From Script to Screen: How to Storyboard Your Novel with AI

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Every writer has the same dream: seeing their story on the big screen.

You can see the movie clearly in your head—the lighting, the camera angles, the expressions. But trying to explain that vision to a producer, an agent, or even your readers is incredibly difficult.

Until recently, creating a professional storyboard or a "Pitch Deck" cost thousands of dollars in concept art.

Today, you can do it yourself in an afternoon using two powerful AI tools. Here is the workflow for turning raw text into a cinematic storyboard using Sudowrite and Katalist.

Step 1: Write the Scene (The Script)

Tool: Sudowrite

You cannot storyboard a blank page. Before you generate images, you need a descriptive scene.

While you can use any word processor, Sudowrite excels here because of its "Sensory Engine." You can highlight a simple noun (like "a cyberpunk alleyway") and ask the AI to generate multisensory descriptions (sight, smell, sound).

Why use it for this:

• Rich Detail: AI image generators need detailed prompts. Sudowrite generates the exact descriptive language that makes for great image prompts.
• Script Formatting: You can ask Sudowrite to rewrite a chapter scene into a screenplay format, which is easier to break down into visual shots.

👉 Draft your scene with Sudowrite

Step 2: Visualize the Story (The Storyboard)

Tool: Katalist

This is the game-changer. Katalist is an AI tool designed specifically for turning scripts into storyboards.

Most AI image generators (like Midjourney) have a fatal flaw: Inconsistency. You generate a character in one image, but in the next image, they look like a completely different person.

Katalist solves this. It allows you to create a "Character" once, and then use that same actor in every single shot of your storyboard.

How the workflow looks:

1. Import: Upload the script or scene you wrote in Sudowrite.
2. Cast: Katalist analyzes the text and suggests characters. You can customize their look (hair, age, style).
3. Generate: The AI automatically breaks your script into "shots" and generates a consistent panel for each moment.
4. Direct: Don't like a camera angle? Click to switch from a "Wide Shot" to a "Close Up" instantly.

👉 Start storyboarding with Katalist

Why combine them?

By combining a strong narrative engine like Sudowrite with a consistency-focused visual engine like Katalist, you create a powerful feedback loop.

• For Pitching: Send a PDF storyboard along with your query letter to agents.
• For Writing: Visualize your setting before you write the chapter to avoid plot holes.
• For Marketing: Use the images to create Instagram Reels or TikToks to tease your book release.

Final Verdict

The gap between "Writer" and "Filmmaker" is disappearing. You aren't just telling a story anymore—you are showing it.