30 ChatGPT Prompts for Writing Fiction (Showcasing Stunning Settings)

ChatGPT is transforming the world of fiction writing.

From conjuring exciting storylines to generating gripping dialogue, enriching character development, and even refining the narrative style—the impact is astounding.

But with an array of opportunities, it can be challenging to identify the beginning point.

That's the reason for crafting this guide.

In this guide, I will share reliable and well-tested ChatGPT prompts for fiction writing, amalgamating real-life writing situations and extensive hours of tinkering with ChatGPT.

Let's plunge into the world of creativity.

ChatGPT Prompts for Writing Fiction

Brainstorm main plot ideas

Whether you are stuck in a writer's block or just beginning your fiction writing journey, ChatGPT is here to assist you.

Feed it with a genre, setting or character, and ChatGPT can help brainstorm main plot ideas or twists that can make your story intriguing.

It can also help you deepen your narrative by suggesting subplots, conflicts, and resolutions.

ChatGPT Prompt:

I am writing a science fiction novel set in a post-apocalyptic world.

I have a protagonist who is a scientist.

Generate some main plot ideas for my story.

Develop character profiles (character traits, backstory, motivations)

Building a compelling character for a fiction story involves defining their traits, backstory, and motivations.

ChatGPT can assist with this by creating nuanced, realistic profiles based on your input.

Whether you need a villain with a troubled past or a hero with a powerful motivation, ChatGPT can help you flesh them out.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Craft detailed character profiles for a fantasy fiction story I'm writing.

I need profiles for a cunning sorcerer, a brave knight, and a mysterious oracle.

Each profile should include character traits, backstory, and motivations.

Create a detailed setting description

ChatGPT is an excellent tool for helping you create rich, immersive settings for your fiction writing.

It can take a simple concept and expand it into a vivid and detailed scene description.

Just provide a basic idea of the setting you want, and let ChatGPT do the rest.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as an experienced fiction writer and help me create a detailed description of a setting.

I am writing a fantasy novel, and the scene is set in an ancient, mystical forest at twilight.

Describe this setting in detail to make it come alive for the reader.

Outline scenes and sequence of events

Crafting a compelling narrative requires a well-planned sequence of events and intriguing scenes.

ChatGPT can help construct this narrative, designing a series of scenes that progress logically, building tension, and leading to a climax.

Provide ChatGPT with a basic premise, and it can sketch an outline of scenes and the sequence of events leading to the resolution.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as an accomplished fiction writer and outline a sequence of events and scenes for a thriller novel.

The premise: A retired detective is pulled back into the force when a serial killer starts mimicking his closed cases.

Write compelling dialogues

Creating strong, compelling dialogues can add depth to your characters and make your story more engaging.

ChatGPT can assist in generating powerful dialogues that resonate with your story's theme and further its plot.

Just provide your characters, their personalities, and the context, and let ChatGPT weave a dialogue.

ChatGPT Prompt:

As an experienced fiction writer, help me create a compelling dialogue between two main characters, John, a detective, and Sarah, a crime novelist.

They are discussing the unsolved murder case that Sarah is writing about, which John has been recently assigned to solve.

Incorporate conflict and resolution

Every good story needs a conflict and resolution to engage the reader.

ChatGPT can assist you in developing conflict scenarios and their possible resolutions in your fiction writing.

Just feed ChatGPT with your story's background and ask it to suggest conflict and resolution scenarios fitting your narrative.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as an experienced fiction writer and help me incorporate a compelling conflict and its resolution into my story.

The story revolves around a young wizard who is yet to discover his magical abilities.

Use foreshadowing effectively

Crafting compelling narratives often involves building suspense and anticipation.

Foreshadowing is a powerful literary tool that can help create this effect.

ChatGPT can guide you on using foreshadowing effectively to drop subtle hints about future events in your story.

Provide the context of the story, and ChatGPT will suggest ways to infuse foreshadowing into the narrative.

ChatGPT Prompt:

As a seasoned fiction writer, give advice on how to incorporate foreshadowing in this story scenario:

In a small, seemingly peaceful town, a new resident has just moved in.

Everyone is curious about their mysterious neighbour who keeps to themselves.

Develop subplots to support the main plot

ChatGPT can assist you in developing engaging subplots that enrich your main story.

It can help you brainstorm subplot ideas that can mirror, contrast, or intersect with your main plot, adding depth to your narrative.

You just need to provide the main plot and some details about your characters and their world.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as an experienced fiction writer to generate subplot ideas.

My main plot revolves around a detective trying to solve a high-profile murder in a dystopian city.

The detective is a former criminal, which gives him unique insight, but also brings a lot of personal conflict.

Generate three subplot ideas that could support this main plot.

Write a captivating opening scene

Immerse yourself in the world of fiction writing with ChatGPT.

It can help you write an engaging and captivating opening scene that sets the tone of your entire story.

Whether you're writing a dystopian novel or a romantic comedy, simply give a brief to ChatGPT, and it will craft a gripping start for you.

ChatGPT Prompt:

As an experienced fiction writer, craft a captivating opening scene for a fantasy novel.

The setting is a medieval kingdom, where our protagonist, a young, reluctant queen, is facing her coronation day.

Craft a satisfying conclusion

Writing a satisfying conclusion to a story can be challenging, but not with ChatGPT on your side.

With its deep understanding of narrative arcs and character development, it can assist you in crafting a conclusion that is both emotionally resonant and logically coherent.

Just feed it with the key points of your story, and let it weave together a satisfying end.

ChatGPT Prompt:

As an accomplished fiction writer, craft a satisfying conclusion for my novel.

Here are the key plot points leading up to the climax:

Revise for pacing and flow

When you're engrossed in creating your fictional world, it can be easy to lose sight of the pacing and flow of your narrative.

ChatGPT can help you analyze and revise your work to ensure it engages readers and maintains a good tempo.

Just feed your draft to ChatGPT, and it will provide suggestions to improve your pacing and enhance the flow of your story.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as an experienced fiction editor and provide suggestions to improve the pacing and flow of this draft.

Here is the draft of my fiction story:

Enhance the narrative voice

Narrative voice is crucial in defining the tone and pace of a story, and with ChatGPT, you can experiment with different narrative styles effortlessly.

Whether you prefer first-person, third-person, or omniscient voice, ChatGPT can generate or revise passages according to your preference.

You can also ask ChatGPT to transform a bland narrative into a descriptive, engaging one that truly brings your characters and plot to life.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as an experienced fiction writer and enhance the narrative voice of this story.

The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world and is currently written in a third-person objective voice.

Here is the narrative to be enhanced:

Incorporate sensory details for immersive storytelling

ChatGPT can help you enrich your stories by suggesting sensory details related to sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.

This can help in making your narratives more immersive and engaging.

You just need to provide ChatGPT with a scene, character, or location, and it will give you sensory details that you can incorporate into your writing.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as an experienced fiction writer tasked with incorporating sensory details into a story.

Here is a scene - A quiet room in an old, rustic house.

Provide sensory details that can help in adding depth and immersion to this scene.

Utilize literary devices (metaphors, similes, symbolism)

If you're a budding fiction writer struggling with literary devices, ChatGPT is here to assist.

It can help you incorporate metaphors, similes, and symbolic elements to enrich your story's narrative and depth.

Just provide your plot or character description, and ask ChatGPT to suggest literary devices that can enhance your writing.

ChatGPT Prompt:

As an experienced fiction writer, help me incorporate literary devices into my story.

My protagonist is a young woman struggling to overcome her fear of the ocean after a traumatic childhood experience.

Suggest some metaphors, similes, and symbols to better express her internal conflict.

Show vs tell - Improve descriptive writing

As an aspiring fiction writer, it's critical to understand the difference between showing and telling.

ChatGPT can help enhance your storytelling skills by providing examples of 'showing' versus 'telling'.

By providing a snippet of your story, ChatGPT can transform 'telling' passages into more engaging 'showing' content.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as an experienced fiction editor.

Here is a piece of 'telling' from my story: John was very upset after he lost the match.

Can you rewrite this into a 'showing' scene to improve descriptive writing?

Develop dynamic character relationships

ChatGPT can aid in creating compelling and dynamic relationships between your characters.

This includes detailing their interactions, the evolution of their bond over time, or their conflicts.

Just give ChatGPT an overview of the characters and the storyline, and it will help you shape their relationships.

ChatGPT Prompt:

As a fiction writer, develop a dynamic and evolving relationship between two main characters in a sci-fi novel: an eccentric scientist and a skeptical journalist.

Here is a brief about their personalities and the storyline:

Write believable antagonists

Creating compelling antagonists is key to writing engaging fiction.

ChatGPT can generate character sketches for believable antagonists based on the context of your story.

Provide ChatGPT with details like your antagonist's motivations, backstory, and relationship with the protagonist, and it will weave these elements into a well-rounded character.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as an experienced fiction writer and create an antagonist for a fantasy novel.

The antagonist is a fallen hero, once a beloved king but now driven by vengeance against the protagonist who has taken his throne.

Build a nuanced and believable character sketch.

Build tension and suspense

Writing fiction is an art that involves the delicate balance of suspense and tension.

ChatGPT can guide you on how to intricately weave tension throughout your narrative, build suspenseful situations, and keep your readers on edge.

By providing a brief description or a scenario, ChatGPT can show you how to transform it into a suspense-filled narrative.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as a seasoned fiction writer and help me build tension and suspense in this scenario:

A detective has been trying to solve a murder case for months and is now on the verge of revealing the killer.

Use flashbacks and flash-forwards effectively

Flashbacks and flash-forwards can be tricky to handle, but when done right, they can add depth to your story and characters.

ChatGPT can help you create seamless transitions between different times, ensuring they are not confusing to the reader and are effectively conveying the intended message.

You just need to provide it with the context and ask it to write a section of your story using a flashback or flash-forward.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Assist me in writing a fiction scene where my character, a retired detective, suddenly has a flashback to an unsolved case he worked on 20 years ago.

The flashback should reveal a significant clue he missed at that time.

Handle exposition without info-dumping

Exposition in fiction writing requires a delicate balance to avoid overwhelming readers with too much information, also known as info-dumping.

ChatGPT can aid you by demonstrating how to skillfully weave background information, character backstory, or world-building into your narrative in a way that feels natural and engaging.

You only need to provide a brief outline of what you want to incorporate into your story, and ChatGPT will show you how to spread it throughout your narrative effectively.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as a seasoned fiction writer and demonstrate how to incorporate exposition without resorting to an info-dump.

Here's the background information to weave into the narrative:

Implement theme and motifs into the narrative

ChatGPT can assist you in embedding themes and motifs into your narrative to add depth to your story.

By providing it with a brief overview of your plot or characters, it can suggest ways to consistently weave in your chosen theme or motif.

For example, you can ask ChatGPT how to integrate the theme of 'hope' into a post-apocalyptic story.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as an experienced fiction writer and help me implement the theme of 'hope' and the motif of 'dawn' into my post-apocalyptic story.

Here is a brief overview of the story and characters:

Maintain consistency in point of view

Maintaining a consistent point of view is crucial in writing fiction to avoid confusing the readers.

ChatGPT can help assess your narrative, identify inconsistencies in the point of view, and suggest changes to maintain a consistent perspective.

This would involve feeding the AI with your story, and it would then examine it for any deviations in the narrative perspective.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as a seasoned editor reviewing a fictional piece for consistency in point of view.

Here is the story I wrote.

Please identify any inconsistencies in the point of view and suggest how I can correct them.

Write compelling character arcs

Crafting compelling character arcs can be challenging, but ChatGPT can be a valuable tool in your fiction writing toolkit.

Whether you're fleshing out your protagonist's journey, trying to give your antagonist some depth, or working on a supporting character, ChatGPT can help you brainstorm and refine character arcs.

Simply input information about your character, such as their personality, goals, strengths, and weaknesses, and ChatGPT can suggest possible paths for their development.

ChatGPT Prompt:

As an accomplished fiction writer, help me craft a compelling character arc.

The character is a young, ambitious, but naive knight setting out on his first quest.

He is valiant, loyal, and idealistic, but his naivety often leads to trouble.

Revise for grammatical errors and typos

Writing a story is one thing, but ensuring it's error-free is another task altogether.

ChatGPT can help you catch grammatical errors and typos that might have slipped past you in your manuscript.

Just feed the text to ChatGPT and ask it to spot and correct any errors it finds.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as an experienced editor and proofreader, and go through the following excerpt from my latest fiction piece.

Identify and correct any grammatical errors and typos you find:

Seek and incorporate feedback from beta readers

ChatGPT can be an effective tool in collecting and incorporating feedback from beta readers for your fiction writing.

It can help you structure a survey or questionnaire, analyze the responses, and identify recurring themes or suggestions in the feedback.

Then, you can use these suggestions to revise and improve your writing.

ChatGPT Prompt:

As a fiction writer seeking feedback from beta readers, help me create a structured questionnaire.

Then, analyze the responses and highlight key improvements suggested by the readers for my manuscript.

Prepare a compelling book blurb

The right blurb can make all the difference in getting your book into the hands of eager readers.

ChatGPT can be your trusty assistant in crafting a compelling book blurb, capturing the essence of your story and teasing just enough to leave readers craving more.

Simply provide ChatGPT with the main elements of your plot, setting, and character dynamics, and it will weave these into an enticing blurb.

ChatGPT Prompt:

As an experienced copywriter, prepare a compelling book blurb for my fiction novel.

The story is a dystopian thriller set in a futuristic city, focusing on a young rebel leader who must defy oppressive rulers to reclaim her city and her freedom.

Write a query letter to literary agents

Getting noticed by a literary agent is a crucial step for any aspiring author, and a well-crafted query letter is your chance to make a great first impression.

ChatGPT can generate a professional and compelling query letter that will hook agents from the first sentence.

Just provide the AI with details about your manuscript, including its genre, plot, characters, and unique selling points.

ChatGPT Prompt:

As an aspiring author, I've just completed my first fiction novel.

It's a suspense thriller with a unique twist on artificial intelligence.

Write a compelling query letter to a literary agent introducing my book and expressing my enthusiasm to work with them.

Explore different genres and writing styles

Using ChatGPT, you can explore a variety of genres and writing styles to improve your fiction writing skills.

Provide it with a genre or a specific writing style you are interested in, and ask it to create a story or a part of it.

You can also ask it to rewrite a given story in a different genre or style, providing you with a fresh perspective on the same narrative.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as an experienced fiction writer and write a short suspenseful scene in a dystopian setting.

Additionally, rewrite the same scene in a comedic style for comparison.

Create a writing schedule and stick to it

Creating a consistent writing schedule is key to writing fiction.

ChatGPT can assist you in developing a writing routine that fits your lifestyle and enhances your productivity.

Just provide some details about your preferences, and ChatGPT will design a customized writing schedule for you.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as an experienced fiction writer and craft a writing schedule for me.

I can write for 2 hours on weekdays and 4 hours on weekends.

I am most productive in the morning.

Improve vocabulary and language usage.

ChatGPT can assist you in enriching your vocabulary and improving your language usage for writing fiction.

You can ask it to provide synonyms or more expressive words for common phrases, or to help with figurative language and metaphors.

Moreover, it can give examples of how to use particular words in sentences, enhancing your narrative style.

ChatGPT Prompt:

Act as an experienced fiction writer and help me improve my language usage and vocabulary.

Here is a paragraph from my novel.

Please provide suggestions to make it more engaging and expressive:

 

Conclusion

What a journey!

From igniting creative sparks for narrative arcs to drafting compelling character dialogue, perfecting plot twists, and capturing reader reactions, ChatGPT is revolutionizing the realm of fiction writing.

Consider it your co-writer when faced with writer's block, your editor for complex character development, and your imaginative ally for ingenious story crafting.

But keep this in mind:

ChatGPT is a resource, not a substitute for your own creative prowess. Combine its potential with your personal creativity for truly captivating narratives.

Now it’s your moment.

Select a couple of prompts from this guide and apply them to your next writing session, plot development, or character creation. You might be amazed at how your creativity flourishes and productivity skyrockets.

And if you’re eager to discover even more potent tools that extend beyond ChatGPT, take a peek at Galaxy.ai.

Offering an assortment of AI tools all under one roof, it’s the ultimate efficiency partner for contemporary fiction writers.

Happy writing! 🚀