Writing Corty's Tip Jar

[CarburetorThompson]

I cannot rest until I have destroyed all of Quebec

 

[Corty]

About ChatGPT​

We are living in the AI age. Everything is AI: me, you, your mother, everything. Tomorrow, when you put on your sock, it will have an AI algorithm that makes sure it perfectly hides your toes as they can't draw them well yet.

So, are you even surprised I will have a segment on it? I am sure you are not. But let me get to the point and not take away your precious time.

What I am going to mention here is not the usual tips I saw being thrown around the forums:

• Use it for grammar checks
• Use it for generating scenarios you are struggling with
• Use it to write the whole book for you
• Use it to rewrite the whole book for you

Nope. I am going to show you how you can use it as a tool to spitball your ideas and run them through an algorithm that can help you decide if your idea is feasible or not, especially if you are doing something more grounded. Or just give flair to your story.

Example A:
Using it for translation and flair​

You can use it to translate people's words into their native tongue. My example is from my HP fanfic, where I used it multiple times in combination with the footnote function of the text editor we have. Of course, this does not mean you should overuse it. It is a fun feature, not something you can spam, or it becomes tedious. I used it when the characters were emotionally riled up, using their native tongue instead of trying to speak English, or when they were trying to make sure the MC did not understand them.

In the footnote, I provided the original text, and I simply asked ChatGPT to translate it into French for me. Easy-peasy.

Example B:
Run your ideas through ChatGPT​

This is what I found the most useful. Many times, you may think, "Is my idea feasible? Does it sound okay? Would it work?" Or any similar thoughts. Why not ask the AI? It can reference way more than any human could. Currently, I am doing a kingdom-building book. I am no engineer, nor am I smart. But here is a tool that can help me refine my ideas and work out some kinks before going through with it. Even then, nitpicks are unavoidable, but at least I have some foundation to fall back on why I chose my ideas and why they were implemented. It is the perfect assistant in this regard.

Let me show it to you!

I am about to introduce money, trading, and whatnot to my story, and I have some ideas. I just don't know how feasible they are, so I turned to the AI overlord to run them through it before writing something overtly stupid or unfeasible. I started out easy:

You get the gist of it. From this, I can work out what my MC will need to begin his quest to establish his own minting process. Now, to the juicy stuff.

Give some details, what you are looking for, what the AI should focus on when making references, etc.

It will then go ahead and give you its answer. Now, from that alone, I got my answer and even more ideas on what to do with the scenario I am working on. I now have new ways to make it interesting, new future problems to introduce, and even more ideas on what to do with the story. AI is not there to write it for you; it is there to help you expand on your initial idea, to give you inspiration, and to help you fact-check, so to speak.

Then I went ahead, asking it questions about the things I could do, seeing what it thought and what the pros and cons of it were, which further made me plan out the current arc and story.

Then I have around 3-4 more paragraphs worth of questions me asking what if I do this? Would this work? Or what if I do this? Is this something that could work if this, this, and this is applicable? I found that AI became my best assistant for spitballing my ideas. It helps me organize my thoughts, gives me points on what to think about, and more easily develops the story I want.

Of course, AI has much more use than that, but this is what I found it best for. I just hope this also helps many of you in the future.

 

[melchi]

About ChatGPT​

We are living in the AI age. Everything is AI: me, you, your mother, everything. Tomorrow, when you put on your sock, it will have an AI algorithm that makes sure it perfectly hides your toes as they can't draw them well yet.

So, are you even surprised I will have a segment on it? I am sure you are not. But let me get to the point and not take away your precious time.

What I am going to mention here is not the usual tips I saw being thrown around the forums:

• Use it for grammar checks
• Use it for generating scenarios you are struggling with
• Use it to write the whole book for you
• Use it to rewrite the whole book for you

Nope. I am going to show you how you can use it as a tool to spitball your ideas and run them through an algorithm that can help you decide if your idea is feasible or not, especially if you are doing something more grounded. Or just give flair to your story.

Example A:
Using it for translation and flair​

You can use it to translate people's words into their native tongue. My example is from my HP fanfic, where I used it multiple times in combination with the footnote function of the text editor we have. Of course, this does not mean you should overuse it. It is a fun feature, not something you can spam, or it becomes tedious. I used it when the characters were emotionally riled up, using their native tongue instead of trying to speak English, or when they were trying to make sure the MC did not understand them.

In the footnote, I provided the original text, and I simply asked ChatGPT to translate it into French for me. Easy-peasy.

Example B:
Run your ideas through ChatGPT​

This is what I found the most useful. Many times, you may think, "Is my idea feasible? Does it sound okay? Would it work?" Or any similar thoughts. Why not ask the AI? It can reference way more than any human could. Currently, I am doing a kingdom-building book. I am no engineer, nor am I smart. But here is a tool that can help me refine my ideas and work out some kinks before going through with it. Even then, nitpicks are unavoidable, but at least I have some foundation to fall back on why I chose my ideas and why they were implemented. It is the perfect assistant in this regard.

Let me show it to you!

I am about to introduce money, trading, and whatnot to my story, and I have some ideas. I just don't know how feasible they are, so I turned to the AI overlord to run them through it before writing something overtly stupid or unfeasible. I started out easy:

You get the gist of it. From this, I can work out what my MC will need to begin his quest to establish his own minting process. Now, to the juicy stuff.

Give some details, what you are looking for, what the AI should focus on when making references, etc.

It will then go ahead and give you its answer. Now, from that alone, I got my answer and even more ideas on what to do with the scenario I am working on. I now have new ways to make it interesting, new future problems to introduce, and even more ideas on what to do with the story. AI is not there to write it for you; it is there to help you expand on your initial idea, to give you inspiration, and to help you fact-check, so to speak.

Then I went ahead, asking it questions about the things I could do, seeing what it thought and what the pros and cons of it were, which further made me plan out the current arc and story.

Then I have around 3-4 more paragraphs worth of questions me asking what if I do this? Would this work? Or what if I do this? Is this something that could work if this, this, and this is applicable? I found that AI became my best assistant for spitballing my ideas. It helps me organize my thoughts, gives me points on what to think about, and more easily develops the story I want.

Of course, AI has much more use than that, but this is what I found it best for. I just hope this also helps many of you in the future.

Oh, I should try some of these things with copilot.

 

[Aez_Nairo]

Just. Write. It.

Thx Corty The Complete Heterochromia, I've finally wrote 300 words in one go, 600 words more to go!
Man does it take me hours to do this but it was fun researching stuff.

 

[So_Indecisive]

Once every 29th of february.

Looking forward to it

 

[Corty]

I’m looking for ideas on what to cover or on what to ramble about. Anything that anyone wants to hear my take on?

 

[Corty]

Make Fantasy Great Again:
A boomer's rant

Strong opinions ahead; don't read if you think that an opposing view is a personal attack against your existence. You have been warned.​

What is this about? A specific trend that I think is more overused than isekai itself: Systems. This is nothing more than my perspective on the topic, and if you are someone who is thinking about writing a system-based novel, maybe reading this can shed light on the other side of the topic. Give it a read because only listening to opinions that blindly reinforce something that could be the death of your story without realizing it first is not a good outlook.

Why am I saying it this dramatically? I will explain my reasoning if you read on.

Let's start at the beginning. You decided to write a story. Great! You also decided that you want to use a system in it. Huh... Before you go ahead and jump headfirst into it, ask yourself a simple question.

• Why are you including a system?

There are many answers to this question, and all could be easily valid, yet not. It all depends on what kind of perspective you have when answering it. Because LitRPG is popular. Okay, but then again, yours will be one of a thousand, lost in a sea of mediocrity. But it also gives you a big reach and a bigger chance to grab a reader.

See? It totally depends on what you want your answer to be. So, it is moot to argue about why a system is included, whether it is better or not. Instead, I will try to shed light on aspects that many forget to tell you and that you realize while writing. This alone could often be too late and result in abandoning the story or completely destroying your will to write ever again. That is bad... super bad.

Why does a system exist? Usually, it mimics how game systems work in a video game. My biggest gripe with this is that many don't understand that the two mediums are different. A system in a game has its purpose: running in the background, balancing the game mechanics, and setting the boundaries for the player about what he can do and what he cannot.

A book does not work like this. The reader does not interact with the story. The different statuses, numbers, and "skill windows" are completely useless and only work in expanding the word count for the story. Now, you can argue that your system will work the same way and set the boundaries for your story. It will be the governing law of the world.

No, it won't be.

I am speaking of experience from knowing fellow authors who wrote their own books with systems. The only thing the system will govern and regulate is your imagination. The further you progress the story, the more you will feel its weight and limitations, ending up in your own web, stuck beyond help. I mean it. Sure, you can come to me with examples of the opposite. There are going to be exceptions to everything; this is how the world works. But I am not here to cherry-pick and focus on people who planned ahead and know what, why, and how their skills will interact with XYZ. I am here to talk about the majority. Those who included a system because it sounded cool. You may find it easy to start out with it. Oh, drop a skill here and there, raise stats, do this, do that, just like in games, right? Right?

Wrong.

Do you know how hard it is to balance a game? And now you want to do it in a story? Good luck. Few can do it. Soon, you will find yourself keeping track of your characters and their statuses (that you invented from thin air); you then may have to make stats for your villains. What about the mobs? What about a mob and then later on a different mob and another? Wait, are they equipped with skills, too? How does Skill A interact with Skill B? Is there a synergy? Canceling each out? Does it affect stats? The monster's stats or the heroes? What is the limit to those? Is my character now locked to a specific skill tree? But I wanted to do this, and this... wait, did I ever give this skill to my MC?

I could go on until infinity.

Many seem to forget this. When you play a game, you also don't interact with the systems hidden behind the stats, calculating damage and the success of your spells or persuasion checks. Now, you have locked yourself into something where you constantly have to mentally juggle these stats, keep track of them, and always double-check what you have already gifted your characters and whatnot. Soon, all of those cool-sounding rules and skills will be the main things that make you hate writing. Of course, you can skip all that and just randomly throw in skills, upgrades, and cheats. But then again, we arrive back at my main point. Why even have a system if you are ignoring it? Maybe I am old. Perhaps I just don't get it. But I doubt that if you want me to be honest with you.

I heard another argument that a system is cool and fun because it makes everyone level in the story. Pun intended that it makes everyone the same and that everyone can reach greatness with hard work.

I disagree.

People want to read about unique heroes because that is how they identify with the MC. They want a special and unique MC. Don't believe me? Then go and check how many OP MCs are running around, how many books have cheats in their titles alone, or some unique systems to start out with. Even if not, just look at how the MCs usually blast through the levels, leaving everyone in the dust. That's my point exactly.

And now we have arrived at the point I wanted to make from the get-go.

You want to use the system because it makes it easy at first glance. Yeah, maybe, but in the long run? Without proper, and I mean, published author levels of planning, it will be the thing that trips you up again and again. It will be the pothole generator that you just can't get out of because your readers will always remind you of your miscalculations, forgotten skills you once used or introduced, etc. When you find yourself in a corner, and you try to write yourself out, but then your own rules of the system that you introduced are holding you back... It will be anguish. And when you break your own rules, with a system in place, it is even more evident for the reader what you did, and believe me here, they will complain. Oh, they will.

So... ask yourself a different question.

• Would your story work if you omit the system?

If your skills could be turned into characters' talents, used as magic or a gift from the gods, an ability of a different race, a mutation gained by eating mutant monster flesh, an enchanted item, or whatever else, then why are you including a system?

• But how will I showcase the growth of my characters?

By their actions. You don't need numbers and points to be allocated to show growth. Do it through your characters and how they act, lose to something, then overcome it with hard work. Just by "number big," you have already robbed yourself, your readers, and, most importantly, your story of the chance to include the classical hero's journey properly. Overcoming difficulties and becoming the hero of your story.

• But they overcome the difficulties by hard work, raising their stats!

As I said before, numbers growing is a piece of background information that the reader does not need to see. A story is about characters and the plot, not about numbers. Between a hero who worked, learned his skills, and practiced casting magic and one who allocated ten points and gained a spell from the system gods... well, the former will always win because the reader can grow with the characters and see their development.

I believe that.

Most of the skills you have come up with and thinking about including in your system novel, are nothing but spells anyway. You are just adding extra fluff and numbers to it to convey their power or pad the word count. You could easily replace that with descriptions of how they affect the scenery around them when being casted, and you are already writing more colorfully than before.

Now, before you conclude, I am here to bash every and all system novels; let me state some things before ending this rant.

I don't care if you write a system novel or not. I made this rant so those who are undecided can draw their conclusions, and maybe it helps someone out before they ruin their own writing career. Write whatever makes you happy; just know that if you want to be unique, making a "unique system" is not it. You will also start out your writing journey in hard mode. And more importantly, if you think you need help in writing a system novel, just don't. Full stop. Instead, write your book as a classic fantasy story, where your characters have special abilities, know magic, or are simply born different. You will find that without a system, you can be more free, even if others would say you are just doing asspulls. Well, without a system to compare to, you can get away with it more easily.

Do I think systems are overused? For sure. Do I like system novels? No, but that does not mean I hate every one of them. Do I want you to stop writing them? No. Go ahead; I just want to make sure people who are undecided can see my point that writing a classical fantasy is not only easier but more lax, and you can do all the same things without pushing yourself into the sleepless nights of managing an Excel spreadsheet. That 4 out of 5 readers will skip, while the remaining 1 will always bring it up and correct you if you make something that would be illogical or in conflict with the system you "designed."

In the end, the more LitRPG and system novels are here to dominate the landscape, the stories without them will be even more unique than before. So, honestly, it's a "whatever" situation.

PS:

If your story is about being transported into a video game, vrmmorpg, etc. use a system. For sure. There is a logical reason for its existence, and it doesn't feel like just a trope being included because it's what is popular.

 

[Corty]

I just realized the images are gone, thanks to Discord's update. I will remedy it one day when I have the time and patience.

 

[PoorWordsmith]

Once every 29th of february.

Thats gonna be a Yearly Update.. Gahahah.. What if its the 29th of each Month? Its much better that way, no?

 

[laccoff_mawning]

Thats gonna be a Yearly Update.. Gahahah.. What if its the 29th of each Month? Its much better that way, no?

I hate to break it to you, but 29th of february doesn't come once a year :P