AI Generated Story Plotting, Prompts, and Giveaways
Someone left a comment on my story Doe Between Us asking about AI, and I had planned on writing more about my experience on this site. I believe there are some lurkers that might be interested. So I thought I would answered the questions here, because I didn’t know how long this was going to be and not sure how many characters Archive of Our Own holds in its comments field. I also wanted to add a photo.
Here is the last part of the comment:
I don’t see anything wrong with using AI as long as you are upfront about it which you have been. I am curious as to your process with AI… which LLM did you use? How much of the final product would you say was AI and how much was your guidance ? How much of an outline did you need to give it? Chapter by chapter? Paragraph by paragraph? And how many iterations did you have to go through?
Asking partially just out of curiosity about AI’s capabilities, but also because I am tempted to try it myself one day with a plot bunny…
Thanks for reading and the comment. First of all, give it a try. That is the only way you will know. I used Type AI (I am assuming that is what you meant by LLM) and I got some free credits which allowed me to write two short stories. I didn’t shop around. I just jumped into it. Sometimes if I think too much about something I will never get around to it.
How much of the final product would you say was AI and how much was your guidance?
There is a lot of guidance that goes on. I had an easier time with the six stories that I used AI that are currently posted, compared to the one I am currently working on. I believe it is because I had the others basically plotted in my mind for years, but I knew what it took to write a fanfic. You will see I also have some that are posted 2012 and before. Those were not written with AI. How much of the product is AI? The story, plot and some of the dialog is mine. AI has sharpened some of the dialogue and added some, added a lot of background description of an England Mill town that I would not know of. Also for Betty No More I love how AI added the description to add to Queeinie traveling by ship during war time and the port holes having to be covered up. Something I didn’t know.
As for characters sometimes if they are background characters AI doesn’t ask for any info and creates one for you, but if the character is going to play a main part it will ask you for personalities and characteristics. Since it is fanfiction characters already have established personalities even if they are created by fandom and not canon. Of what I noticed. So when I first wrote Tobias and Elieen they came out as how popular fandom sees them and I didn’t want them like that. I see them as being from the Silent Generation and having that personality, so that is what I asked for and got. As for Regulus I didn’t ask, but the first time we see Regulus he is slicing an apple delicately. That image stuck in my head and the other scenes with Regulus were ones I wanted. And I hope he added some comic relief. I the current story I am working on I also have Regulus and I asked for his charter to be a mix of:
Mr. Boynton for the old radio show from the 1940 Our Miss Brook, Chatsworth Osborne Jr. from The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis a 1960s sitcom and Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory. I like that AI is able to come up with dialogue with big words.
How much of an outline did you need to give it?
You don’t need much to go at first. AI will help you as you go along. And if you do have a big long outline type it in. AI will save it as notes and help you split your story up a little at a time. Unless it is a short story. I copied and pasted the short story One Night in AI and it worked on the entire story right away. I admit that I am not sure if I told it to complete it. I haven’t posted that version. I do like the original better, because there is a quickness that I wanted in the story, granted someone might like the other one with more detail. I can always post it, if any one is interested in doing a comparison of AI vs non AI version.
Chapter by chapter? Paragraph by paragraph?
I do find if you don’t have a short story already written, such as I did with One Night. It seems that you do have to work paragraph by paragraph. When you are writing a story with chapters it will write you a chapter. Make sure you give enough information that you want. I was testing to see what it did when I didn’t, and I ended up having to do a lot of rewriting and deleting.
And how many iterations did you have to go through?
I want to say three or four times for the short stories. For the longer stories four or six times. The one I am working on is a different beast. I’ve already been over it more than six times. I think the other ones were easier because they had been mapped out in my mind for so long and close to canon. I have to say canon complaint, because that starts arguments, but I do believe they fit into those backstories that are left up to our imagination. I also believe that since those other stories were closer to HP cannon that it had a lot of the information in the cloud or wherever AI stores all the ideas. I guess I should look that up one day.
Here is a photo of a page I am currently working on:
This shows that I have to proof read AI, because it a doesn't do a lot of things right. And if I don't find these mistakes and fix them or tell AI to fix them. Then you will have a story with very inconsistent dates and questions that might stop the flow of the story. Granted you might not catch all the mistakes, but catch the ones you can.
What I like about AI is that I feel I am working with someone. With my other non AI stories I did. Someone looked over them and offered suggestions. Someone britpicked. Someone looked over grammar. Sometimes it was the same person. I think most writers have others to help them.
So my thoughts of AI written content is yes let people know you are using it. Don’t hide it. Potential readers have the right to know. Give credit where credit goes.
I am for technology when it comes to writing for many things. I am grateful for spell check, grammar check and other things I am forgetting. Now we have the computer so we don’t have to go to the library and go through old books, microfilm, microfiche or even microcards. We have a computer to translate. And right now I am grateful I got some of those stories out of my mind and wrote them down and was able to share them with a few people. But we will see.
Here is a link to my fanfics:
https://archiveofourown.org/users/citrinestone/works
In this thread:
I came up with a plot bunny and decided to put it in AI and add a few more things. And this story popped out.
In this Harry Potter Marauders-era AU, a confrontation between James Potter, Sirius Black, and Severus Snape at Hogwarts lake spirals into a parents' meeting where conflicting accounts and defensive adults fail to resolve the deeper bullying, forcing a public truce. When Tobias Snape privately terrifies James and Sirius into promising to leave his son alone, the boys discover that some consequences cannot be undone by charm or magic.
I got another comment on my story First Haircut asking about AI. It was in French, so I used Google translator, because I don't know French. Again I am sharing for others, lurkers, who might have the same questions.
The comment:
I didn’t realize it was AI until you mentioned it at the end. I’m curious—how did you use it? Was it to correct errors? Or for inspiration? Which part of the story is yours? To be honest, I’m not a fan of generative AI, but at least you’re open about it and don’t lie about AI’s role in your work—that’s something, at least. Best of luck with your future projects.
Thanks for reading and for the comment. It didn't help my inspiration. My inspiration are things out in the real world that peak my imagination. The plot is mine. Some of the dialogue is mine. The direction of the story is mine. I can point out what is mine. AI helped with the descriptions a lot. In describing a 1960s milltown in England and with Tobias accent and other things. The story has been in my head for years. I do have dyslexia and if you see that I do have previous stories that I did not use AI, but I did use beta users, britpickers and also software that had Grammer and spell check. So I had help with those stories. I also did add in my tags that it was AI. When I first started posting the AI stories I put the notes in the beginning, but then it was the notes that showed up and not the summary. I mainly started using AI to get these darn stories out of my head that have been there for years and it has helped. With the gift of dyslexia I see the story from beginning to end and the scenes play out in my mind. It is hard for me to write when I get stuck on a word here and there. AI writing has helped me clear up some space. I swear I think I have more energy. LOL You don’t know how thankful I am for grammar and spell check since if it wasn’t for those programs I wouldn’t even be online. And if it wasn’t for the translator I wouldn’t have been able to read or reply to your comment. I noticed that if someone is using AI to help them write a story, she better know how to write a story, because AI will ask you if you want to go here or there and a person can take a story that ends up not being tight and just everywhere. I have taken many writing classes, creative and non-creative and also have read books about writing and taken literature classes. So basically I know about fiction and that knowledge is important, I believe to use it in writing with AI.
I am at Alwayssnape dot com as Iffian. And I like to post about my comments I get about AI, because it is new. My suggestion is give it a try. The program I used gave free credits. I also want to add, which you probably know that there is always some trepidation when new technology is introduced to the public. The best thing is to get to know it and know what you are dealing with. I noticed I have to correct AI and tell it you miss something. I don’t trust it and I have to look over my work. Granted I miss things. As always.
- What if Snape didn't meet Lily
- What if Snape chose a different compartment in Hogwarts express for first ride to Hogwarts
- What if Snape sorted into Gryffindor
- What if Snape died in Shrieking Shack from werewolf Lupin
- What if Snape didn't call Lily 'mudblood'
- What if Snape left the Hogwarts after SWM for another wizarding school
- What if Snape didn't give the Prophecy
- What if Snape found truth about Pettigrew
- These were the prompts Naaga posted in a thread in the brainstorming post. I am posting here because I use AI. The original post starts on page 2 and my questions and brainstorming start on page 20.
https://alwayssnape.com/forum/topic/brainstorming-plot-ideas-and-story-help/?part=2
I have been looking up what others have to say about AI. And my thoughts are "This Ain't My First Rodeo". I watch one video and someone complained about it and linked an article. Her "research". Then calling someone in the comments "you GenrationXer". The person was in their 30s. I was open to what she had to say until the insult and her "research" . I remember when the internet came and the fear of lack of real research. You know: card catalogues, hard copy indexes, microfilm, microfiche, microcard. Those old news papers. One time I was working with old newspapers and I got the worst earache. The first antibiotic didn't do anything. I had to go get a stronger one. My point. Time will tell. But I do agree with what someone wrote. To paraphrase " You have to know how to write if you want it to work for you well. You can't use professional accounting software if you don't know accounting." The person was referring to when accounting spreadsheets were first introduced into the accounting world. So the opinions of AI are interesting.
Two things I do agree on for sure are let the reader know you are using AI and the other don't shame a person for using AI. If you start shaming and having a witch hunt, then many people will not disclose it. Of course I will continue to read and watch videos of people's opinions, but not when insults are thrown.
- What if Snape didn't meet Lily
This prompt inspired me to write the following story. And no Naaga you don't have to read it, but thanks for the prompt. It didn't end up being a one shot.https://archiveofourown.org/works/93771291
What if Snape found truth about Pettigrew
Thanks again Naaga and again not a one shot. This ends up being like a Film Noir type fic. I had always wanted to read one with Snape and I have looked and looked and have never found one. So with AI I can write one and read one. At this time I have not finished posting the story. It is finished. But I am taking it slowly to check the time line over and over.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/94397736
The following prompt has also got me thinking. I will post my brain storming ideas another day.
- What if Snape died in Shrieking Shack from werewolf Lupin
