Creative Writing Kickstarter
Break through the blank page with structure, prompts, and feedback.
Creative blocks are usually one of three things: unclear direction, perfectionism, or lack of raw material. This workflow addresses all three — helping you establish premise, generate scenes, and get feedback that improves rather than replaces your voice.
The Workflow
Define your project and voice
Tell AI exactly what you're writing, who it's for, and what voice you want to write in. The more specific, the more useful the output.
I'm starting a creative writing project and I want help getting past the blank page. Project type: [PROJECT_TYPE] (short story / novel chapter / personal essay / flash fiction / screenplay scene) Genre: [GENRE] Length target: [WORD_COUNT] words Audience: [INTENDED_AUDIENCE] Core premise: [ONE_SENTENCE_PREMISE] Themes I want to explore: [THEMES] Narrative voice: [VOICE_DESCRIPTION] (e.g., first person sardonic / close third person lyrical / second person experimental) Authors whose style I admire: [STYLE_INFLUENCES] Please: 1. Ask me three questions to sharpen the premise before we start 2. Identify the central tension that will drive the piece 3. Suggest an unexpected structural approach I haven't mentioned
Replace: [PROJECT_TYPE], [GENRE], [WORD_COUNT], [INTENDED_AUDIENCE], [ONE_SENTENCE_PREMISE], [THEMES], [VOICE_DESCRIPTION], [STYLE_INFLUENCES]
Generate opening options
Three different opening approaches to choose from, then you pick one and develop it yourself.
Based on the project brief for [PROJECT_TITLE], write three very different opening paragraphs (100-150 words each). My premise: [PREMISE] Voice: [VOICE_DESCRIPTION] Themes: [THEMES] Opening 1: Start with action — something is happening right now Opening 2: Start with voice — the narrator telling us something about how they see the world Opening 3: Start with image — a specific sensory detail that contains the whole theme For each, note: the implied tone, what question it raises in the reader's mind, and what it commits to about the story's style. I will choose one and develop it myself — these are starting points, not my final prose.
Replace: [PROJECT_TITLE], [PREMISE], [VOICE_DESCRIPTION], [THEMES]
Get feedback on a draft
Submit a draft section and get specific feedback on craft, not just general impressions.
I've written a draft section of my [PROJECT_TYPE]. Please give me craft-level feedback. My writing: [DRAFT_SECTION] Specific things I want feedback on: 1. [FEEDBACK_REQUEST_1] (e.g., "Does the dialogue feel natural?") 2. [FEEDBACK_REQUEST_2] (e.g., "Is the pacing right in the middle section?") 3. [FEEDBACK_REQUEST_3] Rules: - Point to specific sentences or moments, not general impressions - Don't rewrite my prose — describe what to change and why, then let me do it - Tell me one thing that's working that I should do more of - Tell me the one change that would most improve this section
Replace: [PROJECT_TYPE], [DRAFT_SECTION], [FEEDBACK_REQUEST_1], [FEEDBACK_REQUEST_2], [FEEDBACK_REQUEST_3]
All Prompts for This Workflow
Write three different 100-150 word openings for my story. Premise: [PREMISE] Voice: [VOICE_DESCRIPTION] Themes: [THEMES] Version 1: Open with action (something is happening now) Version 2: Open with voice (narrator's worldview) Version 3: Open with image (one sensory detail containing the theme) For each, note implied tone, the question it raises, and what it commits to stylistically.
Replace: [PREMISE], [VOICE_DESCRIPTION], [THEMES]
Outline a scene for my [GENRE] story. Characters in this scene: [CHARACTERS] What needs to happen by the end: [SCENE_PURPOSE] The emotional arc of the scene: [EMOTIONAL_ARC] (e.g., character enters hopeful and leaves defeated) Setting: [SETTING] Subtext: what the scene is really about, underneath the surface action: [SUBTEXT] Give me: 1. A beat-by-beat outline (not prose — just the sequence of moments) 2. The key image or detail that could anchor the scene 3. The line of dialogue that carries the most weight 4. What the scene should NOT do (what would make it predictable)
Replace: [GENRE], [CHARACTERS], [SCENE_PURPOSE], [EMOTIONAL_ARC], [SETTING], [SUBTEXT]
Help me develop a consistent voice for [CHARACTER_NAME] in my [PROJECT_TYPE]. Character basics: [CHARACTER_DESCRIPTION] Their core wound or motivation: [CORE_MOTIVATION] What they want: [WANT] What they need (different from what they want): [NEED] How they speak: [SPEECH_PATTERNS] (e.g., clipped and indirect / verbose and self-deprecating / formal register hiding warmth) Write three short monologues (100 words each) in this character's voice on these topics: 1. Something they love 2. Something that made them angry recently 3. Something they're afraid of but won't say directly Then tell me: what verbal habit or phrase would make this voice instantly recognizable?
Replace: [CHARACTER_NAME], [PROJECT_TYPE], [CHARACTER_DESCRIPTION], [CORE_MOTIVATION], [WANT], [NEED], [SPEECH_PATTERNS]
A sharpened project premise, three opening options in different styles, a beat-by-beat scene outline, and specific craft-level feedback with examples from your own text.
- →Use AI for raw material, not final prose. Generate openings to have something to react to, then write your own version from scratch using only your instinct about what you liked.
- →Ask AI to 'break a convention' for your genre — it often knows the clichés better than you do and can suggest specific ways to subvert them.