Longform: settings, characters, and story design
This page covers Inspiration and references, Worlds and settings, Story design, and Characters and relationships in the longform workbench.
Start with what drives the story
In Story core (故事核心), specify the protagonist, goal, resistance, cost, and main plot. Settings serve the story; a background encyclopedia without character action can also lead generation to merely describe the setting.
In Creative rules (创作规则), add viewpoint, style, tone, prohibitions, and consistency requirements. “Do not change the protagonist's identity” is more testable than “write better.”
Start from an idea or existing material
Short ideas suit Inspiration reverse-building (灵感反推); a novel manuscript suits Document import (文档导入); a reference work suits Project references and analysis (项目参考与分析). See import and references.
Check AI-proposed settings before adoption. Do not treat proprietary characters or plots from a reference work as your original setting.
Worlds and locations
Maintain real or fictional rules, world origins, natural and cultural environments, power systems, and historical timelines as needed. The location library and maps express spatial relations; the story timeline records when plot events actually happen.
For multiple worlds, define each world's scope and connecting passages. Misfiled records affect later retrieval; check the current world before editing.
When multiple story-progress or crossing records have no name yet, retrieval distinguishes them by record identity instead of treating a shared category as a content conflict. Named records retain their existing conflict checks. Review the corresponding records before continuing generation when an actual duplicate or contradiction is reported.
Where to edit power systems
In the longform workspace, open World and settings → World origin → Power system (世界与设定 → 世界起源 → 力量体系). Maintain the overview, structured rules, and level entries on one page. Structured rules include the system name, description, level list, and cultivation constraints. World settings in the world engine uses the same entry.
The separate Power system navigation item has been removed; old links open the power tab within World origin. Existing overviews, structured rules, and record identities are preserved without automatically overwriting each other. Review inconsistencies before editing. For multiple worlds, select the current world before changing its rules.
Characters and relationships
Manage protagonists, supporting characters, NPCs, and passersby by category. Record action-relevant motivations, personality, goals, weaknesses, history, and relationships. When completing a character with AI, check the selected fields and preserve established details.
The relationship graph explains connections. After prose introduces a new relationship or knowledge change, review the relevant candidates; editing a profile alone does not update all history.
A practical preparation checklist
- The chapter has a goal that can become action.
- Key characters' goals conflict or constrain one another.
- Required locations and rules are clear.
- Creative rules do not contradict one another.
- This round's AI candidates have been confirmed.