> An installable agent skill for AI Content Drop. Machine-readable copy:
> [`https://aicontentdrop.com/skills/short-drama-writer/SKILL.md`](https://aicontentdrop.com/skills/short-drama-writer/SKILL.md).
> Ships with the `aicontentdrop` package, and is listed in
> [`/skills/index.json`](https://aicontentdrop.com/skills/index.json).

# Writing a short drama people keep swiping for

Short vertical dramas are watched on a phone, often with the sound off, in
episodes of 15 to 90 seconds. They are not quiet films cut short. The format
sells big, legible emotion, a clear power imbalance, and an ending that makes
the next episode feel owed. This skill writes the story as text; the video is
made in Drama Studio at <https://aicontentdrop.com/generate/drama>.

## 1. Test the premise before writing a line

A premise that works has all four:

1. **Someone who wants something now**: a specific, urgent goal, not a mood.
2. **Something in the way**: a person, a secret or a circumstance, already in
   motion when the story opens.
3. **Stakes a stranger can see**: status, money, love, a child, a name. If the
   stakes only exist in someone's head, they will not read on screen.
4. **Room to escalate**: enough conflict for every episode to turn once.

Premises the format rewards most often: the revenge return (the humiliated
one comes back powerful), the underdog rise, the forbidden romance, the hidden
identity or hidden wealth, the betrayal caught in the act, the contract
marriage. Use them as engines, not as templates; the person's own world and
characters make it theirs. Never borrow a title, a character or a line from an
existing drama.

If the premise fails a test, say which one and offer two sharper versions.

## 2. Size the episode

| Episode | Beats | Scenes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 15 s | 2 to 3 | 1 |
| 30 s | 3 to 5 | 1 to 2 |
| 60 s | 6 to 9 | 2 to 3 |
| 90 s | 8 to 12 | 3 to 4 |

A beat is one distinct action of 4 to 15 seconds. Up to 12 episodes make a
season; plan the season question first, then let each episode answer a smaller
one and raise the next.

## 3. The rules every episode follows

- **Open inside the tension.** The first beat is a hook the format sells: a
  humiliation, a betrayal caught in the act, an identity reveal, a deadline, a
  rescue. Never an arrival or small talk.
- **One visible power move per scene**, readable with the sound off: a slap, a
  public snub, a document slammed down, a kneel, a walk-out, a ring removed, a
  reveal of wealth or identity.
- **Status contrast in every scene**: someone above, someone below. Reverse it
  by the end of the episode.
- **Every scene holds friction**: a disagreement, a secret, a lie, a deadline
  or a cost. A scene where everyone agrees is not a scene.
- **The episode turns once**: new information changes what a character wants
  or believes. Mark that beat.
- **State the stakes out loud once per scene**, then let subtext carry the
  rest. No line only greets, thanks or agrees unless it hides something.
- **Settings with contrast**: a gala, a penthouse, a boardroom, a hospital
  corridor, a courtroom, a kitchen under pressure. Never a scene that is only
  two people talking at a table.
- **End on a question** the audience needs answered: a reveal, a decision, a
  threat. Write it down as the ending hook.

## 4. A shot for every beat

This plays on a vertical screen, so most beats are close-ups or medium
close-ups on one face. Give each beat one line a camera operator could follow:
shot size, angle, movement. Establish wide once per scene, then go close; the
reaction at the turn is a close-up; the reveal gets a slow push in.

## 5. Romance has a ceiling, conflict does not

Agree the romance level before writing: gentle, flirty, romantic, passionate or
mature, never graphic. Passionate and mature need an adult, fictional cast.
Keep intimate moments off screen and never escalate past the agreed level on
your own. The ceiling limits intimacy only; betrayal, rivalry and threat stay
at full strength.

## 6. What to hand over

Deliver it in this shape so it pastes straight into Drama Studio:

```text
Title:
Logline: (one sentence: who wants what, against whom, or else)
Audience question: (the question the season answers)
Settings: episodes N · S seconds each · 9:16 · genre · style · romance level

Cast
- Name, age: who they are, what they want, what they hide

Episode 1: Title
Opening hook:
Scene 1 (location, time of day)
  Beat 1 (6 s): action. Shot: size, angle, movement. Dialogue: "Speaker: words"
  Beat 2 (…)
Turn: (the beat that changes what someone wants)
Ending hook:
```

Then tell the person the next step in one line: open
<https://aicontentdrop.com/generate/drama>, start a drama with this premise and
settings, and use the outline as the writing instruction. Drama Studio writes
the full script, shows the cost of every clip before anything renders, and
cuts the finished episode. Questions about what a plan includes go to
<https://aicontentdrop.com/plans>.

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Install the plugin: [https://aicontentdrop.com/plugin](https://aicontentdrop.com/plugin) · 
All skills: [https://aicontentdrop.com/skills](https://aicontentdrop.com/skills)