Creative writing in the theme of screenplays can deliver outsized results when you provide clear context, structure, and constraints. The following proven prompt patterns balance specificity with flexibility so AI remains creative while staying on brief. Start with the goal, add the audience or user, define tone and format, then include constraints like length, keywords, and examples. Iterate by asking for two or three alternatives and a short rationale explaining the differences.
How to use these prompts: Paste any prompt below into your AI tool and then immediately follow up with clarifying questions such as: “What assumptions did you make?”, “Offer 3 stronger variations with different tones,” and “Identify risks, biases, or edge cases I should consider.” This feedback loop turns a single prompt into a productive working session.
Starter Prompts
- Describe a ship where the weather reflects its people’s secrets.
- Write dialogue between two characters who share a past they refuse to name.
- Outline a three-act plot where the protagonist must choose between truth and belonging.
Advanced Variations
- Rewrite the same scene in noir, whimsical, and documentary tones.
- Create a character sheet: fears, rituals, private rules, contradictions, and a secret.
- Design a setting bible: laws, power structures, taboos, and calendar of festivals.
Refinement & QA
- Provide line edits focusing on rhythm and compression. Then a clean rewrite.
- Offer five title options and a one-sentence logline for each.
- List research rabbit holes that could deepen authenticity without slowing pacing.
Pro tip: Save your best outputs as mini-templates. Over time, build a personal prompt library that covers ideation, drafting, editing, QA, and conversion. Label each template with its use case, audience, and the metrics you expect to move. This turns prompting from an ad-hoc activity into a repeatable operating system for your work.