This week, we’re doing a mini-series on how authors can use an AI tool like ChatGPT to support their author endeavors without crossing the line of plagiarism, copyright issues or just ethically questionable practices. In this series we’ll be covering how authors can use a large language model (LLM) to act as a personal assistant and a host of publishing pros in your pocket. Without ever replacing the job of a human, these prompts will help you with writing, editing and marketing your book.
In this first part, discover ethical ways to use ChatGPT to assist in your drafting endeavors. In part two, we’ll talk about how it can be used during editing without turning it into a virtual editor. And in part three, we will break down the many ways it can ease some of the struggles around marketing and promoting your book!
So if you’ve been curious, but cautious, about the emerging world of AI, kick off your exploration here!
Unfortunately, there is a tendency in the publishing world to be a little slower when it comes to keeping up with trends. The literary world’s fondness for tradition has been a hinderance at many turns, especially in the digital era. There was a resistance to e-reading and even online sales of books in general, leaving room for monstrosities like Amazon to take over the space as we watched bookstores shutter. A book community was thriving, alive and successful on Instagram and TikTok long before the majority of the industry paid it any attention, leaving them dependent on influencers rather than being influencers themselves. Now, we’re seeing it again with AI. The focus being thoroughly on intellectual property theft (an important subject, for sure) and scam artists with no attention towards how authors and publishing can actually benefit from emerging AI programs.
The fear around plagiarism, copyright issues and misuse of the platforms is valid, but that doesn’t mean there is no room for authors to benefit from these tools. So let’s talk about how you can ethically use a program like ChatGPT to support your writing endeavors and enhance your productivity.
Writing
While it’s very clear that using AI to write your book for you is off the table, there are ways it can be used while in the drafting phase that don’t cross this line.
Scheduling and Planning
It can be beneficial to think of ChatGPT as a personal assistant. You wouldn’t ask someone else to write your book for you, but you might asking them to help you with scheduling and strategizing. Whether you’re working towards your first publishing deal or writing on a deadline, a command like this might be of use:
Prompt: I am an author who is interested in producing a novel that is 70,000 to 90,000 words in six months. I have an hour and a half available in the mornings, thirty minutes at lunch and one hour in the evenings three days a week to work. I’m also able to dedicate one eight-hour weekend day a month to the project. Please lay out my word count goals for each session.
Though ChatGPT got very granular on its response, here’s a summary of what it returned. Not only does this feel more manageable, but it takes all the guess work (and calculations) out for you.
Summary of Daily and Weekly Goals:
Daily Goals:
Mornings: 213 – 273 words
Lunch: 71 – 91 words
Evenings (3 days): 142 – 182 words each day
Weekly Goals:Mornings: 213 words x 7 days = 1,491 words (70k) / 273 words x 7 days = 1,911 words (90k)
Lunch: 71 words x 7 days = 497 words (70k) / 91 words x 7 days = 637 words (90k)
Evenings: 142 words x 3 days = 426 words (70k) / 182 words x 3 days = 546 words (90k)
Weekend Day: 1,136 words/month (70k) / 1,456 words/month (90k)
Combining these, your total weekly goals would be:For 70,000 words: 1,491 + 497 + 426 + 284 (weekend) = 2,698 words/week
For 90,000 words: 1,911 + 637 + 546 + 364 (weekend) = 3,458 words/week
No matter how complex your schedule and planning needs are, you can feed this program an immense amount of detail and have it lay out a plan to help you get your work done quickly. Then, set yourself some reminders and get to work!
Develop an Outline
Admittedly, some may feel this is crossing a line, but I would tend to disagree. Google, craft books and a variety of other sources provide sample outlines to follow, how does ChatGPT providing this change anything? You can study all the books in your genre or work with an editor in the early stages to come up with this as well. The story is still yours and we all know that there is something resembling a formula for most genres, but it’s the characters, plot, setting and your individual skill that makes it a unique book. Not to mention, odds are–like all outlines–you won’t be following this religiously, it’s more like guide rails that help keep you on track.
Prompt: I am writing a contemporary romance novel. I would like a general outline to follow to ensure all the expected elements of a romance novel hit at the proper times. Could you provide me with an outline to follow for a 75,000-word novel including specifics like the inciting incident, first kiss, etc.
Again, the response provides more detail regarding what each stage of the story should entail, but ultimately it is no more than a point-by-point estimation of what should be happening at which stages of the story. This isn’t robbing you of any creativity nor does it keep you from heading off in your own direction, it simply gives you a road map to consider as you draft.
This outline was developed using a 15-chapter outline. You could tell it to make one based off of 25 chapters or any other number. You could also make more specific tweaks like requesting that it provide an outline based on “steamy romance” that accounts for when and how often “the deed” should appear in the story, for example.
Opening: 0-3,750 words
Inciting Incident: 3,750-5,000 words
Refusal of the Call: 5,000-7,500 words
Acceptance of the Call: 7,500-9,375 words
First Kiss: 9,375-12,500 words
Developing Relationship: 12,500-18,750 words
Rising Tension: 18,750-25,000 words
Midpoint: 25,000-28,750 words
Strengthening Bond: 28,750-37,500 words
Crisis: 37,500-43,750 words
The Climb: 43,750-50,000 words
Second Turning Point: 50,000-56,250 words
Climax: 56,250-62,500 words
Resolution: 62,500-70,000 words
Happily Ever After: 70,000-75,000 words
As authors, you have a ton of resources at your disposal for helping you determine the layout of your novel. When writing in specific genres, like romance, there are reader expectations you’ll want to deliver on. There is nothing wrong with utilizing ChatGPT to know what those things are and where to place them.
Now, an ethical line might certainly be crossed if you ask it to create an outline for you that is exactly like “X” book. Though, you could certainly discover that information for yourself and still be treading on questionable ground, it should be fairly clear when you’re writing a story that it’s okay to learn from other works and draw inspiration, but it’s hardly good form to lift anything off of a fellow writer.
Research
In a lot of ways, we have to think of tools like ChatGPT the same way we would Google. Except, in a lot of cases, it’s better. Google is quickly going to feel like going to a library to do research. The granular detail you can get from a program like ChatGPT cuts your research time down in ways that are hardly even calculable. The ability to get into the finer details and specifics is unparalleled. What might have taken days if not weeks to understand can be boiled down fast and precise.
Let’s say, for example, you’re trying to understand the procedures of a particular type of crime for your thriller novel. Let ChatGPT comb all the law literature out there to help you accurately portray a scene.
Prompt: I’m writing a thriller novel about a kidnapping and murder and am trying to understand the specific legal actions a detective would take to find the perpetrators. What sort of things would the detective do to initiate the investigation.
ChatGPT’s response lays out very clearly the steps a detective might follow to investigate which can serve as a baseline for the scenes you might lay out in your thriller:
Initial Response
Securing the Scene:
- Arrive at the Crime Scene: The detective arrives at the scene with first responders.
- Establish a Perimeter: Ensure the area is secured to prevent contamination of evidence.
- Initial Assessment: Conduct a preliminary assessment to understand the situation.
Gathering Information:Interview Witnesses: Speak with anyone who might have seen or heard anything unusual.
- Collect Statements: Gather detailed accounts from family members, neighbors, or anyone connected to the victim.
- Check Surveillance Footage: Review any available CCTV or security camera footage from the area.
Evidence Collection
Forensic Examination:
- Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Team: Work with forensic experts to collect physical evidence (e.g., fingerprints, DNA, hair fibers).
- Photographs and Sketches: Document the scene thoroughly with photographs and sketches.
Autopsy and Medical Records:
- Medical Examiner: Request an autopsy to determine the cause of death and any signs of struggle or abuse.
- Victim’s Medical History: Review the victim’s medical records for any relevant information. […]
For a realistic, accurate and detailed portrayal of events, AI can help you better understand a process you may not naturally be familiar with. The options are limitless. You can use it to better understand advanced technology, medical jargon, and other complex topics. You could also consider using it to better understand a setting you may not be particularly familiar with. Anything you need to be an expert in, but aren’t, it can help you to better understand.
AI has gotten a pretty bad rap, from Terminator-esque ideas of apocalypse to the opportunity it provides for bad actors to run amuck in spaces like publishing, it makes sense to be concerned about an AI future. The truth is though, that it is coming (actually it’s here) whether we like it or not. So authors can learn to adopt and adapt or risk being left behind.
A few disclaimers authors should keep in mind:
- ChatGPT and all other AI systems aren’t always accurate. Make sure you double check any information you get from these programs against other reliable sources.
- Literary agents, almost universally, do not want query letters or any other materials to be AI produced, so don’t outsource the task of communicating with agents. But you may be able to use it to research who to pitch!
- Know that whatever you’re feeding ChatGPT is being used to train it further. If you have any moral hangups regarding the development of AI, use your own compass to guide you on what to use it for.
With any new tool, there is a lot to learn and even more implications than we can even think of here. But we would all be remiss to dismiss this inevitable evolution coming to books and publishing.
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