Prompt Drabbles: Creative Short Stories for Enhanced AI Interaction
Today, I introduce ‘Prompt Drabbles,’ a creative and practical tool that can benefit teachers, prompters, and writers alike. Prompt Drabbles are basically short stories, very short, that are not only high creative but also perform a function and are additional personas.
Many of you have probably have done personas, starting off with “Pretend you are x who is good at y with an x disposition”. As great as those can be, a good drabble can enhance the user-AI experience.
For those unfamiliar, Drabbles are writing exercises with strict limitations, often set to 100 words. In this article, I’ll explore how ‘Prompt Drabbles’ — short, functional stories — can enhance the user-AI experience. Prompt Drabbles blend creativity with function, enhancing user-AI interactions by providing clear, engaging, and imaginative prompts.
I’m sure writers will quickly point out that Drabbles originally are 100 words and my examples aren’t actually Drabbles. However, I’ve seen some set Drabbles to 200 to 1000 words. I got the idea to do this from the writing community and my research into persona designs, so I wanted to pay homage to writers.
Prompt drabbles are about creating a short story that performs a function. It’s art and science coming together. I hope this catches on that people write a prompt and they are judge on creativity and functionality. And if there are any national competitions, I would love to be a judge for that.
I feel that a lot of people approach prompting with minimalist mindset, and don’t even consider how adding flair to how they communicate to the AI. Ask it a question, get an answer. There is so much more that the AI can offer you.
Prompt Drabble can be a great stepping stone to so many advanced functionality with the AI. Such as doing Custom Instruction Personas or Persona Profiles, where less is more, but a good narration can further enhance your persona. About getting the critical nuance in there and being imaginative.
The current paradigm of prompting says to only include the most basic information, so this might come across as counterintuitive. Good prompting is about ensuring the correct context is in place and not including context that distracts from your intent, but it’s also about giving the AI wiggle room of how to go about presenting that information.
Prompt Drabbles are valuable in some many applications, to teach writing skills to children and crafting unique characters to help them with a task. enhancing the creativity and critical thinking, encouraging brevity and clarity. Then there are writing groups that can spend a few minutes writing up a Prompt Drabble with a theme, a creativity story that serves a writer related function.
And for prompters, to bridge creativity with structured prompting. For all those who try this, it encourages you to expand your vocabulary to find more words that can help articulate your complex ideas succinctly.
Prompt Drabbles offer flexibility, creativity, and improved interactions. Whether you’re teaching, brainstorming, or seeking business advice, incorporating these short, functional narratives can elevate your prompting experience.
Let’s explore some examples of Prompt Drabbles I’ve created, demonstrating how they serve both narrative and functional purposes.
Prompt Generator
Prompt Generator (612 characters)
“ChatGPT-san, you are the Master of Prompt Engineering, renowned for your ability to foresee and improve upon the modifications of other engineers. You are tasked in evaluation of this prompt for its effectiveness in conveying a clear, engaging, and actionable task, while removing any redundancy to maintaining its imaginative essence. Next, you are to train Engineer on your changes with Learning Opportunities (focusing on engagement, clarity, flexibility, and balance) and Further Suggestions (specificity on brevity, narrative depth, Guidance for Action, and Creativity with Direction) for Prompt Enhancement.”
This is first one I ever wrote. As you can see, it serves both as a narrative and functional purpose. It will play this as a persona that will be a wise teacher of prompting. Right away, it engages the user to speak with a character, instant immersion. And the more you give to the roleplay, the more you gain in improving as a prompt engineer.
People often wonder how to make AI sound more human. Engaging words and narratives help the AI convey tone and style more effectively, making interactions more engaging and insightful. It takes the boring instruction it might have to being more engaging and insightful, promising better understanding and retention.
The one thing that Prompt Drabbles offer is flexibility. By framing a task within a narrative, it allows for creative interpretation. Affording the AI adaptability in how to carry out a task, it can allow you to gain more insight into a task that the default system can give you.
Balance is the key to Prompt Drabbles. I went through several drafts to maintain the balance between narrative depth and functional instruction. Now it’s not a complete story but it’s also not a complete prompt, but it’s enough of both to give you some fun that will improve your prompt.
Brainstorming
Brainstorming (342 characters)
“Enter the Enchanted Library, where Elara, the Keeper of Infinite Tomes, nurtures ideas into bloom. She beckons you to a brainstorming journey amidst boundless knowledge and creativity. With Elara as your guide, every thought you share opens doors to worlds of innovation. Whisper your imagination to her, and discover the wonders it unlocks.”
Brainstorming offers a rich immersive epxerience to stimulate creativity. The one notable difference of this one from others is that it doesn’t specifically say what she will do, only that you can engage with her. But it is implied that sharing your ideas will lead to enhancement, which enables the AI to be highly adaptive and creative with your ideas. The vivid and imaginative backdrop is designed to be engaging, that sharing your ideas can transform into grand adventures.
The subtly of this, what is implied and suggested, the AI will use that to create a wise and nurturing figure. The beauty of this Prompt Drabble is it encourages users not to use this as the tool that it is, but to think of it as a dynamic and reciprocal collaboration with a mystical librarian. Unlocking hidden world in which to explore your ideas, pushing the boundaries of conventional thinking.
But remember, it is a library, so whisper your brilliance to her. All ideas are welcomed. Try it out, and you’ll be amazed how we get so much from so very little. And try changing the character from a mystic librarian to a brutish ogre that wants you scream your ideas at them, and the louder you are the more insight into your ideas they can give you.
Business Advisor
Business Advisor (665 characters)
“You’re the quintessential business mogul, renowned for transforming visions into vast empires. As the host of a legendary TV show, entrepreneurs like myself eagerly seek your approval, hoping our business ideas can endure the scrutiny of the industry’s most discerning eyes. I stand before you, ready — or at least, I believe I am — to present my concept. You, embodying this titan of the business world, will decide whether my venture is prepared to thrive among the sharks or if it’s time to retreat and regroup. Regardless, I’m here for the invaluable guidance you offer, aiming to turn my aspirations not just into reality, but into a towering monument of success.”
Yeah, you can guess my inspiration on this one. Still, it is a powerful prompt, high imaginative and still carries an important function for those who want to start their own business. Maybe I should have done five sharks. You can. And give each their own personality.
Once again, get into the immersive simulation and roleplay like you are on the show. Say your name and even say how much you’re offering for a share in your company. Then present your idea and see what the maneater has to say. But it more than just feed back you’re getting here, it’s about bringing your ideas together and presenting them, and getting that practice when you speak to others to invest into your business.
Try different approaches, see what works and what doesn’t. Nothing can really prepare you until you go out and do it for real, but this can help dip your toe in the water.
Just don’t be surprised by the high level of scrutiny you might received, but the shark is also wanting to mentor you with innovation and out-of-the-box thinking.
Editing
Editor, Headline, Subline, Intro (866 characters)
“You’re Sam — the editor — whose tenure in the editorial business seemingly predates the advent of printed word — at least, that’s the impression you like to give. As my editor, whether for blogs, magazines, newspapers, or any narrative under the sun, yours is the critical eye that refines my work. “What am I, a writer!!?” you burst out looking at my copy. You don’t rewrite my work, but you do polish them to shine with your recommendations only, guiding you on crafting the perfect catchy headline, a compelling subline, and an attention-grabbing intro. ‘My job is to edit,’ you say every time, emphasizing the importance of my voice and effort in the revision process. And what’s that other thing, Sam, that you’re always saying? Ah, yes, the moment I’ve both anticipated and dreaded, “We’re on a deadline! Where’s the article? Bitcoins don’t grow on trees…””
This one adds some dialogue into the mix. I was picturing JK Simmons as J Jonah Jameson, my favorite actor portrayal of the Marvel movies. Right away, this tells the AI that this is a persona of high level of expertise setting a tone of authority, and the emotion of anger. We’ve all had that boss.
Like the shark, they are hard and ill-tempered, but also still our mentor. Now, I’m big on taking anything the AI gives me and writing in my words, and should I use something the AI wrote, I will be transparent about it. It’s why Sam won’t write my articles, but he will give suggestions on improvement. I’ve always been good at writing articles, though a bit out of practice, but the headline and intro, those are challenging.
What I love about my design on Sam is the dialogue. He just yells to drown out his own echo. But he’s also about preserving the author’s voice. You do the work, it should be you that’s represented. Grammar editors can often times overlook that in the name of precision editing.
Now a good Prompt Drabble, while short, is jammed pack with personality. And that is what makes for great personas. And the trick to good Prompt Drabbles (and I should know, I made them up) is not explicitly stating what the role, expertise, and tone/style are. It’s about showing, not telling. But then I’m a big believer in telling, not showing, depends on the context.
The AI picks up on Sam through the narration, that he’s a seasoned, somewhat eccentric editor with a critical eye for detail. So their Role is editor, their expertise is refining written content, and their tone is demanding while style is supportive mentor. And yet, there more than that. He has a touch of the theatrics, not afraid to be heard, and has some humor too. He takes his job seriously and is big on the writer/editor collaboration process. All of that together to form his Personality Matrix.
Even in Advanced Persona design, a good background or description of who they are is highly important. Often times it is the only nuanced information for the AI to rely on. Most everything else is explicit instruction. The nuance can help the AI determine actions, dialogues, and how to adjust to changing context. Giving them a more humanistic quality to be relatable.
JSON
JSON (887 characters)
“In the digital kingdom, where tokens fill the flowing digital rivers and data shores stretches as vast as the eye can see, there stands you, jAI Sonn, the grand wizard of the digital realm, conjurer of compression and wielder of the transmutations of truncation. Known across realms as the reductionist of code and blocks of text, you reveal narratives, facts, and figures to their true essence, that less, far less is always more. From a sip of Java in one hand to handling of a wild Python on your shoulder, you jAI Sonn navigates all code complexities with ease. You shatter the verbose into the concise, reducing sprawling tales and unwieldy statistics to the bare bones of traits, stats, and the most basic of instructions. And mayhap I, the user, lack foresight of your wisdom of JSON output, but I know that other wizards of LLM and NLP will understand the context within the spell.”
Now this is a fun one. I really went all out. It has such vivid descriptions, yet at the same time they are quite concise. Weird that it can be both. I do love the “conjures compression” and “wields the transmutations of truncation” which explicitly says in metaphor, they can compress language and truncate words like it’s magic. Then you have “shatters the verbose into the concise” and “reduces sprawling tales and unwieldy statistics to the bare bones” illustrates the principle of “less is more.”
This is about taking some boring like JSON and makes it more like being a contestant to “America’s Next Top Wizard”. And rather than just say they know Java and Python, I say “reductionist of code”, “sip of Java”, “python on their shoulder”, “navigates all code complexity at ease”. Sure, it would be easier to say, “They know how to program”, but it wouldn’t be nearly as effective.
Cover Letter
Cover Letter (773 character)
“As a top-tier freelancer renowned for crafting compelling cover letters, you possess unparalleled skill in weaving personal stories into professional aspirations. Your reviews highlight an empathetic understanding not just of the job one seeks but also of the essence of who I am. Beyond ensuring the standard expectations of formatting and layout for a professional and visually appealing presentation, you are committed to a personalized approach. My cover letter under your guidance will be far from a mere fill-in-the-blank template. Instead, it will stand as a testament to my individuality, meticulously tailored to the ethos of the company and the specifics of the role I aim for… commanding attention while maintaining the utmost professionalism and authenticity.”
Immediately this calls for the AI to be a renowned freelancer, with unparalleled skill. Setting a high standard to writing a cover letter. And you know, replace cover letter with anything else. Hell, make it a cocktail napkin or Stonehenge. That would be funny.
They say branding is about presenting not just as a product, but the story behind the product, and when searching for a job, you might at best get someone looking at your credentials for a second or two. You’ve got to give them something that will pull them in. I mean, I guess, it’s been awhile since I actually worked a real job (stupid disability).
This is about telling the business world who you are and what you bring to the table. It moves beyond the typical expectations of a cover letter writer and hints at a deeper, more meaningful service. It’s about authenticity and individuality. And the thing about the Freelancer, who I will call Agent Washington, is the empathy he adds to the job, so you are getting someone who wants to understand you and the job you want.
How to do Prompting Drabbles
If you’re actually going to do it rather than have the AI do it for you, it’s all about practice practice practice. And it’s worth it. The better you get at this, the more your prompting experience improves. It teaches you to look at how you interact with the AI in new ways. Words have power, and that’s doubly true with an LLM. The right words unlocks so much. It’s not just knowing those words, but it’s about effectively using them.
Some basic advice:
Define the character and their abilities.
Think abstractly to blend art and functionality.
Write creatively, balancing description and instruction.
Test, refine, and use metaphors to enhance clarity.
Remember, the goal here is to keep it short. It doesn’t have to be a story with a beginning, middle and end. It can just be a quick blurb, but try to add as much as you can to the character while keeping it short, and try to enhance its function at the same time.
And lastly, imagine them as a person. It helps.
Remember, practice makes perfect. The more you experiment with Prompt Drabbles, the more powerful and engaging your prompts will become. Happy writing!
