On Writing with A.I.: Chapter Outline (Patreon)

Previous post, I showed the A.I.'s effort at generating a whole-story outline based on the user-provided "braindump" of ideas.  This included some basic ideas on style and genre.

The next step in this process is getting the A.I. to generate a detailed outline for the first chapter.  It can do this for every chapter of the whole-story outline, developing it forward into something more granular.

My experience with this is that it's not very good.  The outline is written across "Beats", the major plot points of the chapter; two Beats combine to form a "stride," which at times appears to be a sort of mini Complication/Resolution structure, building towards the chapter denouement. The basic structure here is fine, but left to its own devices, the A.I. isn't very specific or detailed.  This isn't necessarily a problem for a human writer, but when the A.I. tries to use its own stuff for writing prose, it tends to get a bit wonky - you'll see.

In any case, this is what happens when the A.I. is left to its own devices to generate a detailed chapter outline.  In generating this, it (supposedly) draws on the available information in the Braindump, Genre, Style, Synopsis, Characters and Outline fields.

I've tweaked the characters slightly, having the A.I. refine them through specific prompts, and the Braindump was all mine; but otherwise this is pure A.I. generated stuff.  

What do you think?

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1. Introduce Alex Thompson as a 21-year-old student at the University of Ottawa, majoring in history and English literature. (Driver: Alex's lack of confidence and shyness)

2. Describe Alex's personality as introverted and shy, and explain that he spends most of his time in the library studying to avoid social interaction. (Driver: Alex's lack of confidence and shyness)

3. Explain that Alex's past experiences of bullying and rejection have left him with low self-esteem and a lack of confidence, which contributes to his shyness. (Driver: Alex's lack of confidence and shyness)

4. Show how Alex's shyness affects his interactions with others, such as avoiding eye contact and speaking softly. (Driver: Alex's lack of confidence and shyness)

5. Introduce Sophie Wilson as a 20-year-old student who is Alex's only friend on campus, and describe her as warm, empathetic, and outgoing. (Driver: Sophie's encouragement for Alex to step out of his comfort zone)

6. Show how Sophie tries to help Alex overcome his shyness by encouraging him to attend social events and engage in social activities. (Driver: Sophie's encouragement for Alex to step out of his comfort zone)

7. Use dialogue to illustrate the dynamic between Alex and Sophie, and how she tries to help him by giving him pep talks and offering to accompany him to events. (Driver: Sophie's encouragement for Alex to step out of his comfort zone)

8. Describe a specific instance where Sophie encourages Alex to attend a party hosted by their mutual friend, and explain that Alex initially resists but eventually agrees to try. (Driver: Sophie's encouragement for Alex to step out of his comfort zone)

9. Use dialogue and description to show how Alex feels during the party, such as feeling nervous and self-conscious, and how he struggles to engage in conversation with others. (Driver: Alex's lack of confidence and shyness)

10. Show how Sophie supports and encourages Alex throughout the party, such as by introducing him to people and helping him find common interests to talk about. (Driver: Sophie's encouragement for Alex to step out of his comfort zone)

11. Use dialogue and description to show how Alex gradually becomes more comfortable and confident as the party goes on, such as by laughing and joking with others. (Driver: Alex's lack of confidence and shyness)

12. End the scene by showing how Alex's experience with Sophie has helped him to gain confidence and become more willing to engage in social activities, such as by suggesting they attend another party together. (Driver: Sophie's encouragement for Alex to step out of his comfort zone) 

Guardrails: 

- The scene should focus on Alex and Sophie's interactions and their respective motivations. 

- It should avoid introducing any new characters or plot points that are not relevant to the scene summary. 

Timespan of the scene: 

- The scene could take place over the course of a few hours, as Alex and Sophie interact on campus or attend a social event together. 

Location for the scene: 

- The scene should take place on the University of Ottawa campus or at a nearby social event.