story-generator

Story Generator

This skill generates complete graphic novel narratives about physicists and scientists for intelligent textbooks built with MkDocs Material.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• The user requests a new graphic novel story about a scientist or physicist
• Adding a story to a Physics History Graphic Novels section
• Creating educational narrative content with image prompts for AI image generation
• The user mentions "story", "graphic novel", or "narrative" about a historical scientist

Story Structure

Each story follows a consistent structure designed to engage high school students:

Required Components

1. YAML Frontmatter - Title, description, social media image paths
2. Cover Image - With detailed generation prompt in <details> block
3. Narrative Prompt - Background context for generating the story
4. Prologue - Hook introducing the scientist's significance
5. Chapters (12-14) - Each with narrative text, image placeholder, and image prompt
6. Epilogue - Lessons table summarizing what made the scientist successful
7. Call to Action - Inspiring message connecting to readers
8. Quotes - 2-3 memorable quotes from the scientist
9. References - Academic sources (can use placeholders initially)

Image Prompt Requirements

Every image prompt must specify:

• Wide-landscape 16:9 format
• Period-appropriate art style (e.g., "Victorian", "Art Nouveau", "Renaissance")
• Specific scene details and characters
• Color palette guidance
• Emotional tone and mood

Workflow

Step 1: Gather Information

Before writing, identify:

• The scientist's name and birth/death years
• Key discoveries or contributions
• Central theme (e.g., "overcoming doubters", "persistence through failure")
• Historical period and appropriate art style
• 3-5 key life events that form the narrative arc

Step 2: Create Story Directory

mkdir -p docs/stories/<scientist-name>

Use lowercase with hyphens for directory names (e.g., nikola-tesla, marie-curie).

Step 3: Write the Story

Create docs/stories/<scientist-name>/index.md with the following structure:

---
title: <Catchy Title> - <Scientist Name>'s <Theme>
description: A graphic-novel story of how <brief description>...
image: /stories/<scientist-name>/cover.png
og:image: /stories/<scientist-name>/cover.png
twitter:image: /stories/<scientist-name>/cover.png
social:
   cards: false
---

# <Catchy Title>: <Subtitle>

![Cover image](./cover.png)
<details>
<summary>Cover Image Prompt</summary>
[Detailed cover image generation prompt - 16:9 format, period style, composition details]
</details>

<details>
    <summary>Narrative Prompt</summary>
[Background context and style guide for the entire story]
</details>

### Prologue – <Hook Title>

[Opening narrative establishing the scientist's importance]

![](./image-01.png)
<details><summary>Image Prompt</summary>
[Detailed image prompt for prologue scene]
</details>

## Chapter 1 – <Chapter Title>

[Chapter narrative...]

![](./image-02.png)
<details><summary>Image Prompt</summary>
[Image prompt...]
</details>

[Continue for 12-14 chapters...]

### Epilogue – What Made <Scientist> Different?

[Summary of lessons learned]

| Challenge | How <Scientist> Responded | Lesson for Today |
|-----------|---------------------------|------------------|
| ... | ... | ... |

### Call to Action

[Inspiring message connecting to readers]

---

*"Quote from scientist"*
—<Scientist Name>

---

## References

1. [Title](PLACEHOLDER) - Description
[Continue with 4-6 references]

Important: Always use .png extension for image references (not .jpg).

Step 4: Add to Navigation

Edit mkdocs.yml to add the story in chronological order by birth year:

- Stories:
    - Overview: stories/index.md
    - <Scientist Name> - <Title>: stories/<scientist-name>/index.md

Reference chronological order:

• Archimedes (287 BC)
• Galileo (1564)
• Newton (1643)
• Faraday (1791)
• Tesla (1856)
• Marie Curie (1867)
• Rutherford (1871)
• Lise Meitner (1878)
• Einstein (1879)
• Chien-Shiung Wu (1912)
• Vera Rubin (1928)

Step 5: Add Grid Card to Stories Index

Edit docs/stories/index.md to add a card using MkDocs Material grid format:

- **[<Story Title>](<scientist-name>/index.md)**

    ![<Scientist Name>](./<scientist-name>/cover.png)
    <2-4 sentence compelling description emphasizing the story's theme>

Writing Guidelines

Target Audience

• High school students (grades 9-12)
• Age 14-18
• Introductory physics background
• Reading level: accessible but not dumbed down

Narrative Style

• Use active voice and vivid descriptions
• Include dialogue when historically appropriate
• Balance drama with educational accuracy
• Emphasize the human story behind discoveries
• Show struggles, failures, and persistence
• Connect historical events to modern technology

Theme Development

Choose a central theme that resonates with teenagers:

• Overcoming doubters and skeptics
• Persistence through failure
• Self-education and curiosity
• Fighting against discrimination
• Seeing what others couldn't see
• Staying humble despite success

Historical Accuracy

• Research key dates, events, and relationships
• Use historically accurate details in image prompts
• Note any creative liberties in the narrative prompt
• Include verifiable quotes when possible

Art Style Reference by Era

Checklist

After completing a story, verify:

• Story directory created: docs/stories/<name>/
• index.md has full narrative and all image prompts
• All image references use .png extension
• YAML frontmatter has title, description, and image paths
• Added to mkdocs.yml navigation in chronological order
• Grid card added to docs/stories/index.md
• 12-14 chapters with consistent structure
• Epilogue includes lessons table
• References section present (placeholders OK initially)
• Image prompts specify 16:9 format and period style