I Used ChatGPT to Write a Book. And I Published it | ChatGPT for Authors | Writing a Novel With AI

Sydney Faith Author
27 Jan 202311:00

TLDRThe speaker shares their experience using ChatGPT to write a fantasy novella, 'Legends of the Shadow Woods,' based on Greek mythology. They detail the process of generating content, editing, and the challenges faced, such as repetitive phrases and clumsy sentence structures. The video explores the potential impact of AI on the writing industry, suggesting that while it may change the landscape for authors, it could also democratize storytelling and art creation.

Takeaways

  • 🤖 The speaker used ChatGPT to write a fantasy Novella titled 'Legends of the Shadow Woods', which is available on Amazon.
  • 🎨 An AI was also utilized to create the cover for the Novella, showcasing the capabilities of AI in creative fields.
  • 📚 The Novella is based on Greek mythology, chosen for its rich storytelling tradition and the AI's pre-existing knowledge base.
  • 📈 The process involved trial and error, with the first story requiring more adjustments than subsequent ones.
  • 📝 The editing process was extensive, aiming to make the AI-generated content readable while preserving its originality.
  • ✂️ The speaker spent a significant amount of time cutting down verbose and repetitive content generated by ChatGPT.
  • 🚫 ChatGPT's limitations include content policy restrictions, clumsy sentence structure, and occasional loss of context.
  • 🔄 The editing process involved multiple iterations of regeneration and adjustments to improve the narrative.
  • 📖 The final product was just under 25,000 words, created by balancing generating and editing efforts.
  • 🔮 The speaker contemplates the future impact of AI on the writing industry, suggesting it could lower the barrier to entry for new authors.

Q & A

  • What was the speaker's childhood wish regarding robots?

    -The speaker wished for a robot to do their chores for them when they were a kid.

  • How did the speaker utilize ChatGPT in creating 'Legends of the Shadow Woods'?

    -The speaker used ChatGPT to write the Novella, generate the book blurb, and create a chapter outline, among other tasks.

  • What is the theme of 'Legends of the Shadow Woods'?

    -The theme is based on Greek mythology, with tales involving a hero named Ajax battling sorceresses, monsters, and uncovering ancient artifacts.

  • What limitations did the speaker encounter while using ChatGPT for writing?

    -The speaker found that ChatGPT had clumsy sentence structures, a tendency to repeat itself, and occasionally forgot previously established details in the story.

  • How long did it take the speaker to generate and edit the Novella?

    -It took the speaker around 12 days to generate, edit, and proofread the book, with a final word count just shy of 25,000 words.

  • What was the speaker's goal with editing the AI-generated content?

    -The goal was to make the content readable rather than achieving the speaker's personal writing standard, preserving the AI-generated content as much as possible.

  • How did the speaker handle the issue of ChatGPT's content policy?

    -The speaker avoided using any content that might violate the policy, especially regarding violence, and did not use content from prompts that generated warnings.

  • What is the speaker's perspective on the future impact of AI on the writing and publishing industry?

    -The speaker believes that AI could be a game-changer, potentially lowering the barrier to entry for new authors and changing the industry significantly, especially for midlist and indie authors.

  • How did the speaker create the cover for 'Legends of the Shadow Woods'?

    -The speaker used another AI program, DallE2, to generate images and then combined them in Photoshop to create the cover.

  • Where can readers find 'Legends of the Shadow Woods' and the speaker's other works?

    -Readers can find 'Legends of the Shadow Woods' on Amazon and the speaker's other original works on their website sydneyfaith.com.

  • What was the speaker's overall experience with using AI for creative writing?

    -The speaker found the experience to be a mix of trial and error, requiring patience and time, but ultimately found it to be an amazing tool for storytelling and creative expression.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 Utilizing AI for Creative Writing

The speaker discusses their experience using AI, specifically ChatGPT, to write a fantasy novella titled 'Legends of the Shadow Woods'. They explain that the AI was used not only for writing the content but also for creating the book cover. The speaker shares their process of generating ideas, world-building, and crafting the story, highlighting the limitations and capabilities of the AI in understanding and generating text. They also reflect on the potential impact of AI on the writing industry and the challenges it may pose to traditional authors.

05:03

📝 The Editing Process and AI's Limitations

The speaker delves into the editing process of the AI-generated novella, detailing the steps taken to refine the content. They discuss the challenges of dealing with repetitive phrases, verbose content, and the AI's tendency to change details inconsistently. The speaker also mentions the limitations set by OpenAI's content policy and the need for careful editing to preserve the AI's generated content while making it readable. They share their thoughts on how AI tools like ChatGPT could change the landscape for indie authors and creative individuals.

10:06

🌐 Future Implications and Accessibility

The speaker contemplates the future of AI in the realm of writing and creativity. They consider the potential for AI to lower the barrier to entry for storytelling and art, making it more accessible to non-professionals. The speaker also acknowledges the uncertainty of how AI will affect the publishing industry, particularly for midlist authors and newcomers. They mention the possibility of Amazon banning AI-generated content and their plan to make the novella available on their website if necessary, providing a link for viewers to access the book and their other original works.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡ChatGPT

ChatGPT is an AI language model developed by OpenAI that can understand and generate human-like text based on the input it receives. In the context of the video, the author utilized ChatGPT to write a novella, demonstrating its capability to create coherent and contextually relevant text, as evidenced by the scriptwriting and the generation of the book's blurb.

💡AI-generated content

AI-generated content refers to any material, such as text, images, or music, that is created by artificial intelligence systems without human intervention. In the video, the author discusses the use of AI to generate both the text of a novella and its cover art, highlighting the growing capabilities of AI in creative fields.

💡Greek mythology

Greek mythology is a collection of ancient stories from Greek and Roman culture that contain explanations of natural phenomena, the origins of the world, and the lives of legendary heroes. In the video, the author chose Greek mythology as the basis for the novella's world-building, leveraging a rich and established framework that ChatGPT could draw upon to generate engaging content.

💡Editing process

The editing process refers to the steps taken to review and refine written content, with the goal of improving clarity, coherence, and overall quality. In the video, the author describes their editing process for the AI-generated novella, which involved reducing verbose content, removing repetitions, and adjusting clumsy sentence structures to make the story readable.

💡Content Policy

A Content Policy is a set of guidelines or rules established by a platform or service to govern the type of content that can be created or shared. In the context of the video, ChatGPT has a Content Policy that restricts the generation of certain types of content, such as excessively violent material, which can pose challenges when creating action-oriented stories.

💡Limitations of AI

Limitations of AI refer to the constraints or shortcomings in the capabilities of artificial intelligence systems. In the video, the author discusses specific limitations of ChatGPT, such as clumsy sentence structure, repetitive phrasing, and occasional inconsistencies in storytelling, which require significant editing to produce a polished final product.

💡Fantasy world

A fantasy world is an imaginary realm or setting that is created for the purpose of storytelling, often featuring magical elements, mythical creatures, and unique cultures. In the video, the author chose to create a fantasy world based on Greek mythology for the novella, which provided a rich backdrop for the stories and allowed the AI to generate content within a familiar and established framework.

💡Story outline

A story outline is a structured plan that summarizes the main events, characters, and plot points of a narrative. It serves as a guide for writers to organize their thoughts and ensure a coherent and logical progression of the story. In the video, the author used ChatGPT to create an outline for the novella, which helped in structuring the story and maintaining consistency throughout the writing process.

💡Digital publishing

Digital publishing refers to the process of making written content, such as books, articles, or magazines, available in a digital format for readers to access on electronic devices. In the video, the author discusses publishing the AI-generated novella on Amazon, highlighting the ease and accessibility of digital platforms for sharing and selling written works.

💡Creative potential

Creative potential refers to the capacity or possibility for innovation, originality, and artistic expression. In the video, the author explores the creative potential of AI tools like ChatGPT and Dall-E2, suggesting that they can empower individuals to bring their creative visions to life with less need for traditional skill development.

💡Future of authors

The future of authors refers to the evolving landscape of writing and storytelling, influenced by technological advancements and changing consumer behaviors. In the video, the author contemplates the impact of AI on the writing industry, suggesting that it could democratize the process of content creation and alter the dynamics for both established and emerging writers.

Highlights

The speaker used ChatGPT to write a Novella based on Greek mythology.

The Novella, titled 'Legends of the Shadow Woods', is available on Amazon.

ChatGPT also created the book's blurb and the cover using a different AI.

The speaker initially wasn't planning on sharing the Novella but decided to after investing significant time.

ChatGPT provided multiple options for the type of fantasy world to write about.

The decision to base the world on Greek mythology was influenced by the AI's existing knowledge base and the mythological storytelling style.

The speaker found it challenging to generate a contemporary novel with ChatGPT due to its current limitations.

The first story, 'The Golden Feather of Friendship', was created through a process of trial and error.

A basic outline was created before starting the first story, despite the AI's tendency to be vague.

The editing process involved a rough edit, detailed editing with software, and proofreading.

The goal of editing was to make the AI-generated content readable rather than to impose the author's style.

The speaker spent roughly equal time on generating and editing the content.

ChatGPT's limitations include content policy restrictions, clumsy sentence structure, and repeated phrases.

The AI sometimes forgets details it previously wrote, such as a character's eye color.

The impact of AI on the authorship and publishing industry could be significant, potentially changing the landscape for indie authors.

The ease of using AI tools like ChatGPT and DallE2 could democratize content creation for non-experts.

The speaker considers the possibility of Amazon banning AI-generated content in the future.

Casual Browsing

I used ChatGPT to design a logo! (shocking results)

2024-04-16 10:40:00

I made my own .io game and published it

2024-04-14 21:25:00

How to Write a Book in a Day with AI (My Approach)

2024-03-30 05:20:00

How to Write a Book with AI (For Beginners) from Idea to Finished Product

2024-03-30 08:55:00

The Only 7 Prompts AI Authors Need to Write Their First Book

2024-03-30 09:20:00