Settings & Themes
Settings
Settings are the locations in your story. Each setting is included in AI context to help generate immersive, consistent scene descriptions.
Creating a Setting
Open the Settings tab and click + Add Setting. Fill in:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Name | The location name as it appears in prose |
| Description | What the place looks like, its layout, history |
| Atmosphere | The mood or feeling the place evokes |
| Sensory Details | Specific sights, sounds, smells, textures |
Example Setting
Name: The Harwick Lighthouse
Description: A decommissioned lighthouse on a rocky promontory,
three miles north of the town. The keeper's cottage is attached,
now converted to a small residence.
Atmosphere: Isolated, liminal — a place between land and sea,
between the living and the past.
Sensory Details: Salt wind, the groan of the iron lantern room
door, weathered whitewash that comes off on your hands,
the smell of old lamp oil that never fully leaves.
Sensory details are the most useful field for scene generation. Specific details like "the smell of old lamp oil" appear organically in AI-generated prose when the AI knows them.
Themes
Themes define the core ideas and motifs woven through your story. Themes help the AI make subtle thematic references and maintain tonal consistency.
Creating a Theme
Open the Themes tab and click + Add Theme. Fill in:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Theme | The core idea (e.g., "The weight of inherited secrets") |
| Motifs | Recurring symbols or images that reinforce this theme |
Example Theme
Theme: The weight of inherited secrets
Motifs: Locked boxes, water (tide coming in), mirrors showing
things slightly wrong, handwriting that resembles but isn't yours
The AI uses theme and motif definitions to:
- Subtly reference the theme in scene descriptions
- Choose imagery that reinforces your motifs
- Avoid tonal choices that conflict with your story's backbone
Theme vs. Beat
Themes are not plot — they're the ideas underneath the plot. Your beats say what happens; your themes say what it means. Both inform the AI simultaneously.