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 video script narrates the author's experience using ChatGPT to write a fantasy novella titled 'Legends of the Shadow Woods,' inspired by Greek mythology. The author shares the process of creating the book, from generating ideas and content to editing and proofreading, highlighting the potential and limitations of AI in writing. The novella, available on Amazon, showcases the capabilities of AI in storytelling and raises questions about the future impact on authors and the publishing industry.

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 versatility of AI in creative tasks.
  • 📚 The Novella is based on Greek mythology, as it provides a rich world and context for the AI to generate content.
  • 📈 The process involved trial and error, with the first story taking more time due to learning how to effectively use ChatGPT.
  • 📝 The editing process was extensive, aiming to make the AI-generated content readable while preserving the AI's contributions.
  • ✂️ The speaker spent a significant amount of time removing repetitive and verbose content generated by ChatGPT.
  • 🚫 ChatGPT has limitations, such as content policy restrictions and clumsy sentence structures that require manual editing.
  • 🔄 The AI sometimes forgot previous details, like character traits, which added to the editing workload.
  • 🌐 The impact of AI on the writing industry is uncertain, but it could lower the barrier for new authors and change the landscape.
  • 🔗 The speaker considers the possibility of Amazon banning AI-generated content and plans to host the ebook on their website if necessary.

Q & A

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

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

  • How did the author utilize ChatGPT in the creation of their novella?

    -The author used ChatGPT to generate text for the novella, including the story content and the book blurb.

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

    -'Legends of the Shadow Woods' is a collection of fantasy tales based on Greek mythology, featuring a hero named Ajax who battles sorceresses, monsters, and uncovers ancient artifacts.

  • How did the author decide on the fantasy world's setting for the novella?

    -The author decided on a Greek mythology-based world after asking ChatGPT for suggestions and choosing the option they thought would give the stories the best chance of success.

  • What was the author's approach to editing the AI-generated content?

    -The author aimed to preserve the generated content as much as possible, editing to make it readable rather than to impose their own style. They went through a process of rough editing, detailed editing with software, and proofreading.

  • What limitations did the author encounter while using ChatGPT?

    -The author found limitations such as the AI's clumsy sentence structure, repetitive phrases, and occasional inconsistencies in remembering details already written.

  • How long did it take the author to generate and edit the novella?

    -The author spent about the same amount of time generating and editing the novella, with the entire process from generating to editing and proofreading taking about 12 days.

  • What are the author's thoughts on the future impact of AI on the writing industry?

    -The author believes that AI could significantly change the industry, making it easier for non-writers to tell stories and potentially affecting midlist and new authors the most. However, they also see it as a tool that could be incredible for those who want to share stories.

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

    -The author used another AI program, DallE2, to generate images for the cover after watching tutorial videos, and then combined some of these images in Photoshop to create the final cover.

  • Where can readers find 'Legends of the Shadow Woods' and other works by the author?

    -Readers can find 'Legends of the Shadow Woods' on Amazon and other original, non-AI generated works by the author at sydneyfaith.com.

  • What is the author's perspective on the ease of using AI tools like ChatGPT?

    -The author believes that AI tools like ChatGPT could become as easy for non-writers to use as image generation tools like DallE2 are for non-artists, potentially lowering the barrier to entry for creative expression.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 Utilizing AI for Creative Writing

The speaker discusses their childhood wish for a robot to do chores and how they now have AI assisting in work. They introduce their project, a novella titled 'Legends of the Shadow Woods', written with the help of ChatGPT and available on Amazon. The speaker explains that they used AI not only for writing the book but also for creating the cover. They delve into the process of using ChatGPT, highlighting its capabilities and the manner in which it was trained. The speaker shares their experiences with the technology, including the various applications they've seen others use it for, and their decision to write a fantasy novella instead of a children's book. They describe their initial hesitation to share the project, but ultimately chose to discuss their creative process and thoughts on the AI program in general.

05:03

📝 The Editing Process and AI Limitations

The speaker details the editing process for their AI-generated novella, emphasizing the challenges of dealing with a large volume of generated content. They explain the three-step editing process they followed: a rough edit, a detailed pass with editing software, and proofreading. The speaker notes that the rough edit was the most time-consuming due to the need to cut out repeated content and the AI's tendency to be verbose. They also discuss the limitations of ChatGPT, such as its content policy restrictions, clumsy sentence structure, and issues with consistency in details. The speaker reflects on the implications of AI for the future of authors, comparing the impact of AI on the creative process to the disruption caused by self-publishing platforms like KDP.

10:06

🌐 Future of AI in Creative Industries

The speaker contemplates the potential future of AI in the creative industries, acknowledging the uncertainty of how it will unfold. They express concern about the possibility of Amazon banning AI-generated content and mention their plan to host the ebook on their website if necessary. The speaker invites viewers to check out 'Legends of the Shadow Woods' on Amazon and explore their other original works. They conclude the video by thanking the audience for watching.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡ChatGPT

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence program developed by OpenAI that can understand and respond to written language in a human-like manner. In the context of the video, the speaker used ChatGPT to generate text for a novella, demonstrating its ability to create coherent and contextually relevant content based on provided inputs. The program's capabilities are showcased through the creation of the book 'Legends of the Shadow Woods'.

💡AI-generated content

AI-generated content refers to any material, such as text, images, or music, that is created by artificial intelligence algorithms without direct human authorship. In the video, the term is used to describe the novella 'Legends of the Shadow Woods' and its cover, both of which were created with the help of AI programs like ChatGPT and Dall-E2.

💡Greek mythology

Greek mythology is a collection of ancient stories from Greek and Roman culture that contain moral messages, explanations of natural phenomena, and tales of gods, heroes, and monsters. In the video, the speaker chose Greek mythology as the basis for the fantasy world in the novella 'Legends of the Shadow Woods' because it provided a rich and established context for the AI to generate stories.

💡Editing process

The editing process refers to the steps taken to review, revise, and polish written content to improve its clarity, coherence, and overall quality. In the video, the editing process is discussed in relation to how the speaker worked with the AI-generated novella, aiming to make it readable while preserving the AI's generated content.

💡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 weaknesses inherent in artificial intelligence systems, which may include issues like clumsy sentence structure, repetition of phrases, or forgetfulness of previous content. In the video, the speaker discusses these limitations as they encountered while working with ChatGPT to generate and edit the novella.

💡Future of authors

The future of authors refers to the potential changes and impacts that emerging technologies, such as AI, may have on the writing profession and the publishing industry. In the video, the speaker speculates on how AI-generated content could democratize storytelling and alter the landscape for both established and emerging writers.

💡Dall-E2

Dall-E2 is an AI program developed by OpenAI that generates images from textual descriptions. It represents a form of artificial intelligence that can create visual content without the need for a skilled artist, making it accessible for individuals to produce complex images quickly.

💡Self-publishing

Self-publishing is the process by which authors independently publish their own work without the involvement of traditional publishing houses. It allows creators to retain control over their content and distribution. In the video, the speaker mentions the potential impact of AI on self-publishing, suggesting that technologies like ChatGPT could significantly change the industry.

💡Amazon KDP

Amazon KDP, or Kindle Direct Publishing, is a platform offered by Amazon that enables authors and publishers to independently publish their books directly to the Kindle marketplace. It has disrupted the traditional publishing industry by providing an alternative route to publication for authors.

Highlights

The speaker used ChatGPT to write a Novella and published it on Amazon.

The Novella, 'Legends of the Shadow Woods', is based on Greek mythology.

ChatGPT also created the book's blurb and the AI was used to design the cover.

The speaker began using ChatGPT on January 5th and started the project on January 9th.

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

The first story in the collection is 'The Golden Feather of Friendship'.

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

The final product is just shy of 25,000 words, with an estimate of 35,000 to 40,000 words of generated content.

The editing goal was to make the book readable rather than to conform to the speaker's writing style.

ChatGPT's tendency to repeat itself required extensive editing to remove excessive verbosity.

The AI sometimes changed details like character descriptions during the generation process.

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

ChatGPT's limitations include content policy restrictions and clumsy sentence structures.

The impact of AI on the authorship and publishing industry could be significant and transformative.

AI tools like ChatGPT could lower the barrier to entry for storytelling and art creation.

The speaker considers the creative possibilities of AI to be exciting, despite potential challenges.

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