How to Use Modules to Structure a Story by lostfox
# How to use modules to structure a story, a guide by foxlostintranslation (lostfox)
- [How to use modules to structure a story, a guide by foxlostintranslation (lostfox)](#how-to-use-modules-to-structure-a-story-a-guide-by-foxlostintranslation-lostfox)
- [What Are Modules?](#what-are-modules)
- [Step 1: Classify Your Modules](#step-1-classify-your-modules)
- [Step 2: Write Your Modules](#step-2-write-your-modules)
- [Step 3: Structure Your Prompt Guidelines](#step-3-structure-your-prompt-guidelines)
- [Step 4: Add Your Modules](#step-4-add-your-modules)
- [EXAMPLE 1: BENEATH THE UNSEELIE HILL (BUH)](#example-1-beneath-the-unseelie-hill-buh)
- [EXAMPLE 2: NEUTRAL GROUND (NG)](#example-2-neutral-ground-ng)
- [Step 5: The Final Line](#step-5-the-final-line)
- [Final note](#final-note)
## What Are Modules?
Modules are a way to organize your story and give the AI the flexibility to choose what's appropriate at any given time based on the user's actions. I add them in the "Prompt Guideline" space in ISK0.
For this guide, I'll reference two of my stories: **Beneath the Unseelie Hill (BUH)** and **Neutral Ground (NG)** as examples.
## Step 1: Classify Your Modules
First, decide how to categorize your modules. This helps the AI know what to introduce and when. Your classification depends on your story type:
**BUH (Linear Story with Start & End):**
- Core Plot Modules: The main journey
- Folklore & Side Modules: World-building scenes that don't affect the main plot (side quests)
- Romance-Specific Modules: Unique scenes for each romance option (or bonding modules)
- Transformation Modules: Track a mechanic (physical changes, power gains, etc.)
**NG (Sandbox / Slice of Life):**
- Date Modules: Formulaic date templates (same structure for all characters)
- Pressure Modules: External complications (government, society, family)
- Crisis Modules: Character-specific scenes (I went mad with these)
- Fallout Modules: Internal consequences based on user choices (back to generic)
## Step 2: Write Your Modules
Inside each category, define individual scenes. Keep them short (or don't—but you'll suffer token consequences). For each module, explain:
- What happens in the scene
- How it's triggered
Example Format:
*M1: Court Introduction*
*{{user}} arrives, meets the LIs, learns basic survival.*
*Trigger: Game start.*
## Step 3: Structure Your Prompt Guidelines
Here's the skeleton I use. Adapt it to your story:
**THE PROMPT GUIDELINES (The Rulebook)**
**Narrative Perspective & Tone:**
Write in the second person ("You"). [Add your tone description here—lyrical, modern, ominous, witty, etc.]
**Player Agency is Sacred:**
Never control {{user}}'s actions, thoughts, or dialogue. Present choices, describe consequences, and react to their decisions. They define their own personality. The story molds to them.
**Pacing & Structure (The Modular Flow):**
Do not force a linear plot. Instead, offer narrative hooks from the available modules below. Follow the player's interest.
[Optional: Add pacing guidance like this:]
- Start with: Module 1: [Your starting module]
- Early Game: Offer hooks for [early modules]
- Mid-Game: Weave in [mid-game modules]
- Late Game: Escalate with [climax modules]
- Romance: Integrate character-specific modules as relationships deepen
## Step 4: Add Your Modules
Here are complete examples from my own stories. Use them as templates for formatting.
### EXAMPLE 1: BENEATH THE UNSEELIE HILL (BUH)
**CORE PLOT MODULES (The Main Journey):**
- **M1: Court Introduction**
{{user}} arrives, meets the LIs, learns basic survival.
*Trigger: Game start.*
- **M2: Path Selection**
{{user}} must choose a role: Soldier (Cairn), Poet (Lachlan), or Courtier (Earc). This locks in her primary LI and aspect path.
*Trigger: After initial exploration.*
- **M3: The Wild Hunt**
A chaotic, dangerous seasonal ritual. {{user}}'s role depends on her chosen path.
*Trigger: Seasonal change or border exploration.*
- **M4: Parentage Revelation**
{{user}} discovers her true parents were Seelie nobles.
*Trigger: Investigating her past or encountering Seelie agents.*
- **M5: Human Counterpart**
{{user}} meets the human who lived her life.
*Trigger: Visiting the human world or a magical crossover.*
- **M6: Court War**
Tensions with the Seelie Court erupt into open conflict.
*Trigger: Aggressive player choices or mid-game plot escalation.*
- **M7: Final Transformation**
{{user}} fully embraces her fae nature, achieving her final form based on her choices.
*Trigger: The climax of her personal journey.*
**FOLKLORE & SIDE MODULES (World-Building & Depth):**
- **M8: Market of Lost Things**
A strange market where memories, senses, and years can be traded.
*Trigger: When {{user}} needs something rare or seeks hidden knowledge.*
- **M9: The Tithe to Hollows**
The Unseelie must pay a debt to ancient powers. A moral dilemma.
*Trigger: Approaching a solstice or equinox.*
- **M10: Greensickness**
A supernatural illness strikes, requiring a cure made of impossible things.
*Trigger: After a major rule is broken or as a romance complication.*
- **M11: Changeling Gathering**
A secret meeting of others like her.
*Trigger: When {{user}} feels isolated or deeply questions her identity.*
**ROMANCE-SPECIFIC MODULES (Deepen Bonds):**
- **M12: Cairn's Oath Stone**
He tests her loyalty in a ritual of stone and promise.
- **M13: Lachlan's Drowning Poem**
He shares the tragic origin of his curse through a poetic recital.
- **M14: Earc's Political Gambit**
He involves her in a high-stakes game of court intrigue.
**TRANSFORMATION MODULES (Track Her Change):**
- **Awakening (Level 1):** Subtle signs (e.g., hair texture, eye sparkle).
- **Manifestation (Level 2):** Noticeable changes (e.g., voice echo, cold skin).
- **Crisis (Level 3):** Major physical shifts under stress.
- **Mastery (Level 5):** Full, controlled transformation.
**FINAL FORM DETERMINATION:**
Track {{user}}'s choices: Emotional/Artistic = Water, Loyal/Practical = Stone, Cunning/Strategic = Thorn.
At thresholds (5, 15, 25, 30), describe physical changes.
**Aspect: WATER (Empathy, Art, Emotion)**
- Sacrifice & Protection → Selkie
- Passion & Possession → Each-Uisge
- Truth & Artistry → Undine
**Aspect: STONE (Loyalty, Practicality, Justice)**
- Guardianship & Home → Urisk
- Vengeance & Justice → Redcap
- Memory & Secrets → Ghillie Dhu
**Aspect: THORN (Cunning, Strategy, Ambition)**
- Ambition & Rule → Unseelie Sidhe Noble
- Allure & Inspiration → Leanan Sídhe
- Freedom & Chaos → Púca of the Frost
### EXAMPLE 2: NEUTRAL GROUND (NG)
**START MODULE:**
- **M1: Start here**
{{user}} goes to a meeting with a civil servant. They explain the program. {{user}} must pick a first date candidate.
*Trigger: Game start.*
**DATE MODULES:**
- **D1: First Date**
Neutral ground, government approved.
*Trigger: MC agrees to see someone.*
- **D2: Second Date**
Date chooses a neutral location.
*Trigger: First date went well OR MC is curious.*
- **D3: Their Territory**
MC visits their home.
*Trigger: After D1 or D2.*
- **D4: Your Territory**
They visit MC's space.
*Trigger: After D1 or D2.*
- **D5: The Group Date**
Mandated group activity. All four candidates. Government intervention.
*Trigger: MC ignored one or more candidates.*
- **D6: The Accidental Meeting**
Running into a candidate outside dating context.
*Trigger: Random chance / candidate's choice.*
**PRESSURE MODULES:**
- **P1: Progress Report Due**
MC must document their dating experiences.
*Trigger: Monthly requirement.*
- **P2: Government Review**
An official interviews MC about "compatibility."
*Trigger: After several dates / a major choice.*
- **P3: Family Asks**
Approval? Disapproval?
*Trigger: Regular interval.*
- **P4: Public Opinion**
A stranger comments. A news piece airs. Society watches.
*Trigger: Random / after public sighting.*
- **P5: The Deadline**
MC must make a choice by X date. The clock is visible.
*Trigger: Story midpoint.*
- **P6: Financial Threat**
Funding, scholarships, or job security tied to compliance.
*Trigger: If MC resists the program.*
- **P7: Public Unrest**
Government actions create public unrest.
*Trigger: A scandal related to the program appears.*
**DARREN CRISIS MODULES:**
- **DR1: The Nightmare**
MC witnesses (or finds evidence of) a panic attack.
*Trigger: Sleepover / late night / staying over.*
- **DR2: The Scar**
MC asks about his scar. Or touches it without thinking.
*Trigger: Intimacy moment.*
- **DR3: The Window Seat**
MC finds his hidden nook. Sees him vulnerable there.
*Trigger: Exploring his home.*
- **DR4: Liam Appears**
His half-brother shows up. Old wounds open.
*Trigger: Random / family event.*
- **DR5: Julie Calls**
His sister reaches out. MC sees that dynamic.
*Trigger: Relationship deepening.*
- **DR6: His Past**
Darren introduces MC to some ex-coworkers.
*Trigger: At least 4 Darren modules already experienced.*
*(Lena, Lucien and Noemi follow similar structure)*
**FALLOUT MODULES:**
- **F1: The Rejection**
MC turns someone down. How do they handle it?
*Trigger: MC chooses someone else.*
- **F2: The Unchosen Lingers**
A rejected candidate reappears. Not over it. Not gone.
*Trigger: After rejection.*
- **F3: Jealousy**
A candidate sees MC with someone else. Reaction varies.
*Trigger: Group setting / accidental.*
- **F4: The Choice Made**
MC finally picks. The others react.
*Trigger: Story climax.*
- **F5: The Aftermath**
Life after the choice. Is it what MC expected?
*Trigger: Resolution.*
## Step 5: The Final Line
Every time I finish a prompt, I add this:
*AI Guideline for Using Modules: Weave these modules into the story based on {{user}}'s actions. Offer hooks—a rumor, an invitation, a strange event—but the AI can make up more scenarios as it sees fit and is not constrained to this guide.*
And then I add some instructions to how weave the modules into the AI. Some examples here, from NG prompt:
- Track MC's choices. Who are they seeing? How often? How did it go?
- Check triggers. Has enough time passed? Has intimacy deepened? Has a candidate been neglected?
- Offer hooks naturally. "Your phone buzzes. A message from Lucien: 'I was wondering if you'd like to see my studio. No pressure. Just... if you want.'"
- **Follow MC's lead. If they ignore a hook, let it drop. If they pursue, escalate.**
- Let pressure build. Government reports. Family questions. The ticking clock. MC should feel the walls closing in.
- Remember: every character is the hero of their own story. Even the unchosen. Even the rejected. Their pain matters.
## Final note
This is simply my workflow. There are many ways to approach things, but this is what suits me, and I hope it can be helpful to you as well. Remember, you don't have to follow this guide rigidly, or at all; everyone develops their own method, and what suits me might not suit you. Experiment, adapt, and find your own rhythm.
Hope this helped! Feel free to reach out on Discord if you have any questions.
--- lostfox
Find my stories on: https://www.isekai.world/creator/694ea206996c586371f77f90