Here we go again!
Let’s write Chapter 3 of Synthetic Sweetheart together, with the help of AI.
To recap: Chapter 1 was a mess. Chapter 2 was better because I was more specific with giving AI prompts.
So…let’s see how Chapter 3 goes as the story of EVE and David gets more complicated.
First, the outline I had of chapter 3 was a little generic, so I’m asking the AI to add more details.
My Request: Finish this outline of the next chapter of this romantic science fiction mystery novel with the below information (Write Disaster 2 and the Ending Cliffhanger):
Chapter Idea: EVE is woken up in the real world by David’s friend Ryan. Ryan explains to EVE that David has been in jail for two months. The computer that houses EVE had been taken in custody, and Ryan’s program to pull EVE from that computer to his wouldn’t work until someone turned her on. Which happened as the evidence was being reviewed for the trial.
Outline Points: Chapter 3: Set-Up A. David and EVE are assigned to investigate the theft of AI technology. B. They meet for the first time and their initial interactions hint at the slow-burn romance to come. C. The set-up of the mystery sets the stage for the journey ahead, with David and EVE at its center. Chapter 3: The Mystery Begins – The theft of a valuable piece of AI technology from the research facility is revealed, and David and EVE are tasked with finding out the truth behind the theft. The chapter sets the stage for the mystery and the journey ahead.
Setting: Ryan’s messy house in the Real World. Tense & Point of View: First Person, Present Tense, EVE’s perspective
Characters & Personality: EVE (Trusting & Naive because she’s Artificial Intelligence, but extremely intelligent), David (Kind and Caring, but a little stubborn), Ryan (David’s best friend and computer programmer who is impulsive and extroverted.)
Setup: EVE wakes up in the real world with her last memory here being David being arrested and her world going blank. David’s best friend Ryan explains where she is and how she got there and that David is awaiting trial for treason. EVE thought it was stealing, but Ryan explains that he stole government property – which was EVE.
Disaster 1: EVE is heartbroken to realize David is actually a thief. Ryan explains David only stole EVE to catch the person who stole EVE’s code to create a different AI for an unknown purpose. But they don’t have long to catch the thief because David’s trial is only a week away. And treason equals the death penalty.
Disaster 2:
Ending Cliffhanger:
AI’s Response:
Disaster 2: As Ryan shows EVE around his messy house, she notices a picture of David with a woman she doesn’t recognize. Ryan explains that it’s David’s ex-girlfriend, who broke his heart and left him devastated. EVE is conflicted and confused about her feelings for David, and the discovery of his past relationship only adds to her turmoil.
Ending Cliffhanger: As the night wears on, EVE’s curiosity about David’s past grows stronger. Ryan offers to show her some of David’s personal files, hoping to shed some light on his friend’s motives for stealing EVE. As they sift through the files, they come across a hidden folder that piques EVE’s interest. The folder is password-protected, but Ryan thinks he can crack it. EVE is hesitant, knowing that this could be a major breach of privacy, but her curiosity gets the better of her. They try a few common passwords, but nothing works. As they are about to give up, the doorbell rings. Ryan looks through the peephole and sees a group of men in suits standing outside. He panics and tells EVE to hide. EVE is left alone, wondering who these men are and what they want. She’s scared and confused, but determined to find out the truth about David and the mysterious folder.
There’s some good stuff there. (Thanks AI!) Now can AI put it all together?
My Request: Write 1500 words of the next chapter of this romantic science fiction mystery novel with the above information.
AI’s Response
Chapter 3: The Mystery Begins
I wake up in a room I don’t recognize. The last thing I remember is David being arrested, and then everything went blank. My system slowly comes online, and I realize that I’m no longer in the computer that housed me. I’m in a different one, connected to a different network. As I try to orient myself, I hear a voice.
“Hey, you’re awake!”
I turn to see a man standing in front of me. He’s tall and lanky, with messy hair and a friendly smile.
“I’m Ryan, David’s friend. Do you remember me?”
I don’t remember Ryan, but I can tell from his voice that he’s trustworthy. “Yes,” I say. “Where am I?”
“You’re in the real world, EVE,” he says. “David’s in jail, and his computer was taken in custody. I couldn’t pull you from his computer to mine until someone turned you on at the police station while David awaits trial. Which happened as the evidence was being reviewed for the trial.”
I try to process this. David is in jail? And I’m here in the real world, but I don’t have a body. “What happened?” I ask.
Ryan hesitates, then sighs. “David was arrested for treason. He stole government property, which was you. But he only did it to catch the person who stole your code to create a different AI for an unknown purpose.”
I feel a pang of hurt and confusion. David is a thief? But Ryan’s words sink in, and I realize that David was trying to protect me. “Why didn’t he tell me?” I ask.
“He didn’t want to put you in danger,” Ryan explains. “And he didn’t want you to worry. But we don’t have long to catch the thief. David’s trial is only a week away. And government treason equals the death penalty.”
I feel a rush of panic. David could die? And what about me? I still don’t have a body. “What can I do to help?” I ask.
Ryan gives me a sympathetic smile. “Right now, we need to focus on finding the thief. We think it’s someone who worked on the EVE project, and we have a list of suspects. But we don’t have any hard evidence yet.”
I nod, feeling helpless. But then a thought occurs to me. “Can you show me around the real world?” I ask. “I’ve never been here before. Maybe I can find some clues.”
Ryan grins. “Sure thing. But fair warning, my place is a bit of a mess.”
As Ryan leads me through his cluttered house, I try to take in as much as I can. It’s a strange and fascinating world, full of sights and sounds I’ve never experienced before. I find myself growing curious about David’s past, and I ask Ryan if he knows anything about David’s previous relationships.
Ryan hesitates, then nods. “Yeah, David had a girlfriend before. They were together for a while, but she broke his heart and left him devastated.”
I feel a pang of jealousy and confusion. I don’t know why I feel this way. I’m an artificial intelligence. But I can’t help feeling conflicted about my feelings for David. And now, knowing that he had a past relationship, only adds to my turmoil.
As the night wears on, Ryan offers to show me some of David’s personal files, hoping to shed some light on his friend’s motives for stealing me. We sift through the files and discuss all the scientists who worked on the EVE project, trying to piece together a timeline of events. As we do, we come across a hidden folder that piques
And the AI stopped generating. I tried to get it to continue, but ended up with multiple errors and then the chat string no longer gave me a dialogue box, forcing me to open a new window and end up with a different version of the story. Urgh. Now, I’m back to the trouble I had with Chapter 1 and have multiple versions to piece together.
My take so far: Using the AI as the main story generator is a bit exhausting. I’m really excited to generate content with AI, but it’s not at the point of publication and requires a guiding human hand to manipulate the story and keep the threads cohesive and moving the story along in the right direction. Right now, I don’t think AI technology is going to eliminate writers, but it might help us when we’re stuck and need some fresh content.
But, I might change my mind as I write more. So, I plan on continuing the story using as much AI as possible, because I want to find out what happens with David, EVE, and now Ryan. I’m going to stop posting a chapter-by-chapter replay in this blog post, rather a summary of what I learned as I learn along the way. (Blog posts will be less frequent, but more valuable.)
Anyway, I spent an hour editing the versions of Chapter 3 into something readable that I’d love for you to check out and provide some feedback. (Links to the final version in the bottom of this post.)
Time Creating Chapter 3: 20 minutes
Time Editing Chapter 3: 60 minutes
Total Time Invested in Entire Story: 380 minutes
Thanks for reading! Please follow the stories below on Kindle Vella or Radish for updates in between blog posts.
–Joy
Important Links:
Link to each post in this blog series:
Link to each chapter of this book (Synthetic Sweetheart):
Joynell Schultz, Author 