Back in the 1950s, public school English classes were buttoned-up affairs: grammar drills, vocabulary lists, the occasional expository essay, and writing poems about Thanksgiving turkeys. Imagination and creativity were something you practiced after class, not during. Creative writing—when it was offered—was squeezed through the narrow pipes of patriotic prompts and copycat assignments: “Write about George Washington’s childhood, but make it sound like Charles Dickens with a head cold.”
Then came the revolution of creative writing instructors, shaking things up with contradictory, mind-splintering advice: “Write what you know. No—write what you don’t know.” “Show, don’t tell—but also, sometimes just tell.” The goal? To shake loose the grammar-fearing, red-pencil-trained minds of the formerly rigid, and help writers find their voice, even if that voice was narrating the inner turmoil of a jealous sandwich.
Fast forward to today, we have Artificial Intelligence. The equivalent of a personal writing assistant with an encyclopedic brain, photographic memory, and the patience of a monk. Yet, many students, teachers, and budding authors are still reluctant to advance their writing by using AI. They’re afraid it will “steal their voice.” Whatever that means. They’re scared they’ll be accused of cheating, as if using the Internet, spellchecking, and an online thesaurus didn’t already make us cyber-centaurs years ago.
But, here’s the thing. AI can’t replace your imagination. It can only enhance it. You still need to read voraciously. You still need to show, not tell, draft terribly, revise ruthlessly, and avoid clichés, just like you’ve always done. The secret to effectively using AI to create images is applying the same principles your writing teachers drilled into your head: voice, detail, structure, clarity, curiosity, and guts. The tools are new. The rules are not.
How people read these days with print books, Kindle, or online demands new approaches[1] like embedding creative images liberally to support your story and capture your readers’ attention. The more color, action, and emotions you inject into the images you’re creating, the more they will capture your reader. Just like your writing.
Fortunately, you don’t have to write prompts all by yourself. There’s an easy way to create your own stunning images that I’ve used for thousands of detailed images in my work.
The two-step process for creating your own images
Step One: Locate an image you’d like to emulate—say, an image of Popeye the Sailor Man. Attach it to ChatGPT by either importing it by clicking on the “+” sign, or simply dragging the image into the prompt box. Instruct it to:
Create an image prompt of an 8K ultra-detailed, Hyperrealistic, exaggerated caricature portrait describing what you see in the attached image. Use minute, microscopic details in every aspect of the image: the colors, shades, weather, activity, background, etc. Don’t leave anything out. Take as much space and time as you need. There are no limitations to the length of the image prompt.
As you review the prompt results, pay particular attention to the high-level descriptions of people, places, and things. The same way you would in your writing. Everyone’s results will differ. Even your own results will never look exactly the same way twice. However, following the structure of your requests, AI should produce results that follow your image prompt, and typically exceeding it like the prompt below. Spoiler alert: it’s long and detailed, so take your time.
General Overview:
Create an 8K ultra-detailed image prompt for a Hyperrealistic, exaggerated caricature portrait of a cartoonish, seafaring character inspired by 20th-century comic strip aesthetics. The scene should depict a rugged, grizzled sailor from the shoulders up, presented in a comical and exaggerated style but rendered with cinematic lighting and lifelike textures. The background should be a neutral, slightly textured parchment or cream-colored surface reminiscent of vintage nautical charts, subtly weathered with the faint impression of compass roses and maritime symbols fading into the paper grain.
Character Design (Face and Expression):
The sailor’s head is massively oversized in relation to his thin, wiry neck, exaggerating the cartoon style with anatomical impossibility. His skin tone is a muted, pale ivory with faint yellow undertones, suggesting a sun-weathered complexion. His jaw is comically overdeveloped—lantern-shaped, with pronounced cheek folds and a ballooned lower face that pushes dramatically forward. The cheeks bulge outward like two inflated boxing gloves, creating shadowed hollows beneath his cheekbones. His thick, stretched lips curl upward on the left side in a sardonic, self-assured grin, lifting the side of his face into a smirk that’s both sly and indomitable. His iconic corn-cob pipe juts horizontally from the corner of his mouth, with the bowl glowing faintly orange as though mid-puff, a delicate curl of smoke trailing upward with a ghostly spiral.
His right eye is squinted entirely shut—crinkled with expressive crow’s feet and deep brow furrows, while his left eye is wide open, almond-shaped, and slightly bulging, brimming with an exaggerated cartoonish glint of determination and shrewdness. His eyebrows are thick, short black slashes—set high and furrowed into an arch of skepticism or focus. Sparse, sharp individual hairs should be visible at the ends. Above his brow, the pale forehead is dotted with fine expressive lines, especially near the temples and between the brows.
Headwear and Hair:
The sailor wears a classic white sailor cap, off-center and slightly askew to the right side of his head, enhancing his roguish charm. The hat is soft-crowned and rounded, made from slightly coarse fabric, with a thick black band circling its base and a stitched hem outlining its form. His scalp, beneath the cap, is mostly bald and smooth with a soft, velvety sheen of light reflecting across the crown. There is no visible hair.
Ears:
The ears are rounded, bulbous, and slightly abstract in design—rendered with exaggerated curvature and minimal inner detail, though in hyperrealism they should show slight reddish hues at the tips and soft shadows in the folds. The ear on the viewer’s left is more pronounced, almost forming a near-perfect oval silhouette, casting a short shadow onto the neck.
Neck and Chest:
His neck is humorously elongated and thin, with visible straining tendons, deep lines, and a hollowed trachea line forming a “V” down toward the collarbone. Hyperrealistic folds of thin, slightly sagging skin run down the length of his throat. His Adam’s apple is subtly visible as a bump halfway down. The shadows and muscle definition should reflect a stylized wiry strength—like an old rope taut from years of use.
The collar of his shirt is oversized and drawn wide apart, revealing his elongated neck and upper chest. He wears a sailor-style uniform top with an exaggeratedly wide black collar stripe wrapping around the shoulders, forming a “U” shape. The cloth is heavy cotton or wool, subtly wrinkled and aged, with a textured weave visible on close inspection. The shirt is fastened with a single large yellow button at the base of the “V” neckline—rounded, smooth, and reflective, catching the light with a small glint and subtle curvature. Its stitching is visible up close, with slightly frayed thread ends looping from the buttonhole.
Lighting and Atmosphere:
The lighting is soft and slightly warm, as if from a golden hour sunbeam striking the character from the upper left. Subtle shadows stretch down the right side of his face and body. The pipe’s glow adds a faint orange rim light under his chin and left cheek. The background remains matte and desaturated, ensuring the sailor remains the focal point.
Additional Details:
A faint scent of sea air, tobacco, and canvas should be implied through texture and warmth.
The image should resemble a vintage caricature made flesh—laughably exaggerated yet convincingly real.
Final Composition:
Center the character in a portrait orientation. Keep the sailor’s gaze directed slightly upward and to the left, giving a sense of confident vigilance. The composition should balance comedic exaggeration with intense photorealistic rendering, evoking nostalgia while grounding the character in a tangible, believable form.
Step two: Copy and paste the image description into your favorite text-to-image generator. My favorites are ChatGPT and Sora, but others should also work as well.
Here’s the resulting image:
In the two examples that follow, I’ll show you how to use everything you’ve learned about storytelling using vivid, descriptive terms in writing high-level image prompts, generating art that speaks your language, and illustrates your stories in vivid, memorable ways. You already have the creativity. Now meet your co-pilot.
High Resolution Caricature Image Prompt for Popeye the Sailor Man
Create a Hyperrealistic, ultra-detailed 8K caricature portrait of Popeye the Sailor Man in a melodramatic, comical setting. Frame him from the waist up in a bustling dockside environment, facing slightly sideways with his massive, grotesquely muscled forearms crossed defiantly. His face should have a towering, exaggerated cleft chin, comically asymmetrical eyes (one bulging wide, the other tightly squinted), sparse arched eyebrows, and a pronounced bulbous nose. His signature pipe clenched firmly between twisted lips should be puffing out spiraling smoke forming cartoonish clouds. His wrinkled sailor cap sits crooked on his bald head, and deep facial creases ripple with a storm-weathered intensity.
Show his anchor tattoos as raised and hyper-textured on bulging forearms. His navy-blue sailor shirt, slightly wrinkled and wind-blown, should flare with motion, red trim bright and sharp. Include dramatic lighting with seagulls blurred in motion behind, ropes coiling and tugging in the wind, and glistening water splashing in the background. Infuse his posture with kinetic energy—veins popping, jaw locked in exaggerated defiance, eyes sparkling with wild determination.
Chin & Jaw are immensely pronounced, lantern-shaped jaw with a cleft chin—an exaggerated square foundation of his face. This jaw dominates the lower third of his face and appears almost indestructible.
Mouth is set to one side in a quirky half-smile or grimace, often with one corner pulled upward while chewing or speaking. Always clenched around a corn cob pipe with a thick mouthpiece.
One eye is perpetually squinted shut (usually the right), while the other bulges and swivels with high expression, often reflecting suspicion, cunning, or determination. Deep crow’s feet and under-eye creases intensify his scrappy, aged sailor appearance.
Eyebrows are Sparse, short slashes positioned high and angled sharply, giving a look of constant squinting scrutiny.
Nose is bulbous and rounded, with a flattened bridge—suggestive of a few sailor brawls.
Body Posture: Always leaning forward slightly, shoulders hunched with a sailor’s gait. Movement is loose but powerful, a mix of casual strut and readiness to brawl.
Arms: Forearms are grotesquely overdeveloped and oversized with anchor tattoos, juxtaposed against narrow biceps—suggesting freakish, spinach-fueled strength.
Hands: Massive fists, usually clenched; fingers appear stubby and powerful, rough from years of manual labor and fighting.
Head Movement: Often leads with his chin; turns his head slightly off-center, reinforcing the constant squint and pipe-jut.
Gestures: Constant pipe puffing, often uses the pipe to gesture. Tends to cross his arms in cocky defiance or slam fists together before a fight.
Clothing & Accessories:
Hat: Small white sailor cap, perched askew with comic defiance—always clean, rigid, and disproportionately small.
Shirt: Navy-blue sailor shirt with red-trimmed collar and yellow buttons. Sleeves typically rolled up to highlight his enormous forearms.
Pants: Black or navy trousers tucked into brown sailor boots.
Accessories: Pipe (functional steam whistle), anchor tattoos on both forearms, occasionally carries a can of spinach.
Attitude & Ambiance:
Personality: Unflinchingly brave, loyal to a fault, and morally upright in a crude, blue-collar way. Has a raw, comical form of wisdom and street-smarts. Displays nervous humility around Olive Oyl, but explosive confidence in a fight.
Ambiance: Surrounded by nautical themes—ropes, docks, ocean spray, seagulls. The air always seems to pulse with slapstick energy. The scene feels perpetually windy as if bracing against a comical sea squall.
High Resolution Image Prompt for a Gentleman Riding a Pogo Stick
Create a hyper-realistic 8K cinematic portrait of an elderly man enthusiastically bouncing on a pogo stick, set within a lavish ballroom inspired by the Baroque or Rococo period. The scene should blend visual absurdity with historical opulence, capturing a surreal moment that juxtaposes gleeful physicality against aristocratic decorum. The grand interior must feature vaulted ceilings etched with golden filigree, marble columns, and massive crystal chandeliers casting prismatic reflections across the polished, checker-pattern marble floor. Flickering candlelight from ornate wall sconces adds warmth and elegance, enhancing the surreal nature of the action.
The central figure, the elderly man mid-bounce, wears a full period ensemble: embroidered waistcoat, brocade frock coat, lace cuffs, cravat, and knee breeches paired with buckled shoes. His grey hair, styled into a voluminous powdered wig, ripples slightly with motion. Despite his age, his posture conveys giddy determination and spry energy, with the pogo stick rendered in polished hardwood and iron—tastefully styled to match the 18th-century aesthetic. Add motion blur subtly to his coat tails and wig to capture kinetic realism.
Around him, stunned courtiers dressed in exquisitely detailed Rococo fashion react with varying expressions—bemusement, horror, intrigue, and forced politeness—each person embodying a different unspoken narrative. Their gowns and coats are adorned with ruffles, lace, embroidery, and accessories such as fans, canes, and delicate jewelry. Their body language should reflect the collision between rigid etiquette and the unexpected spectacle before them.
The composition should be painterly yet grounded in photorealism—light glinting off gold leaf, reflections shimmering on the floor, and fine textures visible in the stitching of garments. Use a shallow depth of field to draw attention to the airborne central figure while maintaining rich architectural detail in the blurred background. Incorporate additional storytelling cues: a spilled glass of champagne on the floor, a monocle dangling in shock, a tiny dog in a waistcoat barking at the commotion.
Every element should serve the tonal contrast between decorum and chaos, elegance, and eccentricity—creating an image that is both classically beautiful and gleefully absurd.
Enhancing your writing by introducing stunning AI-created images is as simple as chatting with a friend—albeit a friend with an encyclopedic mind and endless patience. Whether you want Popeye flexing his spinach-powered forearms or an elderly nobleman gleefully pogoing through a Baroque ballroom, your vision will leap from the page into the imagination of your readers. Simply describe, prompt, and voilà: captivating imagery to elevate every narrative.
So, shake off that digital hesitance, embrace the AI revolution, and watch your stories and creativity soar to heights you never imagined possible. It’s your voice and your vision, supercharged with a bit of savvy assistance. Now, let’s start creating!
Resources
[1] How People Read Online: New and Old Findings
About the Author
Allen R Smith is an award-winning humor and ChatGPT writer living in Oceanside, California. He is a three-time award winner for America’s Funniest Humor and has published thousands of long and short-form articles in print, the web, and on social media. Since 2023, he has been focused exclusively on producing a new type of humor writing using AI and ChatGPT.
Smith published five books in 2024 using the power and creativity of ChatGPT:
- Laughing Bytes: Mastering the Art of Humor Writing with ChatGPT
- Legends, Lies, and Looney Lore: Where History Meets Fantasy and Forgets About the Truth – Second Edition
- From Meh? to Marvelous: 12 ChatGPT Lessons to Supercharge Your Humor Writing
- Once Upon a Scandal: The Hidden Truths Behind Your Favorite Fairy Tales
- Burps, Boogers, and Broken Rules: The Ultimate Guide to Being a Kid
