Forum: Author Hangout

BingChat Helps My Process

JoeBobMack 🚫

I've been playing around with how to plan novels. I started out mostly just writing (more of a pantser, don't you know?), but as I'm now working on book 6 in a series that's become an ensemble story with multiple story lines for a number of characters, I'm trying to plan more.

In doing that, I've developed an Excel workbook with spreadsheets where I can map out a story line for any character (or group) that seems reasonable. Then I create chapters for that story line. Then, I pick which story lines seem best for the book and move those chapters (often modifying as I go) to a sheet that has the main story lines in rows and columns for each day in the story. At the top of each column is the date. Below that is the weather on that date (in 1973), and then up to six chapters for that date, color coded by story line. Basically, the cells in that range contain a synopsis of the book.

It's working pretty well, but it is hard to read through when I've been away or lost my momentum and need to get it all in my head and find what needs more development. So, I thought it would be cool to be able to take those chapter summaries from the Excel spreadsheet and paste them into a Word document, in order, as paragraphs, so I could just read through.

I assumed this was possible as some kind of macro, but that's beyond my skill set. However, I've been playing a little with the new AI models, and it seemed this should be right down BingChat's alley. So I tried it. My first prompt got me the idea of a macro. Then I got some code, but I didn't understand how to modify it. When I told the BingChat session the error I got, it told me how to fix it. A few more iterations of getting not quite what I wanted, describing the problem to BingChat, then trying the result and, BINGO! I had a macro that would do what I wanted.

That is DAMN cool! I've been seeing posts about these models used to create lesson plans, draft feedback on student writing, and on and on. These things are going to change the workflow for a LOT of folks!

Replies: Kajakie Karr ystokes REP

Kajakie Karr 🚫

@JoeBobMack

I remember seeing a documentary about the development of early PCs. They spoke to some of the developers of the first spreadsheet program and they were describing what it was like showing their application to a real accountant for the first time. According to them, the man's hand started to shake when they showed him what it could do.

We are at the hand-shaking stage with AI right now, with a lot of excitement and a lot of trepidation. But instead of the accountant's hand shaking, it's everyone's.

Replies: JoeBobMack

JoeBobMack 🚫

@Kajakie Karr

Sounds like an interesting documentary. I ought to watch more documentaries.

ystokes 🚫

@JoeBobMack

We are relying to much on AI's, from smart houses where everything is controlled by computers, I'm not talking about lights but about window shades, toilets, gas appliances and everything else. To cars that promote the driver can take a nap while the car handles the driving. What happens if we lose all electric power? How many people know how to survive without power? How many know how to write a letter without spellcheck? How to do higher math? Would 3rd world countries be better prepared?

Replies: Keet JoeBobMack

Keet 🚫

@ystokes

Would 3rd world countries be better prepared?

In the case of total failure of electric power 3rd world countries would definitely be better prepared, there wouldn't change much for them.
That said, there's a growing group of people that want to simplify their lives, have less stress, and be more alive. Even they would be worse off if they suddenly had to do without modern tech and conveniences.

JoeBobMack 🚫

@ystokes

What happens if we lose all electric power?

Funny you should raise that question. The stories I'm working on have as a basic premise that magic inserted in the universe causes loss of human control over electricity and explosions. No electric power, no "internal explosion engines," and no guns. My MC gets moved over fifty years back into the past with a mission to shape magic, so he and his team are going to have to think about that and start efforts to get the world ready. However, it seems that the "pretend it's not happening crowd" is going to be significant and refuse to do anything until full emergence hits -- so, just the kind of disaster you're suggesting, only worse! (Have NOT figured out how I'm going to write that!)

REP 🚫
Updated:

@JoeBobMack

I did something similar to create a story outline. The main difference was I used MS Project, which is designed to create and manage work flow. However instead of entering the steps of a production schedule, I entered scenes of a story thread to include start, duration, and end dates.

By looking at the resulting Gant chart, I know what scenes need to be written for each day, week,or month.

Replies: JoeBobMack

JoeBobMack 🚫

@REP

Sounds helpful. The tools you're familiar with are often better than learning something knew. I just don't know MS Project.

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Forum: Author Hangout

BingChat Helps My Process

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