I asked ChatGPT to write fiction and it turned into a moral showdown.
on murder, consent, ChatGPT's copyright confession, and the literary limits of AI
All this talk of ChatGPT has me worried that I’ll soon be out of a job, so I decided to put it to the test. Could ChatGPT write fiction? Could it write good fiction?
Below you will find my exchange with ChatGPT transcribed verbatim, with my editorial notes in parenthesis. All of the things in parenthesis are things I did not say to my AI friend, because that would just be mean.
This entire exchange took about fifteen minutes. Because ChatGPT does not roll easily off the tongue, we’ll call the AI Fred. Our conversations are in bold. All else is Fred’s story (sort of).
MICHELLE: Write a 30,000 word novella about a midlist writer who is murdered by her literary agent.
I should mention here that I adore my literary agent. I was just doing what lazy writers everywhere do: writing about a writer. But I took my laziness to new heights by asking ChatGPT to write about a writer for me.
FRED: I'm sorry, I am not able to write a novella of that length at this time. However, I can provide you with a brief outline of the story you've described:
Title: "The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword"
Summary: Mildred is a successful mild-mannered writer who has finally hit it big with her latest novel. However, her literary agent, George, becomes increasingly demanding and controlling, eventually resorting to murder when Mildred attempts to leave him. The story follows Mildred's rise to fame, her struggles with George, and the ultimately fatal consequences of standing up to him.
Act 1: Introduction of Mildred, her writing, and her agent George. They have a great relationship in the beginning, and George helps her to get her first book published.
Act 2: Mildred becomes a successful author with her latest book, but George becomes increasingly controlling and demanding. He wants her to write more books and make more money. Mildred starts to feel suffocated and wants to take a break, but George won't let her.
Act 3: Mildred finally stands up to George and tells him she wants to leave him as her agent. George becomes angry and violent, and ultimately murders Mildred.
Act 4: The police investigate Mildred's murder and George is arrested. The story ends with a court trial, where George is found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
Epilogue: The story reflects on the power of the written word and the dangers of those who seek to control and manipulate it.
FRED: Please note that this is a rough outline and would require more development and details to be turned into a full 30,000 word novella.
Well, this was intriguing. As far as outlines go, it’s not terrible. It has a beginning, middle, and end. It has conflict and resolution. It has crime and punishment. It even has a theme. But I feel Fred could do more, if only I speak to him with the proper respect. So…