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Okudu

How to create great stories?

One question we keep getting is this, how can I create truly special stories, the way I imagine them?

Okudu is simple! You can create fascinating stories without entering any info, but if you like to make it truly unique and yours, fill in as many of the fields as relevant. This is not to say fill in every field though, it is absolutely okay to leave fields blank e.g. if you do not want the story to convey a moral value then simply leave it blank.

Something to keep in mind is that the stories shape according to your goals and audience. e.g. if you choose a language proficiency level then Okudu will consider your goal as learning a language and create simpler stories that aim to teach that language. So, if your goal is to focus on the story then keep Proficiency as Native. Similarly, if you want to create a story fitting for certain ages then choose an age group in the Audience Age. Again similarly, if you are not writing for a specific age group, then leave Audience Age as General.

We provide many options to customize; write your inputs in the most relevant field. If something you have in mind isn’t directly available as a field, you can enter that into the Other instructions field in Additional options.

Reminder: Avoid conflicting info. Often we see users adding conflicting information in different fields.

Pro tip #1: Give creative direction of what should happen “Write your own”. If the stories do not follow some part of your input, review your inputs to make your point more clear and direct. Sometimes an important point for you may be lost in the clutter of other information so consider making your inputs concise and clear.

Pro tip #2: Use positive language instead of negatives i.e. focus on DOs rather than DON’Ts.

Pro tip #3: Use Library > Edit > Refine Blueprint to see the Primary Plot the system has created for you. This plot is created to help guide the AI to have proper depth and coherence throughout the chapters but it might differ from what you have in mind. The plot auto-adapts to your decisions at chapter ends however if you have a certain plot in mind, and want AI to more closely follow your plan updating this field can help.

Pro tip #4: History field helps provide the past context for a book. This is auto-generated for sequels and you can update it to ensure it has the important details of the prequel(s). Find this field in Library > Edit > Blueprint.

Characters

Is a character acting in a way you do not expect? Consider adding more character background information via Blueprint.

Do you want to remove a character introduced by AI? Remove the character from the story via Blueprint, and also Edit the character out from the earlier chapters if you do not want any mention of that character.

Do you want a certain character development? Consider adding a character arc as part of Blueprint > Primary Plot.

Pacing

Is the story progressing too fast or too slow? Here are some tips:

  1. Make sure to select the right story length e.g. if the length is Novelette then it would go into less depth compared to a Novel
  2. Consider adding a writing style in Additional options, e.g. maybe a slow burn?
  3. In Write your own section consider mentioning to take events and specifying the beginning and ending points of the coming chapter.
  4. Adjust the Primary Plot to match what you have in mind: Library > Edit > Refine Blueprint

What to do if a chapter is not as you expect it to be?

You have a few ways to improve:

  1. Edit: You can update certain parts of the chapter exactly as you see fit. The system then re-processes those and uses the updated content for the future chapters’ creation. Tap center of the story reading screen > Edit, then update and save. New chapters you create after these changes would take the changes into account.
  2. Reimagine: If you want to change your choice at the end of the previous chapter, or you simply did not like how things have turned out, you can re-make your choice and the system can rewrite that chapter from scratch. If you “Write your own” creative direction, specify what should happen in that chapter, not what should change. Tap center of the story reading screen > Reimagine, then wait for the system to write the new version. Reimagine takes into account the Blueprint as well as the previous chapters but not the chapters after.
  3. Blueprint: Library > Edit > Refine Blueprint to update your story setup. These changes would be taken into account for chapters you create afterwards.