By James M. Jackson
We’ve been dealing with “Artificial Intelligence” for years.
The term was created in 1956 at the Dartmouth Conference.[i]
Ten years later, ELIZA, created by Joseph Weizenbaum at MIT, used an early
natural language processing program (aka chatbot) to simulate a Rogerian
psychotherapist![ii]
In the 1970s and 1980s, we all started pressing our phones to indicate 1 for
sales, 2 for service, etc. I started using a spellchecker in the mid 1980s.
The good old days.
Now, with massive and inexpensive computing power, AI is engaging
in a much wider set of tasks. The software program ProWritingAid, which I have
used for years, uses AI to check spelling and grammar. It also checks for a
large variety of writing “issues” including writing style, sentence length and
variety, readability grade, use of passive voice, adverb use, emotional tells,
acronym use and consistency, paragraph complexity, and much more.
It not only spots “errors,” it suggests how to correct the
“problem.” I use quotation marks because it is not always right. Often its
software becomes confused by complexity, and misidentifies things like dialogue
tags, doesn’t realize that a word like goin’ uses an apostrophe to signify the
missing g rather than claiming my writing is flawed because I ended a quotation
without starting it.
Although not perfect, it is very useful. So, when the
ProWritingAid team introduced a Manuscript Analysis feature, I was interested
to see how it would do. I recently finished Draft 3 of Niki Undercover (Niki
Undercover #2) and knew it still had a few structural problems. Before I
tackled those, I asked the Manuscript Analysis to do its thing.
Its report was comprehensive, covering 37 pages. It began by
telling me Niki Unleashed is a Thriller (Political Thriller) and
provided a story overview and plot outline. The story overview (see below) is
accurate, if not inspired. The plot outline caught the chief points but missed
the subtlety.
With that start, I was skeptical about how helpful this
would be.
But I changed my mind after reading the narrative elements
section. It accurately reported three themes and motifs. Fortunately, there was
more of this kind of analysis later in the report.
Then it stumbled with its analysis of potential readers that
I did not find enlightening. Its “Similar Books” section explained the rationale
for its choices, although I did not find the three choices compelling.
It listed characters, their role, character type, story
presence, and offered for the top three a similar fictional character. The
comparisons were not ones I would have made, but the explanations made sense. A
table of contents section that listed narrative person and POV had no value to
me.
The real value came in the next two sections.
It uncovered five Narrative Themes and concluded I had used two
effectively. The other three themes were underdeveloped. It provided text
references for its comments, and for the three “underdeveloped” themes provided
suggestions to strengthen them. Two of the underdeveloped themes are
underdeveloped because I do not consider them to be major themes. The third, Betrayal
and Trust, does play a significant role in the story. Here is its suggestion:
Broad brush, but an accurate assessment and something I can
improve in draft 4.
The Plot & Structure section is where ProWritingAid’s
AI shined. It discussed seventeen areas in significant detail. Maybe it was
trying to sugar-coat the pill, but it reported several things it thought I did
well (a compelling premise, clever use of red herrings and suspense in the
murder investigation, and fast-paced and action-packed narrative in the second
half).
The greatest value was in the things it considered issues.
Several involved inconsistencies it found. While not all of
them were actual inconsistencies, the fact it considered them problems means
they are things I must clean up.
It was concerned about three plot points it didn’t think I
had resolved or had not provided sufficient motivation to justify. (It was
right).
Recall that it praised my pacing in the second half of the
novel. Issues it highlighted in the first half were an overuse of internal
monologue and lengthy explanations of procedures and technical details. Those
issues slow the pace.
It also worried about “unclear and inconsistent states and
threat levels” and “inconsistent tone and use of humor.” These are two facets
of the same issue. One subplot has a different level of threat (personal
relations and financial well-being) than the main plot (her life is on the
line). While I don’t agree with its suggested solutions, it spotlighted a
potential problem I will ask beta readers to express their opinions on.
On characters, it gave me positive marks for a complex and
multifaceted protagonist, strong voice and authentic dialogue by the
protagonist, and a realistic portrayal of the protagonist’s internal struggles
and emotional journey.
It highlighted unclear motivations for two of the other
characters—fair assessments, I think.
It also dinged me for “underdeveloped relationships and
missing backstory of supporting characters.” This is book two of the series
focused on the protagonist. The AI tool hasn’t read book 1, and it wanted more
character development for supporting characters. Maybe I should include a few
more snippets of backstory, but this isn’t a novel where everyone shares the
spotlight and needs to change.
Setting: It praised the use of setting to create
tension, but it wanted (depending on the criticism) both more and less detail.
It faulted some of the legal procedures I used, as well as some of the FBI/ATF
procedures. This isn’t a procedural, so I need to cut corners, but it is an interesting
observation that I will think about.
This first use came free of additional cost with my
ProWritingAid license. Each future use costs $50. It doesn’t replace a human
editor, but I think I received $50 worth of value. My next draft will be
stronger based on its findings.
Next month, I’ll talk about how I use ChatGPT to augment
this ProWritingAid Manuscript Analysis.
Authors: what are your thoughts on using AI to help improve
your stories?
Readers: Do you enjoy learning the behind-the-screen aspects
of how we create our novels?
[ii] https://www.csail.mit.edu/news/eliza-wins-peabody-award
James M. Jackson authors the Seamus McCree series. Full of mystery and suspense, these thrillers explore financial crimes, family relationships, and what happens when they mix. To learn more information about Jim and his books, check out his website, https://jamesmjackson.com. You can sign up for his newsletter (and get to read a free Seamus McCree short story).
I'm sure that the first time someone painted images on a cave wall that told a story, some bards mourned the demise of the only genuine method of story telling, which was completely oral. Every time someone develops a new tool that assists with story telling, they are met with resistance. AI is a tool. We can rail against it to our own peril, ignore it, or learn to use and control it.
ReplyDeleteWell said.
DeleteThe difference is AI only exists because its stolen from actual human writers. Everything you learned was stolen without consent by another writer. There are plenty of craft books, classes, and developmental editors like me who could give you the same feedback. You can guess my thoughts on AI.
DeleteI understand your perspective, however, the legal questions about copyright infringement are still working their way through the courts regarding whether AI training was fair use or not -- and I will leave it to the judicial system to determine the legal ramifications including fines and payments to injured authors. I don't see this use of AI as a replacement for developmental editors, but as an adjunct.
DeleteFor now, I'm steering clear of AI and ChatGPT, but it's hard to avoid.
ReplyDeleteIt will likely get better as time goes on. I suggest you keep paying attention to what others are doing.
DeleteI'm still on the fence here. I know the barn door can't be closed, but AI still gives me pause. Quite a bit of it, in fact.
ReplyDeleteIt's a tool and like any tool it can and will be misused and cause problems -- but it won't go away.
DeleteThis is fascinating, Jim. You're right. It's here to stay.
ReplyDeleteYep - adapt early or late, but we will have to adapt to it.
DeleteHi Jim, I'm glad you had such a positive experience. These tools can be very helpful for some tasks, but I'm still leery when they jump in uninvited to offer to do writing I prefer to do myself. There are way too many unintended consequences to this whole world of AI.
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned, I don't have it do rewrites for me -- because I know how to fix things. If, however, I were earlier in my learning process, I can see how asking it to rewrite a paragraph three different ways and explain why it did each one would be very helpful in learning how to write better -- again, not to use it's revision, but rather to learn from its collective experience. To Korina's point, a good editor or writing coach could do a better job, but much more expensively. Get 80% for free and pay for the 20% you really need.
DeleteInteresting blog as I wasn't familiar with this tool. I heard an add on the radio as I was driving today about an AI tool that can be used to make a Father's Day gift. You feed it the name of the father, the author the father likes, possibly a book title, and ask it to write a short book in the same style. As it says, the perfect gift for dad.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there will be more and more AI-written books available. Which is why we each need to lean in to what makes us a unique author.
DeleteHi Jim...you opened the proverbial "can of worms" here. As you, no doubt expected, many of the comments are noncommittal. It seems the writers who commented are mostly on team "Wait and See." As an unpublished writer, I'm open to learning and receiving ideas that improve my writing. I appreciate your clear explanation of the various reports that PWA offers. I do plan to give it a whirl and see what I can learn.
ReplyDeleteHi Jane -- I am the guy who opens worm cans to see what's inside and share what I find - which makes some people uncomfortable. I hope you find a lot of value in your research and trials and (unfortunately) errors.
DeleteI would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article.Quotation making
ReplyDeletebest ai tool for content writing is Jasper, known for its powerful templates and SEO-friendly outputs. It helps generate blogs, emails, and ad copy quickly. With intuitive controls and natural language flow, Jasper boosts writing productivity, making it perfect for marketers, bloggers, and businesses aiming for high-quality content.
ReplyDelete