AI Prompts for Claude for Fiction Writing

I have a story idea: [DESCRIBE IT]. Help me deepen it: what is the central thematic question this story is really about, who is the ideal reader for this story and what will they take from it, and what makes this premise feel fresh rather than a retread of existing stories in this genre?

Develop the world for my [GENRE] story set in [SETTING]. Go beyond surface description: what are the rules, contradictions, and injustices of this world, what does everyday life feel like for ordinary people, and what specific details would make a reader feel like this world has existed before the story begins?

Generate 5 story concept directions for a [GENRE] narrative. Each should: avoid the obvious interpretation of the genre, have a clear thematic question at its center, and set up a protagonist with a psychologically interesting conflict. Mark which concept has the most potential for emotional depth.

My story explores the theme of [THEME]. Help me find the most interesting way to dramatize this theme through plot and character rather than stating it. What story situations would force characters to confront this theme, and how could the ending reflect a genuine change in understanding rather than a tidy resolution?

I am struggling to find my story's premise. I know I want to write about [GENERAL SUBJECT OR CHARACTER TYPE]. Ask me 5 questions that would help me discover the specific story I actually want to tell within this territory.

Develop my protagonist: [BASIC DESCRIPTION]. Give them a specific want versus need (what they think they want versus what they actually need to become whole), a wound from their past that distorts how they see themselves or the world, and a way of behaving that protects them from the wound but ultimately limits them.

Write a detailed backstory for [CHARACTER NAME] that explains who they are now: [CURRENT CHARACTER DESCRIPTION]. The backstory should be specific (a real incident or series of incidents, not vague references to their past), create the core wound that drives their behavior in the story, and plant the seeds of their eventual arc.

My protagonist has this flaw: [DESCRIBE THE FLAW]. Help me make this flaw feel genuinely earned and understandable. Write the backstory that explains why they developed this flaw, and make it sympathetic so the reader understands even if they do not excuse it.

Design a morally complex antagonist for my story. They are opposing [PROTAGONIST] because [BASIC MOTIVATION]. I want the reader to understand, and perhaps even partially agree with, the antagonist's worldview while still rooting against them. What do they believe, and how did they come to believe it?

Write a character voice study for [CHARACTER]: a monologue of 150 to 200 words in their voice, revealing their worldview, their specific speech pattern, and the gap between what they say and what they mean. This is not a scene, just a voice exercise to establish who they are.

Write a scene in which [DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENS AND WHAT THE SCENE MUST ACCOMPLISH FOR THE STORY]. POV character: [NAME, BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THEIR EMOTIONAL STATE]. Setting: [SPECIFIC DETAILS]. Tone: [DESCRIBE THE EMOTIONAL REGISTER]. Avoid: [ANYTHING YOU DON'T WANT IN THE SCENE]. Length: approximately [WORD COUNT].

Write the opening of my [GENRE] novel or story. Premise: [BRIEF SUMMARY]. I want the opening to: establish an immediate tension or question, reveal character through action rather than description, set the tone accurately for the whole story, and give the reader a reason to turn the page. Avoid: a weather description, a waking up scene, or a generic scene-setting paragraph.

Here is a scene I wrote: [PASTE SCENE]. Give me honest feedback: where does it slow down or tell rather than show, where is the dialogue not quite earning its place, and where does the prose feel generic rather than specific. Then rewrite one paragraph that you think best illustrates what the scene could be.

Write a scene with subtext. Two characters: [DESCRIBE]. The surface conversation is about [TOPIC]. The real conversation happening underneath is about [WHAT IS ACTUALLY GOING ON BETWEEN THEM]. Neither character says the real thing out loud. Let the subtext come through in what they almost say and then pull back from.

I need this scene to accomplish [STORY PURPOSE] but it is feeling flat in my current draft. Context: [DESCRIBE THE SCENE]. Write a version that raises the emotional stakes, gives both characters specific wants in the scene that conflict, and ends with something changed for at least one of them.

Review this passage for "show don't tell": [PASTE PASSAGE]. Identify every sentence where I am naming an emotion or summarizing an experience rather than dramatizing it through specific detail, action, or dialogue. Rewrite 3 of the most significant instances.

This scene feels slow. [PASTE SCENE]. Diagnose where the pacing is dragging: is it too much interiority, too much description, dialogue that is not going anywhere, or too many beats that do not change anything? Suggest specific cuts or compressions.

My prose tends to be [DESCRIBE THE ISSUE: TOO ABSTRACT, TOO ON THE NOSE, TOO MUCH TELL, TOO PASSIVE]. Here is a sample: [PASTE]. Rewrite this paragraph to show what it could be. Explain specifically what you changed at the sentence level and why.

Help me cut 15 to 20 percent from this scene without losing the emotional substance: [PASTE SCENE]. Show me what can go, what can be condensed, and where the real scene begins if I cut the warm-up.

I am revising my manuscript and want to make sure each chapter earns its place. For this chapter: [DESCRIBE OR PASTE THE CHAPTER]. Tell me: what does this chapter do that no other chapter does, what is the change in status at the end versus the beginning, and is there anything here that could be cut or moved without losing something essential?