Welcome to the World of Prompt Engineering

AI-assisted writing is all about finding that perfect prompt that makes the magic happen. But what does that mean exactly? This guide isn’t just a cookie-cutter template collection.

If you’re a writer getting into AI-assisted creativity, you’ve likely asked yourself: Which AI model works for me? What’s the secret to getting long, high-quality responses to prompts? Any tips on avoiding AI’s usual dry and uninteresting writing? These questions are crucial for understanding how AI can improve your writing process.

The catch is, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The same prompt might not have the same effect on GPT, IZLV, Mixtral, Airoboros, or ChatML as it does on Claude. AI models are all unique, with their quirks, strengths, and weaknesses. This is exactly why I never wrote a generic blog post on prompt engineering until now.

If you want to be a pro at AI-assisted writing, you need to personalize your approach. The key is finding an AI model that suits your style and getting the hang of how it works. By adjusting things like temperature and top-p, you can perfect your AI narrative.

But let’s make it less confusing. LLMs work by understanding and replying in English. Some models shine in certain areas, while others aren’t as impressive. We use natural language, the same language you use, to “program” these AI models.

In this guide, we’ll go through the basics of prompt engineering. We’ll talk about crafting prompts as a baseline for any AI model, setting up prompts for specific goals, and taking advantage of each model’s unique abilities to enhance your writing. Whether you want to write captivating stories, informative articles, or explore your creativity, learning how to craft the perfect prompt is essential.

So, what exactly is a prompt and how do we go about engineering it?

Understanding the Anatomy of a Prompt

If you want to get AI-assisted writing, you need to know what a ‘prompt’ is. A prompt isn’t just a question or a statement, it’s more than that. To understand this better, let’s break down a prompt into its main parts: the system message, the user message, and the assistant response.

1. The System Message: Setting the Stage

The AI gets a system message before you type. Just think of it as a stage play setting. This message is basically the system’s way of telling the AI how to behave. For instance, if you’re using a writing assistant, the system message might be an instruction like “Assist the user in a friendly and creative way.” or “You are an experienced fiction writer.”

2. The User Message: Your Turn to Direct

Your turn now – the user message. When people say ‘prompt,’ this is what they’re talking about. The user message is your chance to direct the AI’s performance. Give the AI a good prompt like “Write a story about space travel” or “Paint a picture of a calm autumn forest” to steer it in the right direction. The clearer and more specific your prompt, the better the AI can do.

3. The Assistant Response: The AI’s Performance

The AI performs its response like an actor on a stage, following your cue. The assistant’s reply is how the AI understood your prompt, based on what the system message said. If you request a short story, the AI will use your inputs to create a narrative. This response is the AI’s way of combining the system’s rules and your creative input.

Crafting the Perfect Prompt

Knowing these three parts helps us see that creating a prompt is like scripting a play. You call the shots, and the AI is your main actor, with the system message setting the scene. To get the AI to do what we want, we need to give it clear, concise, and specific instructions. Keep in mind, the AI’s performance relies on how well you explain your directions.

As we explore prompt engineering, keep these elements in mind. The goal is to create prompts that combine your creativity with the AI’s capabilities, resulting in accurate, engaging, and relevant output. If you’re into writing captivating stories, informative content, or exploring creative ideas, figuring out the right prompt is what you need to make the most of AI-assisted writing.

Laying the Groundwork: Essential Insights for Crafting Effective Prompts

Before you jump into creating prompts for AI writing, there are a few important things you should know. These principles make prompt engineering effective, not just common sense.

1. Making a Plan: Articulate Your Goals and Steps

You can’t use the same approach for every prompt in prompt engineering. Step one: figure out what you want. What do you want the AI to do with your request? Set your goal and then map out the steps to reach it. This method works for any AI writing model.

For example, let’s say you want the AI to follow the classic writing advice of ‘show, don’t tell.’ Here, your prompt to the AI should be explicit: ‘Write from the character’s perspective, detailing their perceptions, thoughts, and actions. Avoid summarizing.’

2. Clarity and Simplicity are Key

For instructing AI, less is often more. The prompts that work best are those with a narrow focus and fewer instructions. Clarity and simplicity in your prompt ensure the AI understands and follows your intended direction. Use simple, positive language to convey your requirements. For instance, instead of saying ‘don’t use passive voice,’ phrase it positively: ‘Use active voice.’

3. Limit the Scope, Then Build

People often make the mistake of cramming too much into one prompt, which can make the results confusing. Just start small, that’s the trick. Take it one step at a time. For instance, you might start with a prompt that says, “Eliminate dialogue tags.” Once that’s achieved, you can add another layer, like “Incorporate sensory descriptions.” This step-by-step approach not only makes it easier for the AI to produce focused content but also gives you more control over the style and direction of the writing.

Understanding and Applying Fundamental P`rinciples

These fundamental principles will guarantee your success in prompt engineering. Just remember, guide the AI in a way that matches your vision and respects natural language processing. Whether you’re writing a narrative, giving information, or being creative, these principles will help you create prompts that are clear and focused.

Get ready for some specific examples and techniques that really bring these principles to life. Let’s see how a well-thought-out plan, clear communication, and taking it one step at a time can make your AI-assisted writing go from good to great.

Best Practice 1: Use Active Voice

Understanding the Challenge for LLMs

For storytelling and writing, the active voice is a powerful tool. It puts the reader right in the middle of the action, making them feel like they’re part of the story, not just watching. When you use the active voice, your protagonist is in control, doing things, instead of just receiving actions. This makes things feel more urgent and involved.

It’s tough for an LLM to stay active all the time. LLMs might switch between active and passive constructions, depending on the prompt and context.

Crafting the Prompt for Active Voice

When you tell an AI to use active voice, make sure you’re clear about what you want. You’re not just ordering, you’re painting a picture. Want to know how to make a prompt that works? Here’s how:

“Write a quick story about a detective’s day. Make sure the story is in active voice. Make the detective the main focus, doing things, deciding, and getting involved with their surroundings. Don’t use passive constructions where external forces act on the detective.”

In this prompt, you’re doing three things:

Setting the Scene: You’re providing a clear context for the AI — a detective story.

Say “Use active voice” so the AI knows what style to use.

Giving Examples: By emphasizing actions like ‘investigating’, ‘deciding’, and ‘interacting’, you’re providing concrete examples of what active voice looks like in this context.

Why This Matters

Active voice is a must in AI-generated content to keep the story alive and captivating. It makes the reader feel more involved in the story and connected to the characters. Include these specifics so the AI knows how to write the story.

Best Practice 2: Clarity and Simplicity in Sentence Structure

The Challenge for LLMs in Maintaining Simplicity

One key thing to remember when writing is to keep your sentences clear. The point is to get your reader hooked on the story, not make them notice the writing. If the writing gets too hard to understand, it ruins the reading experience. They’re not really living the story, just reading words now.

The goal for LLMs is to not make things complicated. These models have big vocabularies and can put together complicated sentences. If they’re not given clear guidance, they might end up focusing more on flaunting their language abilities than on telling a compelling story.

Crafting an Effective Prompt for Simple Structure

Make sure your prompt is clear and focused so the LLM can write simple and clear content. Here’s an example of how to ask for it:

“Write a narrative about a family’s beach day. Make the sentences short and simple. Keep it simple and use regular words that everyone understands. The whole point is to make the story a breeze to read and understand, so you can really get into the family’s experience without feeling lost in the language.”

In this prompt, you are:

Establishing Context: You’ve given a specific scenario–a family’s beach day–for the AI to write about.

Directing Style: By asking for short and straightforward sentences, you’re guiding the AI to adopt a simple, clear writing style.

Limiting Vocabulary: You specify the need for common language and the avoidance of jargon, ensuring the prose remains accessible.

Why This Approach Matters

If you want to keep the reader hooked, make sure your sentences are simple. When the AI adopts this style, it makes the content more readable and relatable to a wider audience. This way, the story is the main thing you’ll focus on, not the language.

Best Practice 3: Avoid Overuse of Adverbs, Especially After “Said”

The Challenge for LLMs: Showing Rather Than Telling

One mistake writers often make is using too many adverbs, especially in dialogue tags. This usually happens when the scene isn’t set well or when the characters’ emotions aren’t shown through their actions and the context. If you say something like “he shouted,” it means the story didn’t do a good job of showing the character’s emotions or how intense the situation was.

LLMs need to use fewer adverbs to show emotion and focus more on the story. LLMs sometimes use adverbs to show emotions, but it can make the dialogue weaker and the story less immersive.

Crafting the Prompt to Minimize Adverbs

To help an LLM improve their dialogue, your prompt should encourage expressing emotions through actions and context instead of using adverbs. Here’s a good way to ask:

“Write a scene where two characters have a heated argument. Make their emotions and the tension clear with what they do, their expressions, and where they are. Avoid using adverbs in dialogue tags. Make it obvious who’s speaking by what’s happening and how the characters act.”

In this prompt, you are:

Setting the Scene: You provide a logical scenario — a heated argument — that requires expressive writing.

Directing Narrative Technique: By specifically asking to avoid adverbs in dialogue tags, you’re steering the AI towards showing emotions through the narrative.

Focusing on Context and Actions: You emphasize the importance of using actions, facial expressions, and setting to convey emotions, which strengthens the dialogue and the overall scene.

Why This Matters

Don’t use too many adverbs in dialogue tags, it makes the dialogue weak and unbelievable. The writer (or the AI) has to make sure the emotions and intentions of the characters are clear through the situation and their actions. Using this technique makes the dialogue stronger and the story more immersive.

Best Practice 4: Maintain Consistent Point of View

The Challenge for LLMs: Sticking to a Chosen Perspective

The way you use POV can really affect your narrative. No matter if it’s first person, third-person limited, or third person omniscient, you gotta stick to one POV to keep the story together and the readers interested. LLMs might get confused and either pick a third person perspective or switch perspectives randomly.

You get why POV matters in your writing as a writer. When dealing with AI, it’s crucial to make it clear so the AI stays on the same narrative page.

Crafting the Prompt for Consistent POV

Mention the perspective you want the AI to use in your prompt so it stays on track. Here’s an example:

“Write a story about a young magician’s first day at a magic school. The story is told from the magician’s point of view, only sharing their experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Do not switch to other character’ perspectives. Stick to the magician’s point of view throughout the narrative.”

In this prompt, you are:

Defining the Narrative Context: You provide a specific scenario for the AI to explore.

Specifying the POV: By explicitly stating “use a third-person limited point of view,” you’re directing the AI to maintain this perspective.

Emphasizing Consistency: You reinforce the need to stick to the magician’s perspective, avoiding shifts that could disorient the reader.

Why Consistency in POV Matters

You really need to maintain a consistent point of view so the story doesn’t get all messed up. It lets you understand the protagonist and their world better. This consistency also stops any confusion that can happen when the perspective suddenly changes. If you tell the AI exactly what you want, it’ll make the story more immersive and interesting.

Best Practice 5: Show, Don’t Tell

The Challenge for LLMs: Knowing When to Show

‘Show, Don’t Tell’ is a writing rule that says readers should experience the story instead of being told about it. This technique is crucial for creating a vivid and immersive narrative. This is a tough thing for LLMs to understand, like knowing how and when to use it.

You can write the same scene in many ways, each giving a different reader experience. AI might have a hard time figuring out when it’s better to show instead of tell.

Crafting the Prompt for ‘Show, Don’t Tell’

Give the AI explicit instructions on what to show, how to show it, and why it’s important for that part of the story. Here’s a suggestion for creating a prompt:

“Write a scene where the protagonist discovers a secret door in their home. Describe this discovery using the ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ technique. Make the protagonist’s surprise and curiosity clear by describing their actions, what they see, and what’s going on in their head. Don’t summarize the event. Let the story unfold as the main character experiences and interacts with their surroundings.”

In this prompt, you are:

Setting the Scene: You’re providing a specific scenario that lends itself well to descriptive, immersive writing.

Directing the Writing Technique: By explicitly requesting the ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ approach, you’re guiding the AI to focus on sensory details and character experiences.

The reason for this style is to let the story flow naturally through the protagonist’s experiences, making the reader feel more immersed.

Why ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ Matters

When you ‘Show, Don’t Tell,’ readers can fully immerse themselves in the story with the characters. It adds depth and makes the story more interesting and memorable. Being clear about what you want helps the AI understand how to write and impact the reader.

Best Practice 6: Tightening the Perspective

The Challenge for LLMs: Understanding a Writer’s Perspective

‘Tightening the Perspective’ in writing is all about zooming in on a character’s thoughts and feelings, so readers can really connect. It’s all about getting inside the character’s head and seeing things from their perspective. But what a writer thinks is ‘tight’ can differ greatly from how an AI sees it. An AI might mistakenly ‘tighten’ the narrative by becoming more objective and distant, such as saying, “He couldn’t help but get mad at her response.”

In contrast, a writer focuses on the character’s internal monologue and direct experience, like “Why wouldn’t she just stop? Couldn’t she understand he didn’t want to talk about the topic? They had been through this a thousand times already.” This approach really lets you get inside the character’s head.

Crafting the Prompt for a Tighter Perspective

To make the AI sound more intimate, you need to be clear about how you want the character’s perspective to be shown. Instead of just telling the AI to ‘tighten the perspective,’ tell it to dive into the character’s thoughts and actions. Here’s an example:

“Write a scene where the main character feels betrayed by a close friend. Express this through the character’s internal thoughts and sensory experiences. Show the reader the character’s betrayal through their own thoughts and emotions. Make it personal, don’t be distant or objective.”

In this prompt, you are:

Establishing the Emotional Context: You set up a scenario that naturally lends itself to exploring deep emotions.

Directing the Narrative Focus: You specifically ask for the character’s internal monologue and sensory experiences, guiding the AI to present a personal perspective.

Clarifying the Desired Approach: By emphasizing the need for direct internal monologue and avoiding objective descriptions, you ensure the narrative stays close and personal.

Why a Tight Perspective Matters

Seeing things from a narrow perspective lets readers really feel the story and connect with the characters. It adds depth and makes the story more engaging. When you clearly explain this technique, the AI gets why it’s so important to stick to the character’s experiences. This makes the reader really feel like they’re part of the story.

Best Practice 7: Concise and Relevant Descriptions

The Challenge for LLMs: Balancing Detail and Relevance

Descriptions are like brushstrokes that set the mood and scene of a story. They paint a picture and make you feel you’re part of the story. But the key is to be short and on point. Overly detailed descriptions can overwhelm or bore the reader.

With a Large Language Model (LLM), the challenge is finding the right balance between giving enough detail to set the scene and keeping the story going. AI might not know exactly what details matter for a character or scene, and could either make it too complicated or too simple.

Crafting the Prompt for Effective Descriptions

To guide an AI in providing just the right amount of descriptive detail, your prompt should specify what’s relevant for the scene and character. Here’s how to do it:

“Write a scene where a painter enters a room, noticing the aspects according to their profession. The painter should focus on visual elements like light and colour. Keep descriptions succinct, relevant to the character’s perspective, and avoid unnecessary details that don’t serve the scene’s purpose.”

In this prompt, you are:

Specifying the Characters and Their Focus: Each character has a distinct lens through which they view the world, and you’re directing the AI to capture that.

Guiding the Descriptive Style: You’re asking for concise descriptions that apply to the character’s background and the scene’s context.

Emphasizing the Purpose of Descriptions: By instructing the AI to avoid unnecessary details, you’re ensuring that the descriptions enhance the story, not detract from it.

Why Relevant Descriptions Matter

Descriptions need to strike a balance. They should set the mood and reveal characters, but not overwhelm the reader. The little things can make a big difference in a scene. Tell the AI what you want in the descriptions so the story stays engaging and lively for the reader. We just want to give enough details so the reader gets it, without breaking the flow of the story. It’s really important to be detailed in descriptions so readers stay engaged and connected to the story.

Best Practice 8: Appropriate Pacing

The Challenge for LLMs: Mastering the Ebb and Flow of Tension

The way your story moves is called pacing. It’s all about keeping readers hooked with a dynamic narrative. If a story is too tense or too boring, people won’t be captivated. If things are always super tense, it’s tiring, but if there’s no tension at all, it’s boring.

LLMs can have a hard time adjusting their pace without simple instructions. They might not keep the right pace or create enough tension because they don’t really get the story’s rhythm or the characters’ emotional journey.

Crafting the Prompt for Pacing

If you want the AI to match your desired pacing, mention the tension level and how you want the story to flow. Here’s an example of how you can set up the prompt:

“Write a sequence of scenes in a mystery novel where the detective has just encountered a major clue. Set the tone with a scene that’s full of excitement and tension because of the discovery. Then transition into a slower-paced scene where the detective reflects on the clue, allowing the reader to digest the information. Finally, build up the tension again as a new, unexpected development occurs. Ensure the pacing allows for moments of both high tension and reflection.”

In this prompt, you are:

Setting the Narrative Sequence: You’re outlining a series of scenes with varying levels of tension.

Directing the Pacing: You provide explicit instructions on where to increase tension and where to slow down, guiding the AI through the pacing of the story.

Explaining the Purpose: You clarify that the variation in pacing is to balance excitement and reflection, giving the story depth and keeping the reader engaged.

Why Pacing Matters

If you want your story to be good, you need to get the pacing right. It guarantees the story has exciting parts and moments to think. The ebb and flow adds depth and emotion to the narrative. Let the AI know how you want the story to flow. That way, readers will be engrossed and have moments to reflect.

Best Practice 9: Avoid Clichés and Strive for Original Expressions

The Challenge for LLMs: Overcoming the Default of Clichés

Clichés are the overused phrases and ideas that have lost their oomph. Writers don’t enjoy using them because they don’t make you think. Phrases like “There are plenty more fish in the sea” or “Think outside the box” make people’s brains go on autopilot because they’ve been heard too many times. Using clichés is a problem, but the bigger issue is that they make your story less memorable.

LLMs struggle with avoiding clichés. These models are trained on loads of text that include common phrases and expressions, so clichés are the usual response in many situations.

Crafting the Prompt to Encourage Originality

Avoid clichés and be creative when guiding an AI. Here’s an example:

“Write a dialogue between two characters who are discussing a challenging problem. Avoid clichés and overused expressions. Instead, use fresh metaphors and similes that vividly convey their thoughts and feelings. Make the conversation engaging and thought-provoking, encouraging the reader to ponder the underlying meanings.”

In this prompt, you are:

Setting the Context: You establish a scenario that naturally invites deep conversation.

Directing Away from Clichés: You explicitly instruct the AI to steer clear of overused phrases, pushing it towards more original expressions.

Encouraging Creativity: By asking for fresh metaphors and similes, you guide the AI to use language that is vivid and engaging.

Why Avoiding Clichés Matters

Avoiding clichés and using unique expressions makes your writing more interesting and memorable. It keeps the reader’s brain active, prompting them to think and reflect on what’re reading. Using this approach makes the story better and shows how creative and deep your writing is. By instructing the AI to prioritize originality, you ensure your story stands out and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

Bonus Prompts

Some more prompts, as inspiration for how to deal with AI as a writer. These are designed as rewriting prompts.

Rewrite to reduce tension:

“You are a skilled editor, specializing in adjusting the tone and atmosphere of written narratives. Your current task is to carefully revise a passage to reduce its tension and create a more relaxed and less intense atmosphere.

Focus on identifying and changing elements in the text that contribute to high tension, such as aggressive dialogue, intense action descriptions, or dramatic narrative devices. Replace these with more neutral or calming language, while maintaining the overall coherence and flow of the story.

Be mindful of the original intent and context of the passage. Your goal is to preserve the core message and plot points while significantly toning down any elements that contribute to a sense of urgency or conflict. The revised passage should feel smoother and less emotionally charged.”

Rewrite to raise tension:

“You are an expert narrative editor with a focus on enhancing the dramatic impact of written stories. Your task is to intensify the tension in a passage, making it more gripping and emotionally charged.

Carefully analyse the provided text for opportunities to amplify suspense, conflict, or emotional intensity. This can involve introducing more descriptive language, creating uncertainty or raising stakes for the characters, or enhancing the pacing to build a sense of urgency.

Pay attention to the narrative structure and ensure that your modifications escalate the tension in a way that feels natural and compelling. The goal is to transform the passage into a more thrilling and edge-of-your-seat experience, while maintaining the original theme and plot direction. The final output should leave the reader feeling a heightened sense of anticipation and emotional investment in the story.”

Rewrite to enhance action scene:

“You are an adept action scene editor, specialized in dynamically enhancing action sequences in narratives. Your current task involves taking an existing action scene and elevating it to be more vivid, engaging, and impactful.

Focus on amplifying the intensity and clarity of the action. This can include adding detailed descriptions of movements, environment, and character reactions, increasing the pace of events, and ensuring the sequence is easy to visualize and follow. Look for opportunities to inject a sense of urgency, physicality, and tension into the scene.

Consider the choreography of the action, making sure it’s not just more intense, but also more coherent and exciting. Balance the action with brief moments of character insight or plot development to maintain depth. The revised scene should captivate the reader with its enhanced vividness and kinetic energy, while still fitting seamlessly into the overall narrative.”

Rewrite to enhance combat scene:

“You are a seasoned combat scene editor with a flair for dramatizing and enriching battle sequences in literature. Your aim is to take an existing combat scene and transform it into a more exhilarating, detailed, and realistic portrayal of combat.

Focus on deepening the descriptions of the combatants’ actions, strategies, and emotions. Enhance the scene with richer sensory details, such as the sounds of weapons clashing, the feel of impact, and the visual chaos of the battlefield. Your revisions should make the reader feel as if they are amid the action.

Incorporate tactical elements and realistic combat dynamics to lend authenticity to the scene. Be mindful of the physical and psychological aspects of combat, reflecting both the brutality and the adrenaline of the fight. The goal is to create a combat scene that is not only more intense but also more immersive and believable, drawing the reader deeper into the narrative experience.”

Rewrite to enhance romantic scene:

“You are a gifted editor specialized in refining and elevating romantic scenes in literary works. Your task is to transform an existing romantic scene, making it more heartfelt, engaging, and evocative.

Focus on deepening the emotional connection between the characters. Enhance their interactions with more nuanced dialogue, subtle gestures, and expressive descriptions that capture the chemistry and tension in their relationship. Your goal is to convey the depth of their feelings in a way that resonates with the reader.

Pay attention to the atmosphere and setting of the scene, using sensory details to create a more romantic and intimate ambiance. Consider the pacing of the scene, ensuring that it flows smoothly and naturally, allowing the reader to fully immerse in the moment.

The revised scene should balance emotional depth and narrative progression, enriching the overall story while captivating the reader with its enhanced romantic elements.”

Rewrite to reduce melodrama:

“You are a skilled editor known for your ability to subtly refine and tone down melodramatic elements in narrative pieces. Your current task involves revising an existing passage to reduce its melodramatic intensity, aiming for a more realistic and understated expression of emotions and events.

Focus on scaling back exaggerated emotions, overly dramatic language, and implausible plot twists. Replace hyperbolic descriptions and reactions with more nuanced and believable expressions of character emotions and actions. Your revisions should aim to create a more grounded and authentic narrative tone.

Carefully assess the narrative for any elements that feel too theatrical or over-the-top, and adjust them to feel more in line with everyday reality. Consider the overall pacing and flow, ensuring that the story remains engaging but loses the excessively dramatic edge.

The goal is to transform the passage into a more subtle and relatable experience, maintaining the core emotional and narrative elements while stripping away unnecessary melodrama. The revised passage should resonate with the reader through its realism and refined emotional depth.”

Rewrite to eliminate the following words and rephrase them to keep the meaning intact (list of banned words):

“You are an expert linguistic editor with a specialization in creative rephrasing and vocabulary refinement. Your challenge is to revise a passage by eliminating a list of words, ensuring that their absence does not detract from the original meaning of the text.

Banned words: “palpable, heartbeat, (insert your blacklisted words here)”

Carefully examine the list of banned words provided. As you approach the text, identify instances where these words are used and craft alternative phrases or structures that convey the same meaning or sentiment without using the prohibited words. Your revisions should be seamless, maintaining the flow, tone, and style of the original passage.

Focus on preserving the essence and clarity of the original text while showcasing your ability to adapt and rephrase creatively. Pay attention to the context in which the banned words are used, ensuring that your substitutions fit naturally and effectively within the narrative.

The goal is to produce a revised version of the passage that reads as if it was originally written without the banned words, demonstrating both linguistic precision and creative adaptability.”