Literary Personas: How Mythoria Gives You a Voice That's Truly Yours

Why We Need to Talk About Personas (Human and AI)

If you've ever devoured two or three books by the same author and thought, "Hmm, this always sounds the same," you're not imagining things. Many writers solidify one voice and return to it time and again—it happens with page-turner bestsellers à la Dan Brown, and AI does the same if you don't tell it who it is when it writes. In practice, a persona is the role you give the model: an ironic city columnist, a village storyteller, a hardboiled 1950s detective... It's not just cosmetic; it guides what goes in (the kind of details the narrator looks for) and what comes out (the style and structure of the text).

The best practices for creating a prompt for Artificial Intelligence are clear: establishing a good persona from the start guarantees more consistent content that is closer to what the author intends.

The Points of View That Command the Voice

POV = Who's telling the story + from where they see it.

First Person — 1st

The narrator is inside the story. This offers maximum intimacy but a partial view—and sometimes an unreliable one (the "I" can be mistaken or lie). Ex.: "I left the house convinced the plan would work." In Portugal, think of the confessional nerve of Lobo Antunes; abroad, the classic is Holden from The Catcher in the Rye.

Second Person — 2nd

Speaks directly to you. It creates instant immersion and a rare sense of complicity. Ex.: "You tighten your coat and tell yourself this is going to be fine." It's the meta-wink from Calvino in If on a winter's night a traveler—and it works beautifully for interactive experiences.

Third Person Limited — 3rd (Focused)

The camera sticks to one character, and we see the world through their eyes. This is the immersive trick of Harry Potter: we are almost always seeing from Harry's perspective. Ex.: "Ana tightened her coat; she thought the plan would work."

Third Person Omniscient — 3rd (God's-Eye View)

The narrator knows everything, comments on the action, jumps through time, and anticipates fates. Eça de Queirós shines here in The Maias. Ex.: "Ana believed in the plan; little did she know that Rui had already sabotaged it."

Objective/Cinematic

No access to minds, only what can be observed—like a movie camera. Hemingway used this often (see "Hills Like White Elephants"). Ex.: "Ana tightens her coat. It's raining. A train passes; she doesn't move."

The Dimensions of a Persona

To make Mythoria simple to use yet powerful, we started with five core dimensions and added three complementary dimensions that you can open up whenever you want to add a finer touch. The goal is to make your voice clear, coherent, and tailored to the reader—without needing a mixing board with twenty knobs.

Tone

Ranges from serious to humorous. A more serious text favors gravity and silence ("The silence after the news was absolute"); humor dismantles the scene with levity ("The news dropped, and the silence that followed was conveniently deaf"). Tone is the emotional color of the page—it changes perceptions and expectations.

Formality

From colloquial to academic. "This is gonna get messy" is intimate and direct; "All signs pointed to an escalation of incidents" is distant and technical. Formality defines the proximity to the reader and the conventions of the context (short story, column, biography, report).

Rhythm

Contemplative or fast-paced. Long, descriptive sentences invite you to breathe; short cuts and action verbs push the reading forward. A slow rhythm is for atmosphere and reflection; a fast rhythm is for adventure, comedy, and tension.

Vocabulary

Simple or erudite. "The river ran fast" communicates without friction; "The turbid current rushes forth, swirling in eddies" brings density and precision. The choice depends on the target age, genre, and intention (to enchant, to teach, to document).

Fictionality / Facticity (Historiography)

From poetic license to factual rigor. At the fictional extreme, the keystone "yawns, centuries old"; at the factual end, "The Stone Bridge was completed in 1373; the keystone shows uniform corrosion—likely of local origin." When you lean into facticity, the persona becomes a historian: dates, places, real people, precise terminology, and zero invention—perfect for school chapters, museum guides, and biographies.

Dialogue Density

This is the proportion of direct speech versus narration. High dialogue density speeds up the pace, brings us closer to the characters, and creates comedy and energy ("—You keeping that? —I am."). Low density leaves room for description, introspection, and world-building. The secret is to alternate: conversation without scenery becomes "talking heads"; narrative without speech risks an "infodump."

Sensoriality (also: Imagery/Description)

How much you appeal to the senses and the materiality of the world. Low: "Rita crossed the bridge." High: "The damp granite returned the cold to her palms; the river smelled of stored-up rain." Using sensoriality well enhances immersion and the reader's memory—especially in younger audiences. Overdo it, and you end up with overly flowery prose.

Subtext / Irony

It's what isn't said but is understood—and the tensions between the literal and the intended meaning. Direct: "She was angry." Subtext: "She smiled slowly. Again." Irony: "A flawless plan—especially the part where it fails." Subtext adds layers and intelligence to the reading experience; for young audiences or in didactic texts, use it sparingly to maintain clarity.

Pessoa & Co.: Heteronyms as Personas, for Real

As part of my high school studies, we learned a lot about Fernando Pessoa—one of the most creative and influential Portuguese writers, alongside Luís de Camões, Eça de Queirós, Miguel Torga, and others. Pessoa didn't just use pseudonyms; he invented heteronyms, each with their own biography, style, and worldview. It is, in essence, a system of personas before it was cool.

• Alberto Caeiro sees the world without metaphysics: "The river is not a symbol; it is running water."
• Ricardo Reis is the classic stoic of measured odes: "Accept what the gods bring; the rest is foam."
• Álvaro de Campos is the roaring city, from the futurist cry to the intimacy of The Tobacco Shop: "Engines! The city throbs, and I with it."
• Bernardo Soares, in The Book of Disquiet, writes in the twilight of thought: "Life slips through my fingers like pensive sand."

The takeaway: in Mythoria, we don't do mechanical imitations—we capture stylistic intentions. "Pessoa-esque" - inspired by the spirit and stylistic intent of Pessoa.

How This Lives Inside Mythoria

The 5 Essential Personas — Description, POV, When to Use, and Extended Example

Want a quick start without losing nuance? Here are five voices tuned for families, groups, and companies. Each entry includes a description, recommended POV, when to use it, and an extended example with the same scenario (Rita finds an old key on a stone bridge) so you can see the difference in practice.

1) The Storyteller

Recommended POV: 1st person or 3rd limited.

Description: A warm, empathetic, and emotional voice, with the cadence of a grandfather telling a tale. It focuses on feelings, relationships, and morals—transforming memories into touching stories.

When to use: Family memoirs, a couple's story, bedtime stories.

Example: "When Rita picked up the key, I felt the same shiver I used to get when my grandmother would say, 'Old things demand respect.' The river fell silent for a moment, as if listening to us. We tucked the key in our pocket, next to our heart, and promised to return, not to look for treasure, but to remember that stories, when they can fit in one hand, last a lifetime."

2) The Adventurous Narrator

Recommended POV: 2nd person or 3rd limited (multiple focuses).

Description: Transforms the ordinary into the epic; energetic language, a wild imagination, and hints of fantasy. The child (or adult!) becomes the hero of their own epic journey.

When to use: Children's/YA stories (dinosaurs, fairies, space), trips, and events with a mission-like feel.

Example: "The bridge rises before you like a stone dragon. You reach into your pocket and the key jingles: it's the signal. The map isn't on paper—it's in the reflections on the river. 'Mission Rita, phase one: locate the secret lock.' You feel the wind giving you a knightly push. If you fail, no big deal: heroes have to learn, too. But if you succeed, well... the doors you open tell stories no one ever forgets."

3) The Fun Reporter

Recommended POV: 3rd objective/limited (with humorous asides).

Description: An upbeat, light, and witty chronicle; captures group dynamics, inside jokes, and little quirks—like a live report from the scene.

When to use: Groups of friends, sports teams, colleagues; parties, trips, and team events.

Example: "4:03 PM — incident at the Stone Bridge. Agent Rita identifies a 'metallic U.F.O.' Initial reactions: 'It's treasure!' (Mauro, enthusiast), 'It's from the cafeteria!' (Bia, realist). A forensic analysis is conducted: rust, moderate weight, zero shine but high charisma. The group's deliberation: keep the key, take a photo making silly faces, and invent three theories. Result: mission accomplished, memory secured, and a new chapter in the gang's chronicle."

4) The Friendly Educator

Recommended POV: 2nd person and 1st plural (didactic).

Description: Patient, clear, and encouraging; uses simple questions, imagination games, and concrete examples. It teaches almost without you noticing.

When to use: Preschool, educational materials, story therapy (fears, social skills).

Example: "Do you know what a key is? It's an object that opens locked things. Sometimes it opens doors; other times it opens ideas. Today, Rita found a key on the bridge. Let's think: what is it made of? What's the weather like—does it smell like rain? If the key could talk, what would it say? Now let's do an experiment: we'll draw the bridge, glue a piece of paper on it with the word 'secret,' and write together what we think is on the other side. See? Learning is an adventure, too."

5) The Institutional Chronicler

Recommended POV: 3rd objective (or 3rd limited with factual rigor).

Description: Clear, linear, and respectful; celebrates milestones and biographies without being boring; organizes information with dates and proper names when available.

When to use: Corporate histories, tributes, biographical memoirs.

Example: "Rita found the key at 4:03 PM on the eastern parapet of the Stone Bridge. The object exhibits homogeneous lamellar corrosion and a typology consistent with nineteenth-century manufacturing. The group decided to preserve the artifact and log the location, anticipating a future consultation with the municipal museum. The discovery was marked with a record photograph and a brief field note."

UX: One click and you have a coherent voice for the book. Need multiple perspectives? Lock the persona by chapter.

Custom Persona (For Those Who Like to Fine-Tune)

Choose the POV and adjust Tone, Formality, Rhythm, Vocabulary, and Fictionality/Facticity. Activate techniques like free indirect discourse, an unreliable narrator, or breaking the 4th wall. When it's just right, save it as a preset—and it's ready for your next book.

And You — What Literary Persona Are You? ✨

Tell me: a Town Square Sage, an Electric Chronicler, a Lucid Dreamer... or should we invent yours from scratch? Mythoria gives you the voice; you give it the world. 🚀

Now that you know Mythoria's voices, which one is yours?

If your compass points toward tenderness and memory, you're The Storyteller: you give hands to affection, hold the text close to your heart, and find meaning in the smallest gestures. If you'd rather turn every day into an adventure, put on the cape of The Adventurous Narrator: you take the everyday and launch it into the epic—because every child deserves to feel like the hero of their own page.

If what draws you in is the energy of groups, maybe you're The Fun Reporter: you have an eye for the detail that brings a smile, you cherish inside jokes, and you turn every event into a moment to remember. When you want to teach with care and closeness, call on The Friendly Educator: simple questions, clear examples, one step at a time—and suddenly, learning feels light. And, when the occasion calls for respect, dates, and clarity, take on the role of The Institutional Chronicler: you celebrate milestones, tell the story as it happened, and leave a record that honors people.

Choosing is simple: think about who should speak (POV), who you're speaking to (age, context), and with what intention (to move, to thrill, to document, to teach). From there, choose one of these five personas, generate a snippet, and adjust as needed with the dimensions (Tone, Formality, Rhythm, Vocabulary, Fictionality/Facticity). If you need to, open the fine-tuning options (Dialogue Density, Sensoriality, Subtext/Irony) and add the final touch.

Ready to start? Choose your persona, write the first line, and let Mythoria handle the rest. Your story already has a voice—now you just have to imagine. 🚀