The Future of Editing: AI Tools for the Modern Writer

Leveraging the Power of AI to Enhance Your Storytelling and Writing Process

Do you ever wake up with one of those ideas that are just burning to be implemented?

I’ve been deep in editing for a week or so, and along the way, I’ve found that I’ve been building a lot of AI tools to help me expedite the process. For much of the last 40 years, I’ve been actively involved in consulting, and one of the tricks that I’ve learned along the way is that instead of trying to solve a problem from where you are, it can be really useful to imagine having solved the problem and then work backwards to determine how you did it.

My big idea today was to apply that principle to the editing process. If we think about the culmination of the book writing process, it is in getting our books published and into the hands of readers, preferably lots and lots of them. Once your book is out there, what you really want is to have people reading, thinking, and talking about your books, and that is where book clubs come in.

I’m not sure when book clubs really took off as a concept, but increasingly I’ve been noticing that many novels that are wishing to be selected by book clubs have an additional section at the back of the book, where there are a set of predefined set of questions for book clubs to use in discussing the book.

I decided to build a GPT that could take a manuscript and generate a set of suitable questions. My thinking was that this might give me insights into my own book. Below is the start of the prompt that I generated using CHatGPT (feel free to request a copy of the full prompt, or if you’re a ChatGPT subscriber, I can share the GPT with you)

Imagine you are preparing for a book club meeting where your role is to facilitate a lively and meaningful discussion about the book you’re currently reading. Your goal is to create a set of discussion questions that will engage the group, encourage diverse perspectives, and deepen everyone's understanding of the book.

Here’s what it had to say about my novel, and the first couple of questions that it came up with:

The document you've shared, "Holding On," appears to be a moving and intimate story that revolves around the experiences of a family grappling with the impending loss of their mother, Lily, who is in a coma. The narrative focuses on Rachel, her brother David, and their father Ralph, as they navigate the emotional complexities of this difficult time. The story is filled with tender moments of reflection, shared memories, and the quiet strength that family members provide for one another.

Discussion Questions:

1. Family Dynamics and Roles: How do Rachel and David’s roles within the family change as their parents’ health declines? What does this shift reveal about their characters and their relationship with each other and their parents?

2. Coping with Grief: The characters each have different ways of coping with the impending loss. How do Ralph, Rachel, and David each manage their grief? What do their coping mechanisms say about their individual personalities?

I have to admit that I was pretty excited with what it came up with, but that’s when I had that Spinal Tap moment, and I turned the speakers all the way up to 11. :-)

I decided to rework the GPT into being a tool aimed at writers, which I’ve (or rather, ChatGPT did) called ‘Manuscript Muse’, which is a “writing and discussion companion, and is designed to help refine manuscripts with insightful questions on themes, characters, and plot.”

As before, here is the start of the prompt:

You’ve just uploaded a manuscript or a section of your manuscript. Your task is to generate a set of insightful questions that will help you refine your work, deepen your characters, enhance the plot, and ensure thematic consistency. These questions will also serve as a basis for engaging discussion if you're sharing your work with a writing group or beta readers.

Instructions:

Analyze the Uploaded Manuscript:

• Review the manuscript carefully. Identify the key themes, messages, and ideas you’re trying to convey.

• Reflect on the characters, plot, setting, and overall tone. Consider how they align with your intended vision.

Focus on Characters and Their Development:

• Who are the key characters, and how do they evolve throughout the manuscript?

• What motivates their actions, and how do their relationships influence the plot?

• Are there any inconsistencies in their behavior or dialogue? How can you address them?

• How do their decisions reflect the broader themes of the manuscript?

And here’s some of it the output, when I asked it analyse the same book. As before, I’m sharing the summary, and a couple of questions that it came up with:

Based on the excerpt from your manuscript, Holding On, here are a set of questions designed to help you refine your work, deepen your characters, and enhance the plot:

Character Development:

1. Ralph and Rachel’s Relationship: How does Ralph’s nostalgic recounting of his past with Lily influence Rachel's perception of her parents’ relationship? Does this affect her actions or decisions later in the story?

Plot and Structure:

5. Pacing of the Story: The narrative moves between tender moments of reflection and the looming reality of loss. Are there sections where the pacing could be adjusted—either slowed down to delve deeper into emotions or quickened to build tension?

I was really happy with the questions that it came up with, which are all really helpful in refining what I’ve written, but here is where it gets really interesting. I decided to ask ChatGPT to answer those questions, based on what it knew about the story. In this example, it only had the partially-completed manuscript, but I could have uploaded additional documents (e.g. character descriptions, book synopsis and outline, etc.).

Answer the questions.

Here’s what it had to say in response to the two questions that I highlighted:

1. Ralph and Rachel’s Relationship:

Ralph’s recounting of his past with Lily offers Rachel comfort and a sense of connection to her mother, especially in the face of losing her. This shared history between her parents reminds Rachel of the love that has always held their family together. Her father’s stories likely reinforce Rachel’s resolve to support him and maintain that connection with her mother, even as she prepares to say goodbye. The emotional weight of these memories might prompt Rachel to reflect on her own relationships, perhaps considering how she wants her children to remember her and their family.

5. Pacing of the Story:

The pacing effectively balances tender moments and the encroaching reality of loss. However, there might be opportunities to slow down during scenes where characters reflect internally, especially in moments of solitude. For example, Rachel’s drive back to the hospice could include more introspection or memories that deepen her emotional turmoil. Conversely, the urgency in the text message from David could be heightened by quickening the pace of Rachel’s actions, adding more tension to her rush back to the hospice.

Armed with these insights, I feel much better equipped to really polish this novel into something that people are really going to enjoy. I’m not really on AI to do that for me, but I am happy to let it help me do it myself!