| name | story-generator |
| description | This skill generates graphic novel narratives about physicists and scientists for intelligent textbooks. It creates compelling, historically-accurate stories with image prompts designed for high school students. Use this skill when the user wants to add a new scientist story to the Physics History Graphic Novels section of an MkDocs Material textbook, or when creating educational graphic novel content about historical scientists. |
Story Generator
This skill generates complete graphic novel narratives about key contributors to various subjects for intelligent textbooks built with MkDocs Material markdown. The stories are designed to be inspirational, engaging and educational for high school students, with a focus on historical accuracy and compelling storytelling. Each story includes detailed image prompts for AI image generation of each panel, ensuring a visually rich experience that complements the narrative. Each panel image is followed by a short 3-4 sentence narrative that provides context and emotional depth to the scene depicted, making the story accessible and engaging for high school students.
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
- YAML Frontmatter - Title, description, social media image paths
- Cover Image - With detailed generation prompt in
<details> block
- Narrative Prompt - Background context for generating the story
- Prologue - Hook introducing the scientist's significance
- Chapters (12-14) - Each with narrative text, image placeholder, and image prompt for the panel
- Epilogue - Lessons table summarizing what made the scientist successful
- Call to Action - Inspiring message connecting to readers
- Quotes - 2-3 memorable quotes from the scientist
- References - Academic sources (can use placeholders initially)
A template for the story structure can be found in skills/story-generator/references/index-template.md.
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 and Plan the Story
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>
<details>
<summary>Cover Image Prompt</summary>
[Detailed cover image generation prompt - 16:9 format, period style, composition details.
Include specific characters, setting, color palette, and emotional tone.]
</details>
<details>
<summary>Narrative Prompt</summary>
[Background context and style guide for the entire story]
</details>
### Prologue –
[Opening narrative establishing the scientist's importance]
![]()
Image Prompt
Please generate a 16:9 image in [period style] depicting the the first panel. The scene should include [specific characters], set in [specific setting including period in time and location], with a color palette of [color palette]. The emotional tone should be [emotional tone].
[Detailed image prompt for prologue scene with a minimum of 6 specific details to guide the AI image generation.]
![]()
Image Prompt
Please generate a 16:9 image in [period style] depicting the panel N. The scene should include [specific characters], set in [specific setting including period in time and location], with a color palette of [color palette]. The emotional tone should be [emotional tone].
[Detailed image prompt for prologue scene with a minimum of 6 specific details to guide the AI image generation.]
[Panel narrative text which is 3-4 sentences long. This is the text that will appear in the graphic novel panel. It should be engaging and move the story forward, while also being historically accurate and appropriate for high school students. The narrative should be written in a way that complements the image, providing context and emotional depth to the scene depicted. Use active voice and vivid descriptions to bring the story to life, while also ensuring that the language is accessible to the target audience.]
[Continue for 12-14 chapters...]
[Summary of lessons learned]
| Challenge | How Responded | Lesson for Today |
|-----------|---------------------------|------------------|
| ... | ... | ... |
[Inspiring message connecting to readers]
---
—
---
[]() - 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)**
<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
| Era | Suggested Art Style |
|---|
| Ancient (before 500 AD) | Classical Mediterranean, mosaic-inspired |
| Renaissance (1400-1600) | Italian Renaissance, warm lighting |
| Enlightenment (1600-1800) | Baroque, Dutch Golden Age |
| Victorian (1800-1900) | Pre-Raphaelite, industrial |
| Gilded Age (1870-1900) | Art Nouveau, American industrial |
| Early Modern (1900-1950) | Art Deco, Modernist |
| Mid-Century (1950-1980) | Atomic Age, clean lines |
| Contemporary | Photorealistic with period elements |
Checklist
After completing a story, verify:
