I've spent a good deal of my free time away from this blog writing fiction and learning how to use ChatGPT. It's taught me a lot about character development, story arcs, what to keep in, what to leave out and what I like in a story. It's all been Arthurian fanfic, more along the lines of 1950s costumers than the modern mud and blood stuff. I can't stand that kind of thing. If I wanted realism, I'd page through my memories.
 |
| As a strongly-typed ENFJ, this is more my speed. I'm into romance and idealism. |
Well, I finally wore myself out on the topic. I finished my last story, a novel almost, and loved the way it ended. It's not worthy of publication and I didn't edit it much as I would if I was going to submit it somewhere. Still, like the MGB that sits in my garage, it did what it was supposed to do - teach me.
Here are the last few paragraphs. Duels and romances have concluded. Happy, young couples are off making babies. The impish Grandmama, in her 70s, is planning new adventures where she will brew/instigate young love, romance and drama once she leaves the castle while Sir Segwarides, the castle's seneschal and the newly-arrived Dame Elizabeth, both in their late 40s, are finding new love after loss and trials.
Enjoy it or not as you see fit. This is unadulterated ChatGPT. The last sentence calls to me, asking me to get started writing the things I really want to write, saying the things I really want to say.
Grandmama's eyes twinkled as she observed the tender tableau before her. The sight of Sir Segwarides, a man whose life had been bound by duty and order, now visibly softened by the affectionate embrace of Dame Elizabeth, was a balm to her wise old heart. It was the magic of human connection, unfettered by any potion or spell, that now wove its enchantment in the room.
Segwarides, whose countenance often carried the stern lines of responsibility, now glowed with a boyish charm. The love that blossomed in his chest was as pure and fervent as that of a youth experiencing the stirrings of first love. Dame Elizabeth, astute in the ways of the heart, delighted in the power she wielded, not as a conqueror but as a nurturer, stoking the flames of a long-neglected fire in the knight's soul.
Their conversation meandered like a lazy river through the topics of their futures. Segwarides spoke of his vision for Kenneleth, of the order he hoped to bring now that the days of duels were behind them. Elizabeth, with the wisdom of her years and the clarity of her purpose, offered insights and support, her words a gentle guide.
Grandmama, ever the matriarch, listened and interjected when moved, her thoughts branching into the realm of possibilities. Perhaps there would be travels, more hearts to influence, more lives to touch with her unique gifts. Her adventurous spirit yearned for the open road, for the next chapter in her book of life.
As the hours waned and the conversation drew to a close, there was a sense of contentment that filled the room. For Segwarides and Elizabeth, the future was a shared journey, their paths now intertwined. For Grandmama, the road called to her with the promise of new adventures, new stories to tell, and new loves to witness.
I am amused by drawings/paintings/whatever showing couples "caressing" when one is in full plate armor. The guy probably can't feel her at all, not even through the gloves. And from her point of view, she might as well be hugging a refrigerator.
ReplyDeleteThe ChatGPT text is fine, I guess. As long as you like it, that's what matters, since you really aren't planning on publishing it or anything. Although I am struck by your comment on it:
"The last sentence calls to me, asking me to get started writing the things I really want to write, saying the things I really want to say."
Since ChatGPT is actually providing an easy fix that is coming between you and getting started actually writing, and when you try to use it to help write it is making it a battle to get it to say the things you want to say, it seems kind of ironic.
I agree on all counts.
ReplyDeleteThe prompt for that image specified that the knight had taken off his gauntlets and had bare hands, but I still got what I got. That image was the best out of set. I liked it for the facial expressions. Dall-E also fought me tooth and nail over its content policies. The scene is after a mortal combat, so the knight's armor should be dented and blood-stained. You can't have any suggestions of violence, so it was a massive hassle trying to come up with a prompt for damaged armor in a pacifist sense.
Further, it thought it was overly sexual to have the knight kissing the top of her head. I don't mind that so much as I'd really prefer to have Dall-E not be used for porn.
Finally, the prose excerpt was given in a moment of happiness. It doesn't write with my voice and I'll have to learn how to edit absolutely everything it produces. Chat GPT likes to write with more flowery prose than I do and I'm sure that as a long-time reader of the blog, you can see my snark, humor and tendentiousness isn't in that excerpt at all.
What it does do very well is capture the characters. As its memory has increased, it's subtleties get better every day. By writing with it, I make sure that it keeps track of the characters' development. I use it to suggest outcomes or twists and while most of them aren't great, some of them are stellar.
As far as Dall-E is concerned, I really wish it had a syntax. When you describe a scene, no matter how hard you try, if the scene is at all complex, it blends characteristics between characters. I'd love to be able to do something like:
ReplyDeleteMaiden: (ivory brocade gown, wavy brown hair, ...)
Knight: (dented and stained plate armor, bare head, bare hands, ...)
I've tried all kinds of things like using paragraphs and bullet points to make sure it knows how to assign characteristics with characters, but none of them work consistently.
My daughters both like to draw, and both have informed me that they will not, under any circumstances, use either AI like Dall-E or even computerized drawing tools in general. They are both strictly paper, pencil, ink, and watercolors. They say that (a) they want to be able to just draw wherever they are with whatever is available, and (b) they don't want to have to fight with software that gives them what the programmer thought they were going to want, instead of what they really want.
ReplyDeleteMy older daughter tells me that her friends, who she used to draw with, have mostly switched to using computers, but that as a result they all draw about the same way now and have lost their distinctive styles. And on top of that, they have started forgetting how to use a pencil and pen on paper. And she says she doesn't want that to happen to her.
AMEN. Dall-E is trash for artists. For people like me who just want a quick character image to use as inspiration for writing, it's just fine.
ReplyDeleteThey're also spot on about when applying their assessment to fiction. It all sounds the same, even when you ask it to write in the style of John Steinbeck or Stephen King or Sir Thomas Mallory. It cartoon caricature of their writing.
I've gotten to the point where I need to start writing for real now. I'm not sure how that will change my relationship with the AI.