Building a Visual Novel with an All-AI Pipeline - The Script

All visual novels begin with a good, well, story. In this workflow, we'll use an existing royalty free story as the base for the visual novel. To keep this example short, we will use the story of the elves and the shoemaker.

If you need a refresher of the story, it can be read here: The project Gutenberg library.

Starting, the below prompt will be used to ensure the model is actually aware of the story in question. I will be using deepseek in this case, primarily due to the api cost, however you can experiment with whatever model you choose. If you are a writer then you will be using your own story and can skip this section.

Prompt: You are a story/screenwriter for a visual novel company tasked with the converting the brothers grimm story into a visual novel and add creative liberties. Tell me the story of the elves and the shoemaker**

At this point, I am interested in knowing whether the model has knowledge of the story in question. The response can be viewed below:

Here is the story of "The Elves and the Shoemaker" from the Brothers Grimm, retold in a concise, narrative style:

There was once a poor shoemaker. He worked hard every day, but he had so little leather left that he could only make one pair of shoes. The last piece of leather he owned, he cut out carefully in the evening and left on his workbench, planning to sew it in the morning.

When he woke the next day, to his astonishment, a perfectly finished pair of shoes sat on the bench. The stitching was so fine and even that no human hand could have done it. A customer bought them for a high price, and the shoemaker had enough money to buy leather for two pairs.

That night, he cut out the leather for two pairs and left them on the bench. In the morning, two beautifully finished shoes stood there, sold for even more money. This continued night after night. The shoemaker’s business grew, and soon he was wealthy.

One night, the shoemaker and his wife decided to stay awake and watch. As midnight struck, two tiny, naked elves crept into the workshop. They climbed onto the bench, picked up the cut leather, and worked with such speed and skill that they finished every pair before dawn, then vanished.

The wife said, “These little elves have made us rich. We must repay them. They have no clothes, no shoes, and they must be cold.” So she sewed two tiny shirts, coats, trousers, and stockings, while the shoemaker made two miniature pairs of shoes.

That night, they left the clothes and shoes on the bench instead of the leather, then hid behind a curtain. At midnight, the elves came, saw the gifts, and laughed with joy. They dressed themselves in the new clothes and shoes, then danced and sang:

“Now we are so neat and fine, no longer cobblers we must be!”

They danced out the door and never returned. But the shoemaker and his wife prospered for the rest of their days, and never forgot the kindness of the little elves.*

Now that we have the story, we need to actually convert it to a visual novel script. When making a visual novel, you want a story that is more interactive. As such, we will need to give the audience choices and consequences. Every choice leads to a branching stories, the more branches the more we need to weave the story together to a satisfying ending. We will use AI to create an outline for the novel while keeping the story in mind.

Prompt: Can you provide an adaptation outline for a visual novel based on this story?

🧵 Core Premise

You play as Lena, a young, debt-ridden shoemaker in a cozy but fading village. Her father recently died, leaving her a failing workshop. Each night, mysterious hands finish her work. She must discover who they are and whether to help, exploit, or befriend them.

🎭 Main Characters

📜 Chapter Breakdown (with Creative Liberties)

Chapter 1: The Last Stitch

• Lena has one piece of leather left. She cuts it, falls asleep praying.
• Morning: perfect shoes appear. She sells them.
• Choice: Celebrate alone (focus on work) or thank someone unknown (pray/leave a gift of bread).
• Outcome: Affects later elf trust.

Chapter 2: The Midnight Helpers

• Business booms. Lena buys finer leather.
• She stays awake to spy. Sees the tiny elves (Tib & Tob) working naked in the cold.
• Choice: Reveal yourself or Hide and watch longer.
  • Reveal → Elves flee. Bad ending (Lena loses help).
  • Hide → She decides to make them clothes (good path).

Chapter 3: A Gift of Gratitude

• Lena and her friend (or Kael) make tiny clothes and shoes.
• She leaves them on the bench, hides.
• Elves return, find gifts, dance and sing.
• Choice: Give a heartfelt speech (bond) or Remain silent (they disappear next night).

Chapter 4: The Elves' Secret (Main Branch Point)

• If bond is strong, Tib & Tob reveal they are under a witch’s curse: they must work every night for a year unless a human freely gives them clothes and a name.
• Lena can now:
  • A) Break the curse → She gives them names, clothes, and a home. Elves become her permanent helpers. Ending: Family & Prosperity.
  • B) Exploit them → She demands they work faster for profit. Elves grow weak, resentful. Ending: Empty Workshop (they leave permanently).
  • C) Set them free → Lena finds the witch (old Marta?), negotiates or fights. Elves go to elf realm. Ending: Kindness Remembered (Lena gets a magic shoe forever).
  • D) Romantic route (if Kael is involved) → Lena falls in love, but elves need her. Merge routes.

Epilogue: The Last Dance

• Credits roll as the elves dance out the door in their new clothes. If good ending: Lena’s shop prospers, she hears their laughter at night. If bad: silence and regret.

Start
│
├─ Choice: Celebrate / Thank
│ │
│ └─ (affects elf trust)
│
├─ Choice: Reveal / Hide
│ ├─ Reveal → Bad Ending (early)
│ └─ Hide → Continue
│
├─ Choice: Speech / Silence
│ ├─ Silence → Good Ending (elves leave, Lena rich)
│ └─ Speech → Find secret
│
├─ Choice: Break / Exploit / Free / Romance
│ ├─ Break → Family Ending
│ ├─ Exploit → Greed Ending (loss)
│ ├─ Free → Kindness Ending (magical reward)
│ └─ Romance → [Intertwined with above]

Now we have an outline and a good core premise, the next step is to prompt the AI to create the script. We will proceed by asking it to write the first chapter of the story. Find the script for the first chapter of the novel below:

THE NIGHT STITCHERS – Chapter 1: The Last Stitch

SCENE 1 – WORKSHOP, EVENING

[Background: A small, dusty workshop lit by a single candle. Shelves are nearly bare. A workbench holds one piece of rough brown leather. Rain taps against a grimy window.]

[Narration (Lena’s voice, weary):]

“When my father died, he left me this shop, a pile of debts, and a single piece of leather. Tomorrow, the merchant Kael comes to collect what I owe. If I cannot pay… I lose everything.”

[Lena appears, sitting at the bench. She is young, dark circles under her eyes, hands calloused. She stares at the leather.]

Lena: (sighs) “One pair of shoes. That’s all I can make. It won’t be enough.”

[She picks up the leather, measures it, begins to cut slowly. The scissors are dull; she struggles.]

[Sound effect: Scissors snip, snip, snip – a repetitive, tired rhythm.]

Lena: “Father used to say the work would be finished by morning if I just believed. But I stopped believing long ago.”

[She finishes cutting and lays out the pieces on the bench. She is too tired to start sewing.]

Lena: “Tomorrow. I’ll sew them tomorrow. If I can’t sleep, I’ll at least dream of something better.”

[She blows out the candle. The screen fades to black.]

SCENE 2 – WORKSHOP, DAWN

[Background: Soft golden light spills through the window. Dust motes dance. The workbench is visible.]

[Sound effect: Birdsong, distant rooster.]

[Lena wakes with a start, sits up in her chair.]

Lena: “No… I fell asleep!”

[She rushes to the bench, then freezes.]

[A pair of shoes sits on the bench – perfectly stitched, exquisitely detailed. The leather gleams as if polished by magic.]

Lena: (whispers) “What…?”

[She picks up a shoe. The stitching is impossibly fine – each thread evenly spaced, no knots, no flaws.]

Lena: “This is not my work. I didn’t even start sewing.”

[She looks around the empty room. No one is there.]

Lena: “Who did this?”

[Choice prompt appears:]

How does Lena react?

A) Celebrate alone – “Never mind who. It’s a miracle. I must sell this quickly.”
B) Thank someone unknown – “Someone helped me. I don’t understand, but… thank you. I’ll leave a piece of bread.”

[If A is chosen:]
→ Lena counts coins, smiles grimly. “One pair won’t save me, but it’s a start.” The scene ends with her rushing to market. Trust with elves remains neutral/low.

[If B is chosen:]
→ Lena places a small crust of bread on the bench. “Whoever you are… if you’re real, I’m grateful.” A brief, warm breeze rustles the curtain. Trust with elves increases.

SCENE 3 – WORKSHOP, NIGHT (SAME DAY)

[Background: Evening again. The workshop is tidier. Lena has a few coins and more leather from the sale.]

Lena: “Sold the shoes for triple what I expected. Enough to buy more leather, not enough to pay Kael. But I have hope.”

[She cuts out two pairs of shoes this time, leaves them on the bench.]

Lena: “If it happens again… if someone truly is helping me… I want to be ready.”

[She hesitates, then speaks softly:]

Lena: “Whoever you are… thank you.”

[She blows out the candle again. This time, she hides behind a large wooden cabinet in the corner, peeking through a crack.]

[Narration:]

“I should sleep. But I cannot. I must know the truth.”

[Screen fades to black, then slowly lights up as moonlight pours through the window.]

[Sound effect: Clock chimes midnight.]

The following steps will be continued until the script is complete. Once completed, the final step is to ask the AI to convert the entire script into a format that can be plugged into RenPy. My prompt was simply "Create the complete script for RenPy 8.5"

With this, I now have a completed script to use in my visual novel. Of course, I can further edit and make it my own, add different dialog to suit my needs or any additional modification to enhance the script. Either way, that will come down to personal preference and I may cover in the musings section. Either way, now that the script has been completed, I will move on to the images section next.