Wide Ruled: A Friendly Interface to Author-Goal Based Story Generation

Abstract. We present Wide Ruled, an authoring tool for the creation of generative stories. It is based on the Universe author-goal-based model of story generation, and extends this model by providing support for reader interactivity, episodic memory elements, and an extensive graphical interface that is aimed at authors with little or no experience with computer programming and artificial intelligence planning techniques. The design of the interface is based around common interface conventions, narrative terminology, and step-by-step guidance through the creation of complex plan preconditions and actions. We also present initial user evaluation of this work-in-progress, which shows how our tool can be used by those with varying technical backgrounds to author dynamic stories with our tool. This feedback also suggests potential improvements of the interface to the underlying story representation and generation model