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If I have an idea for the plot of the story, what is the best way that I can use ChatGPT to make it write stories for me?

Edit. To everyone who has spent time answering with few assumptions (including that I want to publish content with the AI tool), thanks, but let make it clear on one thing. - I don't intenf in any way want to use it on public platforms. I only intended to use the tool for personal writing practice, which is a major writing impediment for me.

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    I’m voting to close this question because asking how not to write is pretty much the opposite of asking about how to write. Jan 25 at 12:45
  • Why would you want a program to write stories for you? Jan 25 at 18:19
  • Heh heh. Certain high-volume authors have long been accused of using a photocopier to write novels. Maybe now that 800-page-novel-per-year author will get accused of using an AI.
    – Boba Fit
    Jan 25 at 18:22
  • Whoaa! Thanks all. Everyone is free to assume the context of the question, but I certainly do not intend on using Chat GPT for coming up with the Next Bestseller Novel. I was curious if I could use it for trying new things. I can come up with a plot, but i just cant make it beyond few chapters, I thought I could use some help here to just get started in using more details in writing. Plan was that after enough practice, I could be confident with my writing style, which I would have developed.
    – MouseNag
    Feb 15 at 12:51

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The TL;DR answer is that ChatGPT is not (yet) well-suited for writing stories.

Its usual style is too objective and therefore a bit boring and uncreative. It does fairly well at answering questions and writing essays, because that was the sort of task it was trained for. But it was never meant to write an engaging story.

ChatGPT is also limited in the context it can take into account. So if you want to create a story that is longer than a few pages, your risk ChatGPT losing the plot, because it can't remember what happened earlier. You'll need to work around its limited attention-span yourself.

If you want to try this anyway, then I would advise using the snowflake method. You start with a high level plot summary, and then repeatedly expand it. First you ask ChatGPT to expand the plot you provide to a number of sentences, then ask it to expand each sentence into a paragraph etc. At each step, you can ask ChatGPT to change things (or change them yourself) to give your own direction to the story.

Because of its limited attention span, beyond a certain point, you will need to provide it with a summary of the plot up to then, and with details it needs to take into account. Otherwise your story will end up riddled with plot-holes.

But as I said at the start, I wouldn't expect to much of it. If you want a riveting story, you might be able to use it as first sketch of a story, but you'll probably need to add the rivets yourself.

Another pertinent question, looking at the comments, is whether you should be burned at the stake for the mere suggestion of having a machine write for you. The way I look at it, the human part in this becomes more like that of a director than a playwright. It is a different way of shaping a story. There is still an art in it, but different from how writing has been done up to now.

Personally, I can't wait for the day that AIs become proper creative writing assistants. Because it sometimes takes me an hour just to write a few sentences, and I would very much like to concentrate on other parts of creating a story than putting it into words and onto paper. And considering I'm not wealthy enough to hire a ghost writer, a capable AI would be very welcome.

And let's be honest. This answer shouldn't have cost me one and a half hours to write. ChatGPT could have done it faster. It may have done it better. But it's banned. So you'll have to ask it itself, if you want to know.

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  • I really appreciate the time you took to understand what I really wanted to ask, than straight up assume things & give me suggestions that would confuse me more. Thank you!
    – MouseNag
    Feb 15 at 12:59
  • Highlight 1. If you want to try this anyway, then I would advise using the snowflake method. You start with a high level plot summary, and then repeatedly expand it. First
    – MouseNag
    Feb 15 at 12:59
  • Highlight 2. Personally, I can't wait for the day that AIs become proper creative writing assistants. Because it sometimes takes me an hour just to write a few sentences, and I would very much like to concentrate on other parts of creating a story than putting it into words and onto paper. And considering I'm not wealthy enough to hire a ghost writer, a capable AI would be very welcome.
    – MouseNag
    Feb 15 at 13:00

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