Prompting AI - The Sin & The Win For Writers

Oh yes! Artificial Intelligence is here and it’s not going away anytime soon. So, is this a win or a loss for writers?

Well, if you talk to many people, they will say it’s a BIG loss for writers, but I’m not so sure.

I’ve tried a lot of the AI platforms out there to date. What I’ve found can definitely be a BIG win.

However, there are some caveats…

For example;

AI behaves differently depending upon whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction
The quality of outcome has a lot to do with prompting AI paragraphs

Let’s look at NON-fiction for writers first.

To get the biggest WIN for your non-fiction writing, try prompting AI with something like the following;

Command AI with “write an article based on — a particular company name or website)
Or a youtube channel (or equivalent)
Include the name or names of the people who are considered experts in the field. Especially if they have a large internet presence.
Include social media platforms with the name of the person or people you want to prompt AI to write about too
The industry
Who the target audience is. The type of people who would be interested in this non-fiction work.

This is a prompting AI in ChatGPT about something that’s quite common and definitely non-fiction…

Below in the aqua font is what ChatGPT wrote in response to my prompt above…

### Content Strategy Outline

#### Goals:

1. **Increase Awareness:** Educate the audience about the creative process and critical thinking in art and writing.

2. **Engagement and Interaction:** Encourage interaction and dialogue around creative techniques and ideas.

3. **Build Community:** Foster a community of like-minded individuals interested in creativity and consciousness elevation.

#### Platforms:

– **Pinterest:** Visual platform ideal for sharing inspiration, tips, and techniques related to art, writing, and creativity.

– **YouTube:** Video platform for in-depth discussions, tutorials, interviews, and demonstrations.

#### Content Themes and Types:

1. **Pinterest Content:**

– **Inspiration Boards:**

– Create boards focused on different aspects of the creative process (e.g., brainstorming, ideation, execution).

– Include pins from both thewritersnexus.com and seekingnexus.gumroad.com that resonate with creativity and critical thinking.

– **Tips and Techniques:**

– Pin infographics and visual guides on writing techniques, art methods, and creative exercises.

– Link back to articles or resources on thewritersnexus.com for detailed insights.

– **Quotes and Motivation:**

– Share quotes about creativity, independent thinking, and consciousness elevation.

– Design visually appealing quote graphics using tools like Canva or Adobe Spark.

– **Case Studies and Success Stories:**

– Highlight stories of successful artists or writers who exemplify independent thinking and creativity.

– Use images or illustrations to accompany these stories.

2. YouTube Content:

– **Educational Videos:**

– Create tutorials on different stages of the creative process (e.g., idea generation, overcoming creative blocks).

– Incorporate insights and techniques from thewritersnexus.com and seekingnexus.gumroad.com.

– **Interviews and Discussions:**

– Conduct interviews with artists, writers, and thinkers who explore creativity and consciousness.

– Discuss their methodologies, challenges, and philosophies related to independent thinking.

– **Workshops and Demos:**

– Host live or recorded workshops demonstrating art techniques or writing exercises.

– Encourage viewer participation and feedback.

– **Book Reviews and Recommendations:**

– Review books related to creativity, critical thinking, and consciousness.

– Recommend readings from thewritersnexus.com or books available on seekingnexus.gumroad.com.

#### Content Distribution Strategy:

– **Cross-Promotion:** Share YouTube video links on Pinterest boards and vice versa to drive traffic and engagement across platforms.

– **Consistency:** Maintain a regular posting schedule on both platforms to keep the audience engaged and build momentum.

– **Engagement:** Actively respond to comments, messages, and discussions on both Pinterest and YouTube to foster community interaction.

#### Metrics and Evaluation:

– **Pinterest Analytics:** Monitor engagement metrics such as saves, clicks, and comments to gauge content effectiveness.

– **YouTube Analytics:** Track metrics like views, watch time, and subscriber growth to assess video performance.

– **Feedback and Adaptation:** Use audience feedback and analytics data to refine content strategy and improve engagement over time.

As you can see, it’s pretty thorough.

The only thing I would change is the goal. I wasn’t clear about what I wanted visitors to do. So I would include ‘conversions’ and ‘sign ups’ in the prompts next time.

What prompting AI does for a writer, is get the ball rolling. It starts your creative energy flowing toward a workable conclusion.

Now, with some changes – you can continue to develop your non-fiction writing.

A Cautionary Tale

One of the biggest problems with prompting AI for non-fiction writing is the accuracy.

AI pulls from thousands and thousands of articles across the internet. It’s relying on the unverified words of others to create the piece of writing.

So, make sure you do your homework regarding how accurate the information in the writing is.

On The Bright Side…

Probably the best part is, it literally takes seconds to create an outline or a page of writing when prompting AI.

When you’re talking about something like lists or outlines, that can save a lot of laborious organization and template creation.

I know for us creative types with artsy brains, that means we can get back to the ‘fun stuff’ faster.

Prompting AI For Creative Writing…

Now below, you will see my prompting AI for a story for children. I’ll say right now (July/2024) it’s not bad.

AI’s storytelling has gotten a little better in the last couple of months. In fact, since AI hit the scene with ChatGPT just a couple of years ago, it has improved enormously.

Then again… so have the prompts.

THAT’S the KEY…

As you can see below, I’ve been prompting AI with the types of characters (King, Queen, Princess and Unicorn) I gave it a problem/challenge (clumsiness) and I also gave it a nice kid friendly happy ending.

When I ended up prompting AI with A LOT of detail it just paraphrased and didn’t give me much of a story line outside of what I had already written. If I gave it too little information it didn’t know what to do with it and brought back very few words.

AI is NOT imaginative.

So, when you see my prompt and then the story AI brought back you can see what it needs and where it’s limitations are in terms of creativity.

The words in pink below my prompting AI for the children’s story it wrote.

Once upon a time, in the heart of a grand kingdom, there was a magnificent castle where a kind King and Queen lived with their beloved daughter, Princess Lily. The kingdom was known for its lush meadows and sparkling streams, and it was always buzzing with joy and laughter.

One sunny morning, Princess Lily awoke to find a beautiful unicorn standing in the royal garden. The unicorn had a shimmering, rainbow-colored mane and a horn that sparkled like the stars. But there was one little problem: the unicorn, whose name was Twinkle, was as clumsy as she was beautiful. She kept getting tangled in the vines and bumping into the castle walls.

“Oh dear,” sighed Princess Lily as she watched Twinkle try to take off for a flight and end up crashing gently into a rosebush. “This poor unicorn needs help.”

Princess Lily approached Twinkle with a gentle smile. “Hello, Twinkle! I’m Princess Lily. It looks like you’re having a bit of trouble flying.”

Twinkle looked up with wide, embarrassed eyes. “I’m sorry, Princess. I’m not very good at flying. I keep getting lost and bumping into things.”

Princess Lily’s heart went out to the clumsy unicorn. “Don’t worry! I’d love to help you. Let’s practice together.”

Every day, after her royal duties, Princess Lily would spend time with Twinkle. They would start with small, gentle flights around the garden. Princess Lily showed Twinkle how to flap her wings in rhythm and how to steer carefully to avoid obstacles. They would practice flying around the tall oak trees and the glistening fountains, slowly building Twinkle’s confidence.

At first, it wasn’t easy. Twinkle would still bump into things from time to time. But Princess Lily never got discouraged. Instead, she always cheered Twinkle on, saying, “You’re doing great, Twinkle! Just a little more practice, and you’ll be soaring like a star!”

One day, the King and Queen announced that there would be a grand celebration in honor of the kingdom’s anniversary. The castle was decorated with bright banners and twinkling lights, and everyone was excited for the big event. Princess Lily had a special idea for the celebration—she wanted Twinkle to perform a beautiful flight show in the royal gardens.

On the day of the celebration, Twinkle was nervous.

She had practiced hard, but performing in front of everyone made her feel jittery. Princess Lily saw how anxious Twinkle was and gently patted her. “Remember, Twinkle, you’ve come so far. Just have fun and trust yourself.”

As the sun began to set and the sky turned shades of pink and gold, Twinkle took off from the garden with Princess Lily by her side. She flapped her wings gracefully, soaring higher and higher. With Princess Lily’s encouragement, Twinkle glided between the castle towers and around the shimmering fountains. The crowd gasped in delight as Twinkle performed elegant loops and spins, painting the sky with her colorful mane.

The grand finale was a breathtaking display. Twinkle, with Princess Lily’s guidance, created a sparkling heart shape in the sky, which made everyone cheer and clap. The King and Queen were so proud of both their daughter and the beautiful unicorn.

When the performance was over, Twinkle landed gently in the garden, looking radiant and happy. Princess Lily hugged her tightly. “You were amazing, Twinkle! I’m so proud of you.”

Twinkle’s eyes twinkled with joy. “Thank you, Princess Lily! I couldn’t have done it without your help.”

From that day on, Princess Lily and Twinkle were the best of friends. Twinkle’s flying skills improved with each practice, and she was never clumsy again. The kingdom’s meadows were often filled with laughter and joy as Princess Lily and Twinkle flew together, sharing their adventures and spreading happiness wherever they went.

And so, in the heart of the grand kingdom, the Princess and the unicorn lived happily ever after, celebrating their friendship with every flight they took under the bright, blue sky.

The End.

Some of the Problems…

The name ‘Lily’ is commonly used by AI. I’ve seen that name a few times now and I don’t know why.

As well, clearly it relies heavily on the words you feed it to describe what is happening. Otherwise, as you can see above, it just makes up something very general to finish off the story.

However, if you give too much detail, it doesn’t or can’t write much of anything. It just paraphrases it.

In general, AI gives few details in fictional stories, offers general sweeping descriptions that include how the reader should feel and follows the words in the prompt. Without that, it doesn’t know where to go with a story.

So, having said all that, I actually think AI is a BIG WIN for writers even though if feels a bit naughty when using it. Especially as a writer.

We’ve got to use it responsibly though. Lots of editing and fact checking is needed. Stay in charge. YOU are the writer after all. YOU are the human being with real imagination and innovative capabilities.

AI will NEVER out learn us. We just have to keep our thought process keen and independent.