15. Custom Prompts in Novelcrafter

Custom Prompts in Novel Crafter

Introduction to Custom Prompts

• Aan Lee Dean introduces the topic of creating custom prompts in Novel Crafter, responding to a user query about generating outputs based on input genres.

• The user seeks functionality where entering a genre (e.g., fantasy or science fiction) into an input box would yield corresponding world-building outputs.

Understanding LLM Interaction

• The tutorial explains that the author sends prompts to a large language model (LLM), which is an AI that provides feedback.

• A critical insight is presented: viewing the LLM as a program to be instructed is misleading; instead, it should be seen as akin to communicating with a human brain.

Available Prompts in Novel Crafter

• There are seven different prompts available in Novel Crafter, which can be cloned and customized for various purposes.

• The first five prompts relate to planning and writing, while the last two are designated for chat interactions.

Experimenting with Custom Prompts

• Users can explore shared prompts within the Novel Crafter Discord community, noting their types such as summarization and scene beat completion.

• The tutorial transitions into practical experimentation by cloning existing prompts and customizing them for specific tasks.

Creating a List of Names Prompt

• A demonstration begins by cloning a general-purpose prompt called "list of names," modifying its instructions to generate male names based on an input number (n).

• Various syntaxes are tested for setting parameters (e.g., n = 7 or n = 4), showcasing the AI's ability to interpret these inputs correctly.

Developing a World Builder Prompt

• Another new prompt called "World Builder" is created, allowing users to specify genres and receive detailed world descriptions.

• By entering "genre: fantasy," users receive generated content reflecting that genre; similar results occur with other genres like sci-fi.

Scene Beats from Summary Prompt

• Discussion shifts towards the lesser-known "scene beats from summary" prompt, designed specifically for chat use rather than planning sections.

• This prompt generates detailed scene beats from provided chapter summaries, aiding writers who struggle with outlining scenes effectively.

Enhancing Scene Beat Functionality

Creating Detailed Scene Beats

Developing a List of Scene Beats

• The objective is to create a list of five highly detailed scene beats from a provided summary, with each beat being approximately 200 words in length.

• The process begins by cloning an existing prompt titled "identify seen Beats from summary" and renaming it to "my Beats."

• The instruction within the cloned prompt is modified to accept three parameters: summary (text), n Parts (number), and size (number).

• In the chat interface, the user inputs their scene summary along with parameters for the number of parts set to five and size set to 200 words.