Prompt Guides

Words as a creative instrument

Specific enough to begin.
Open enough to explore.

A prompt is a working description, not a password. Give the idea a center, add a handful of useful cues, then leave room for an unexpected direction.

A reusable practice

01
Name the center
Say what the work is about before adding atmosphere. A clear subject or purpose gives every other detail somewhere to land.
02
Choose details with a job
Add a setting, mood, style, or point of view when it changes the result you imagine. A few intentional cues are easier to revise than a wall of adjectives.
03
Revise by contrast
After a first try, pick one quality to shift: quieter, closer, more spacious, or more energetic. Keep the parts you like and change one direction at a time.

Copy, adapt, make it yours

Starting point

[subject] in [setting], with [two defining details]. The mood is [feeling]; frame it as [viewpoint or composition].

Useful for a still image, a scene, or a visual reference.

Starting point

[subject] begins by [action], then [change or moment]. Set it in [place or atmosphere], viewed [camera or movement direction].

Useful for describing a short sequence as one changing moment.

Starting point

A [mood] piece for [context], with [broad sound or instrument qualities] and [energy or pacing].

Useful for setting a broad sonic direction without over-specifying.

Bracketed phrases are places to make your own choices—not required syntax. Plain language is a fine place to start.