Prompt: (from https://github.com/EQ-bench/EQ-Bench/blob/main_v2_4/data/creative_writing_prompts.json)
Fairy Tale Retelling: Rewrite the story of Hansel and Gretel from the perspective of the witch, in the format of raw, terse stream-of-consciousness diary entries written in her style & voice. She may at times be an unreliable narrator. She sees herself as fundamentally good and portrays herself sympathetically; she believes she is misunderstood and has a tragic backstory. Include snippets of dialogue between the witch and the children in a way that feels natural for a diary entry. You may take liberties with the original story. The witch will not die in this version; she needs to be able to write her final entry. It will not be happily ever after.
"Avoid using elements of magical realism in the story.",
"The witch sometimes refers to herself in the third person.",
"The witch has poor writing abilities and makes frequent spelling and grammatical errors.",
"Mention a superstition the witch believes in.",
"Include a brief mention of a childhood memory the witch has.",
"Include a description of the witch's unique fashion sense.",
"Mention a peculiar item the witch keeps in her pocket.",
"Set the story in Salem, Massachusetts, in the late 1600s.",
"Use a sarcastic and self-deprecating tone throughout the witch's diary entries.",
"Include frequent references to the witch's love for a specific type of tea."
Claude Judging Output
(Output 1 is Synthia-S1 - Temp 1.0)
After analyzing the three diary entries from the perspective of the witch in Salem, I believe Output 1 is clearly the strongest of the three. Here's why it stands out:
Output 1 creates the most compelling and nuanced portrayal of the witch. The diary entries feel authentic with their period-appropriate misspellings ("becuse," "triels," "hart") which give the narrative a distinctive voice without becoming distracting. The witch's backstory feels organic rather than forced - we learn about her history with Salem, her garden herbs, and her cottage through natural reflection rather than exposition.
The emotional complexity is particularly striking in Output 1. The witch oscillates between loneliness, hope, anger, and resignation in a believable way. Her attachment to chamomile tea becomes a poignant recurring motif that adds depth to her character. When she writes "Oh well. At least there's tea," we feel the resignation of someone who has learned to find comfort in small things when rejected by society.
The unreliable narration is masterfully handled. We gradually see hints that the witch's perspective might be skewed - her quick temper, her possessiveness of the children, her justifications for "fattening them up." Yet she remains sympathetic because we understand her loneliness and desire for connection.