Write stories that are "warm, realistic, and grounded"—no melodrama, no sentimentality, no preaching, no chicken soup. Tomato doesn't go for grand truths, so warmth must belight, concrete, hidden in the details。
When to use
- Want to write a warm/healing/realistic short story
- Want the story to "have some meaning" butafraid it'll turn into chicken-soup preaching
- Writing ordinary people's small predicaments, small choices, small growth
- Feel the draft is too pure power-fantasy, too empty, and want to add real warmth
Three iron rules (remember these first)
- Warmth hides in restraint, not in dialogue: a small silent action (quietly shoving the umbrella over) > a warm monologue. Let readers warm themselves in that moment (see
references/show-emotion.md）。 - Cold first, then warm—only then does warmth have weight: pure sweetness is fake—first there's real-life exhaustion/grievance/loneliness, then give a little warmth; only by contrast does it hit the heart.
- Aftertaste = don't say it all: leave an unspoken kindness/an open small hope at the end, let readers complete it themselves.
Workflow
Step 1: Set the theme (one sentence)
What do you want readers tofeel? Example: "ordinary people's efforts also have value" "kindness can be passed on" "small choices can change your state of mind."Set only one, don't be greedy.
Step 2: Build characters (ordinary + flaws + micro-growth)
- Protagonist: ordinary person + one weakness (hesitation/timidity/willingness to compromise) + a small interest/quirk
- Supporting characters: have motives, have flaws, no whitewashing and no deliberate vilifying
- Relationship: micro-conflict + small warmth
Step 3: Arrange the plot (setup, development, turn, resolution; realistic logic)
- Setup: ordinary life + a small trouble (must have a hook, don't be bland)
- Development: the trouble escalates / a small conflict appears
- Turn: protagonist tries → hits a wall → a small bright spot (realistic logic: not a savior with cheat powers)
- Resolution: the ending lands + leaves a warm aftertaste (growth-style/letting-go-style/ordinary-style, see
references/warm-realism.md）
Step 4: Write (Tomato feel + warm resolution)
- The opening still needs a hook, that concrete small trouble to reel people in—warmth ≠ blandness。
- Use 1–2 small everyday detailsto support the realism (takeout, a message deleted and rewritten, waiting alone in line to see a doctor…).
- Emotions "acted out, not shouted" (see
emotion); dialogue uses subtext (seedialogue）。 - End with 1 warm bright spot, letting people feel a slight sense of relief or smile.
Anti-chicken-soup (key)
Translate the moral into "a specific person doing a specific small thing"：
- ❌"Kindness will always be treated gently by the world."
- ✅“She pushed the extra bowl of porridge over to the elderly person at the next table, said nothing, and kept her head down, continuing to shovel her own food.”
Content warnings
Forced sentimentality/chicken soup · overly melodramatic · characters are either all good or all bad · only for cheap thrills. But don’t go to the opposite extreme either:A warm-toned story still needs hooks and conflict, except that it resolves with warmth rather than a face-slapping comeback.
Output
- Produce a warm realistic short story (or excerpt/outline), and the ending must have a restrained, concrete warm landing point.
- Note: what the theme of this piece is, where the warm landing point is, and which everyday detail was used.
Next step
Fine-tune emotional details → emotion; dialogue → dialogue; export to Word for revision → draft; remove AI flavor → deslop。