A good AI writing prompt says five things: who the text is for, what happened, what you want it to do, how long and in what tone, and what to leave out. End with "only the message" so you get the text and nothing around it. Below are prompts to copy for emails, messages, stories and rewriting. Swap the parts in square brackets for your own details.
If you came for the other kind of writing prompt, an idea to start your own story from, there is a short list near the end, and the writing prompt generator makes more.
The five parts of a prompt
- Who it is for. Your manager, a friend of ten years, a shop you have never written to.
- The facts. What happened, with the dates and names. The AI knows nothing you do not tell it.
- The job. What the text should get done: a refund, a yes, a meeting, a laugh.
- Length and tone. "Under 80 words, friendly but firm."
- What to leave out. No apology, no exclamation marks, no "I hope this finds you well".
Then the closing line: "Only the email." Without it you may get a greeting, the text, and a paragraph of notes.
The difference it makes:
Write an email asking for a refund.
Write an email to the customer service team at a furniture shop. I ordered a desk on 3 March. It arrived with a cracked leg, and I sent photos on the 5th and got no reply. I want a full refund, not a replacement. Firm and polite, under 120 words, no threats. Only the email.
The first gets you a form letter with gaps to fill. The second gets you something close to sendable.
Prompts for emails
To ask for something:
Write an email to [who, and how well I know them]. I need [the thing] by [when] because [reason]. Put the ask in the first two sentences. Polite, direct, under 100 words. Only the email.
To say no:
Write a reply to [who] turning down [what they asked]. The real reason: [reason]. I can offer [an alternative, or nothing]. Kind and clear, no long apology, under 80 words. Only the reply.
To chase a reply:
Write a follow-up to [who]. I sent [what] on [date] and have heard nothing. I need [an answer or decision] by [date]. Friendly, short, no guilt. Under 60 words. Only the email.
To answer a complaint:
Reply to this email from an unhappy [customer or colleague]: [paste it]. What actually happened: [facts]. What I can do: [the fix]. Say sorry for the specific thing, say what happens next, and promise nothing I have not listed. Under 120 words. Only the reply.
If you would rather answer a few questions than fill in brackets, the AI email writer does the same from your notes. For the hard ones there are guides to saying no politely and replying to an angry email.
Prompts for messages
To reply to a text:
Here is a text from [who they are to me]: [paste it]. I want to say [the gist]. Write it the way I text: [short, lower case, no emoji, or however you write]. One version. Only the message.
To check in on someone:
[Name] is having a hard time because [what happened]. Write a short text from me that shows I am thinking of them and offers [one real thing I can do]. No advice and no silver linings. Under 40 words. Only the message.
For a card:
Write a birthday message for [who they are to me]. Use these details: [two or three real things about them]. Warm, a bit funny, three sentences, no clichés. Only the message.
The text reply generator handles the first of these in one step.
Prompts for stories
For ideas before you commit to one:
Give me ten story ideas about [a subject or a setting]. One sentence each: a person, what they want, and what is in the way. No chosen ones, no dreams, no twist where none of it was real.
For a single scene:
Write one scene of about 400 words. [Two characters, and what each wants from the other.] It takes place in [place]. They never say what they want out loud. End in the middle of the conversation. Only the scene.
For notes on your own draft:
Here is my story: [paste it]. Do not rewrite it. Tell me the three places where it drags or confuses, quote the line each time, and say why in one sentence.
How to write a short story with an AI story writer has a full prompt for a whole story and shows how to edit what comes back.
Prompts for rewriting
To shorten:
Cut this to half its length without losing any fact: [paste it]. Keep my wording where you can. Only the shorter version.
To make it plainer:
Rewrite this in plain English for someone who does not know the subject: [paste it]. Short sentences, no jargon, the same facts. Only the rewrite.
To put it in your voice:
Here is something I wrote: [a sample]. Here is a draft that does not sound like me: [the draft]. Rewrite the draft in the voice of the sample. Change no facts. Only the rewrite.
To change the tone:
Make this firmer without being rude: [paste it]. Keep it the same length. Only the rewrite.
To proofread:
Fix the spelling, grammar and punctuation in this and change nothing else: [paste it]. Then list what you changed.
How to make AI write like you goes further into the voice prompt.
When the result is off
Do not start again. Say what is wrong, in the same chat, one thing at a time.
| What came back | What to add |
|---|---|
| Too long | A word limit |
| Too formal | "The way I would say it out loud", and who it is for |
| Details you never gave | "Only use the facts I gave. If something is missing, ask me." |
| Three versions and a note | "One version. Only the message." |
| It sounds like AI | A sample of your own writing to match, and a ban on stock phrases |
| It could be from anyone | More facts: names, dates, what was actually said |
Check the draft before you use it. An AI can add a detail that sounds right and is not, and you are the only one who knows.
Writing prompts for you, not the AI
A writing prompt in the older sense is a starting point for your own writing. Five to try, ten minutes each:
Write about a key that no longer opens anything.
Two strangers share a taxi, and one of them is lying about where they are going.
Describe a kitchen so the reader knows someone has just left it for good.
A letter arrives thirty years late.
The last day of a job that nobody will ever do again.
The writing prompt generator writes a set to order: say what you write, the genre and how long you have.
Doing it with Hemmingway
All the prompts above work in Hemmingway, and some parts you can leave out. Hemmingway-1 was trained to give you the text itself, one version, so you rarely need to ask for "only the message". In the app, People holds who each person is to you and Memory holds facts it should know, so a prompt can be as short as "tell Jo I can't do Friday, offer Monday". Read what comes back, change anything you would not say, and send it yourself. There is a free trial with no card needed.
Try HemmingwayDownload the app
Common questions
What is a good prompt for AI writing?
One that says who the text is for, what happened, what you want it to achieve, how long and in what tone, and what to leave out. Finish with "only the message" so you get the text without notes around it.
How do I get AI to write in my style?
Paste two or three things you have written and ask it to match them, and say who the new text is for. Describing your style in a line also helps: short sentences, no exclamation marks, first names.
Why does AI ignore part of my prompt?
Usually because the prompt asks for things that pull against each other, or the key instruction is buried in the middle. Put the facts first and the rules last, keep the rules few, and correct the draft in a follow-up message.
Do these prompts work in any AI tool?
Yes. They are plain instructions, so any chat assistant can follow them. The results differ from one model to another, mostly in how much editing the draft needs.
What is a writing prompt?
It can mean two things: an instruction you give an AI so that it writes for you, or a short idea that gets you started on your own writing. This page has both.