Narrative Keyframingfor Generative Creative Writing

Chao ZhangChao ZhangCornell UniversityAbe DavisAbe DavisCornell University

Inspired by keyframes in animation, Narrative Keyframing gives writers fine-grained control over plot, character arcs, and perspective, then leverages AI to interpolate these creative decisions into prose.

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Narrative Keyframing · UIST 2026
01

Enter the writing tool

Specify a set of narrative keyframes that describe import plot points, as well as character development and perspective, which AI can then interpolate with editable prose,

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02

Explore the project

Read the research, explore the analogy between keyframing in animation and narrative, see how the three keyframe types connect, and learn what we discovered with writers.

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