great characters. The stronger your characters and their internal stakes, the easier it is for the AI to build scenes that matter.

Don’t lead with the tech — lead with the drama

The AI model is just the camera. What matters is what you’re pointing it at.

People care about:
• Who’s in the story
• What they want
• What’s standing in their way

That’s your focus. Not “Look what this model can do!”

Ask yourself: “Why does this character care?”

Prompting becomes way easier when you anchor it in stakes.

“A young mage must testify in a trial that could expose her forbidden powers.”

Now we’ve got tension. Identity. Conflict. The AI knows what to build around.

Tip 5: Iterate, Remix, Rewrite

Even if your first prompt lands, don’t stop there. The best outputs often come from quick remixes: change a perspective, add a twist, take something away. Treat prompts like clay, not stone — mold, stretch, and rebuild them as you go.

The first prompt is just the warm-up

Even the best ideas don’t hit on try one. So treat prompt-writing like…

improv jazz
writing sprints
kitchen experiments

Whatever metaphor you want — just keep going.

Play with POV, setting, or stakes on each new run

Remix one variable at a time:

• Change the character’s age or background
• Flip the POV from first to third
• Shift the setting from a city to an isolated village

One small change can unlock a whole new narrative thread.

Write Better Prompts, Get Better Stories—Simple as That

Strong prompts are the secret weapon. The better you get at writing them, the more control you have over your story, style, and structure. Focal lets you test, adjust, and rework your prompts in real-time—no guesswork, no wasted renders. When the AI knows what you want, it delivers. And when it doesn’t? You’ve got the tools to steer it back on track.

Write a Prompt, Watch a Scene Come to Life

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