How I use ChatGPT In My Writing Process

ChatGPT is a powerful AI language model developed by OpenAI. It is designed to understand and generate human-like text based on the input it receives. It can generate text, provide translations, help out with suggestions after being provided with prompts, correct spelling and grammar, and engage in conversation.

As I struggle with blurbs (as a fair amount of novel writers do! Condensing an 80 thousand word novel into 300 words can be hard!) I have used ChatGPT to help me structure my blurbs to align more with existing industry standards.

This is because ChatGPT has been fed this information previously during its training, and knows and understands the strict methodology for writing a blurb. The added bonus is that it is short-form text, so it’s easy for ChatGPT to produce.

I want to make it clear that ChatGPT was fed this information largely from sources that were crawled, and not approved by the authors of their works to use in such a manner. And this is why, largely from a moral standpoint, I don’t use CHatGPT to assist with the actual production of my writing. Everything in my books comes from my own head.

However, I found a good use for ChatGPT, and that is to ask questions Google can’t answer.

For example, I needed to know what the term is when crops are disposed of because they can’t be sold.

Google couldn’t answer this. I couldn’t ask Google to define the term I was looking for because I didn’t know the term I was looking for.

Because I didn’t know what I was looking for, my input of “what are farm crops called that aren’t good enough to sell” led me to search results about making profit with crops.

But when I asked ChatGPT the same question, I got my answer straight away:

This is mostly how I use ChatGPT: to answer questions I don’t even know how to word properly for Google’s algorithm, and to help me develop my blurbs.

How ChatGPT Can Assist Authors

I’ve talked briefly about how people do not need to fear that ChatGPT will take over the literary world by producing engaging full-length novels anytime soon because the creativity and ability to write in such long-form for nuanced fiction simply doesn’t exist yet.

But can ChatGPT be used to assist in the writing of a novel?

One potential use of ChatGPT is for generating ideas and providing inspiration. An author could input a prompt or concept into ChatGPT and receive a generated response that could spark new ideas or directions for the story. This could be great for someone experiencing writer’s block, or who needs some help with coming up with stories they’re excited to write, whether it’s the first in a series or the 20th book in a long-running series. Additionally, ChatGPT can also be used for generating character or setting descriptions, and as a base for providing dialogue options that can be rewritten into the author’s authentic voice.

Another way that ChatGPT could be used in novel writing is by generating outlines or chapter summaries. An author could input a rough outline or summary of their story, and ChatGPT could help fill in the gaps or suggest new plot points. Again, this could be particularly useful for authors who struggle with writer’s block or are looking to explore different directions for their story, however the current version of ChatGPT is limited by its training, and isn’t very creative.

Finally, ChatGPT could be used for providing a starting point for an author who is struggling to get their ideas down on paper. By inputting a basic plot summary or character outline, ChatGPT could generate a rough draft that an author could then refine and shape into a final product.

Overall, while ChatGPT may not be able to write a full-length novel on its own without significant human input, it can still be a valuable tool for assisting with the writing process. By generating ideas, providing inspiration, and generating outlines or drafts, ChatGPT can help authors overcome writer’s block and develop their stories in new and exciting ways.

I’ll talk specifically about how I have used ChatGPT to help my writing in a later blog post.

Will ChatGPT Replace Authors?

If you haven’t heard of ChatGPT, it’s an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool that has the ability to generate human-like responses to a wide variety of questions and prompts.

It can provide concise information (but not always accurate – check your sources!), and assist with writing short-form such as emails and reports.

While ChatGPT has an incredibly useful ability to generate text that mimics human writing, it is limited by what information was used to train the data – for example, ChatGPT doesn’t know about any world events that occurred after 2021. It’s also limited by how much it can output. It can’t spit out a full-length novel in minutes, not just because the standard word count of a novel is 60-100k and that word count is just too high for the current version of ChatGPT to produce long-form content, but because creating a novel requires a level of creativity and understanding of narrative structure that ChatGPT simply cannot replicate.

Artificial Intelligence is just that: it’s artificial. It’s not real intelligence. And any reader can tell you that it requires a certain degree of creativity to write a whole-ass novel. A whole-ass novel is not just a series of sentences or paragraphs strung together. It requires a plot with rising action, character development, and a resolution that satisfies the reader. It requires its author to make decisions about pacing, dialogue, and scene settings. These are all things that are difficult for AI to accomplish without a high level of input and guidance from a human, which makes it a better time and energy investment to just write the damn novel yourself.

The issue is that the AI needs a thinking, creative person to hand-feed everything into the AI to get the responses required to cobble together a full-length novel. ChatGPT lacks the imagination and intuition that a full-length novel requires, and can only regurgitate content it already knows from pre-existing sources fed to it during data training. It can’t draw on the author’s experiences, emotions, and creativity that make those stories engaging. It can’t come up with something original without significant input and guidance by a human.

That’s not to say that ChatGPT can’t be used in the writing process, and I’ll talk more about how I use AI to help my own writing process in a later blog post. But the current limitations on the technology and the intricacies and skill required to craft a full-length novel means that ChatGPT is not capable of writing a full-length novel in 2023.

The Tassie Indie Author Book Fair

What an absolutely incredible day it was at the Tassie Indie Author Book Fair on Saturday, May 13th!

I had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful readers, brimming with excitement to explore the captivating worlds of over 40 local indie authors. The response was beyond my wildest dreams, and I couldn’t be more thrilled! In fact, the demand was so high that I ran out of copies of Winter Witch! Underestimating the interest was a delightful surprise.

Book dragon – one of my table decorations!

A heartfelt thank you to all the book lovers who took the time to chat, support my work by purchasing a book, or took home a special bookmark. As an introvert, each interaction was a joyous celebration, and I cherished every moment spent with you.

A special shout-out goes to my wonderful husband, my rock and unwavering supporter, who was by my side throughout the fair. His creative talents shone as he crafted a plethora of stunning metal bookmarks, which were given away with every purchase. Not only that, but he skillfully sorted out all the tech intricacies, ensuring a seamless experience for me. His unwavering support and dedication have been the driving force behind my journey, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

With this resounding success and the lovely support received, I’m already counting down the days until next year’s fair. The anticipation is electrifying, and I can’t wait to connect with readers, old and new, as we embark on another unforgettable literary adventure together.

Winter’s Wrath (Winter Witch #2) RELEASE DAY

Are you ready for the thrilling sequel to Winter Witch? Well, the wait is finally over! Winter’s Wrath is now available in ebook, on Kindle Unlimited, AND in paperback, so you can take Tally Bane’s adventures with your wherever you go. And let me tell you, this is a book you won’t want to put down.

Winter’s Wrath: The Heart-Pounding Sequel to Winter Witch

Tally Bane, resident winter witch, necromancer, and future princess, may have saved half the palace and cleared her name, but she still has unknown enemies. When she is attacked during a routine ride, and her attacker is destroyed before he can be questioned, Tally’s gang pull together to protect her:

• Her betrothed, Crown Prince Ford.
• Her lover, Lennox.
• Her friend, Beck.
• And Dover, whose gruff protection appears to be masking his true feelings.

As the group travels across the kingdom, they are determined to gather information on Tally’s enemies and learn what they can about the witches sent to the war front. They find answers that threaten to bring the kingdom to its knees. Struggling to keep her chosen family safe in the face of the greatest evil the world has ever known, Tally might just be the key to stopping it.

But that would require the biggest sacrifice of all.

**WINTER’S WRATH is the sequel to WINTER WITCH, a full-length, medium-burn, slow-build why choose novel. There are steamy scenes, super hot protective men, and there may or may not be a cliff-hanger.**

And now, you can experience all the magic and adventure in ebook or paperback form!

Don’t wait any longer to join Tally on her journey. Get your copy of Winter’s Wrath today!

PLUS as a bonus, you can get a FREE prequel novella detailing how Tally meets her shapeshifting companion, Ash, two years before the events of Winter Witch! All you have to do is sign up to receive my newsletter directly to your inbox.