The Basics – Sudowrite

The world of AI-assisted writing has come a long way over the past few years. If you’re here, you’re probably wondering, how does this thing work and how can I get the most out of it?

Like any creative tool, the person wielding it is ultimately responsible for the quality of results. This is great, because it means the writing you get from Sudowrite will be different from what everyone else gets, and there’s no limit to what you can create.

1.) Sudowrite works by reading your text, and then generating text based on what it sees

This has a couple of important implications:

The more specific stuff you put in your document the better - Sudowrite needs to see enough to understand what story you’re trying to tell in order to give you good results. Try writing, or pasting in, at least a few paragraphs to get it started in the right direction.

Junk in, junk out - Sudowrite assumes that everything you’ve included (in your document, Story Bible, etc.) is something that you like. That means that if you leave AI-generated stuff you’re not crazy about in your doc, Sudowrite will keep giving you more suggestions you’re not crazy about. To get better suggestions, make sure the substance and form of what’s in your project is at a level you like.

Different features see different things - If there’s important information you want Write to take into account before generating text, make sure it’s in your document, the Key Details box in Write Settings, or your Story Bible. Or, in Guided mode, tell Sudowrite what to write and it will follow your instructions. Click the drop down arrow directly to the right of the Write button to find these options. Meanwhile, the History card in the right column will displays “chiclets” that highlight what context Sudowrite took into account while doing its thing.

2.) Sudowrite is kind of random (on purpose)

Think of Sudowrite suggestions as pitches from a writing partner. You can take them, leave them, or improve them to get the best result. A “yes, and” mindset is ideal for working with AI (just like with humans)!

Sometimes Sudowrite will say something that seems super random. That doesn’t mean you did anything wrong, or that there’s a problem with Sudowrite—but it does mean you should try to understand why the AI made that choice. Try a second time, and see if you get better results. If not, or if you find you have to press the button 3-5 times to get a result you like… 👇

3.) There’s always a way to improve your results

Choosing the right feature can help you get better results

Write

Auto is for when you don’t know what should come next and you just want to see what the AI comes up with.

Guided is for when you have an idea of what should happen but want Sudowrite to draft it for you.

Describe gives you suggestions for rich sensory details—sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste—that you can add to any moment or object.

Rewrite improves phrasing, flow, or tone in an existing passage.

Brainstorm helps generate lists of ideas: names, powers, plot twists, worldbuilding elements, and more.

First Draft generates an extended scene (typically 800–1,000+ words) based on an outline or set of notes.

Expand adds length to your draft—whether that means slowing pacing or fleshing out a moment. (Tip: Use Describe if what you need is added detail.)

Plugins are customizable tools that extend Sudowrite’s core functionality. Use them to tweak tone, change POV, enhance dialogue, or build your own custom tool by describing what you want Sudowrite to do.

Scenes (found in the Draft tool) are a structured way to outline and generate your chapters. Each scene focuses on a specific time, place, or POV, and supports Extra Instructions to guide tone, pacing, and style. (Note: Scenes replaced the older Beats system.)

Draft is a way to generate an entire chapter of 3,000-5,000+ words at a time, based on the Scenes you’ve established.

If you’re not getting the kind of results you want after trying a few times - look at the input you gave Sudowrite. Ask yourself “Why would Sudowrite think this is OK?”. You will probably be able to find a reason, or an opportunity to clarify.

Example: You are writing a werewolf story and you wrote that the moon is showing, but Sudowrite’s Write feature is not suggesting that the character turn into a werewolf. Isn’t it obvious that should happen? Solution: Inspect the Write card’s chiclets (in the History column) and make sure Sudowrite looked at your Character card… if it did, make sure the detail that the character is a wereworlf is included!

If the writing you’re getting is not in your voice, look at your document and remove anything that isn’t a match to what you’d like Sudowrite to write for you. Or, use Rewrite to improve it.