Style sample
문체 샘플
한국어로 읽기A style sample is a passage of the writer's own prose placed in the prompt so the AI follows its texture; the best way to cut AI tells and keep style steady.
Also written as: 문체 예시 · 스타일 샘플 · 문체 학습 · few-shot · 예시 원고 · 문체 참고
Meaning
A style sample is a passage of the writer's own prose placed in the prompt so the model follows that style. Instead of explaining "write like this," you show actual sentences. In prompting terms it is few-shot example provision. Around 500 to 1,000 characters of a representative passage is right, and including one dialogue passage and one narrative passage conveys both textures. Writing tools usually store the sample in the project settings and attach it to every request automatically. If the bible is the reference for what to write, the style sample is the reference for how.
Why it matters
A model's default prose is smooth, uniform and adjective-heavy. That is the AI tell. Style directions ("short sentences," "no figurative language") work to a degree, but one real sentence is stronger than ten lines of instruction. Models imitate the rhythm of an example with surprising accuracy. The second benefit is consistency. Generating each chapter from a different prompt lets the style drift; inserting the same sample every time keeps chapter 200 in the texture of chapter 1. The third is ownership. Prose generated against a style sample is built on the writer's own sentences, so in revision it can be edited like one's own work. Without a sample, every pass requires translating AI style into your own.
Example
Style sample (writer's prose, narrative passage): The drawer would not open. Yuri took the handle again. The wood had swollen. It did every summer. Each time, her grandmother rubbed a candle along the drawer's side. Yuri looked around the kitchen. There was no candle.
Same request, no sample: Yuri strained to open the old drawer, but the wood, heavy with the weight of years, refused to yield to her touch. Suddenly her grandmother's warm hands came to mind, and a corner of her heart ached.
Same request, with sample: The drawer did not move. Yuri pressed her palm against its side. The grain caught her hand. Her grandmother would have looked for a candle. Yuri did not. She pulled.
The no-sample version is filled with AI stock phrases ("the weight of years," "a corner of her heart ached"). The sampled version follows the short, object-led texture, and the last two sentences ("Yuri did not. She pulled.") read the character's personality out of the sample as well.
Common mistakes
- A sample that is too long. 3,000 characters is no better than 800 and burns tokens. One representative passage.
- A sample of your best sentences. The model should follow the work's average style. An exceptionally good paragraph blurs the texture.
- Changing the sample per chapter. Consistency is the goal. Pick one per work and keep it.