Playing With ChatGPT

First off, I want to share this gorgeous photo that my granddaughter took over the 4Th of July holiday at a beach in NC. It’s just stunning!

Recently I’ve listened to a lot of podcasts where hosts and guests are talking about OpenAI and ChatGPT and I decided to give it a try, just for fun. I’d never use it to write a story that I’d try to publish, but my son, who’s a computer engineer, said the content created on the platform can be shared.

Said son was here over the weekend and introduced me to ChatGPT, which is super easy to use by the way. I’d asked him to help me get set up, but I just needed him to point out what a few icons mean and I was ready to go.

So here’s the experiment.

First, I asked the chatbot to write a short poem about spring and flowers. This is what I got:

In a garden kissed by golden rays,

Spring unfurls its vibrant, blooming display.

Whispers of warmth caress the air,

Awakening flowers with tender care.

Petals emerge, their hues alive,

A kaleidoscope of colors to thrive.

Dainty daffodils, bright as the sun,

Delight in the new season’s begun.

Cherry blossoms blush in delicate grace,

Softly adorning each tranquil space.

Their fragrant breath on gentle breeze,

Inviting hearts to find sweet ease.

Tulips sway with graceful poise,

Their vibrant dance brings joyful noise.

From crimson red to golden yellow,

Nature’s masterpiece, a captivating show.

Lilies bloom, majestic and serene,

Their elegance captures a tranquil scene.

With petals like satin, pure and white,

They symbolize hope, a beacon of light.

In this tapestry of nature’s art,

Spring whispers healing to every heart.

Amidst the flowers’ delicate power,

New beginnings sprout and flower.

Some of the wordage is a bit awkward and doesn’t quite fit, so I asked Chat GTP to fix just one line: A kaleidoscope of colors to thrive, specifically changing “colors to thrive.”

This is what it came up with:

Petals emerge, their hues alive,

A rainbow palette begins to strive.

Not better, in fact maybe a worse word choice. What do you think?

I’m sure a poet could take this rough draft and turn it into something much better, and maybe that’s the direction for creatives to take in using the software? Would you as a writer consider using it to write a rough draft of a story or poem?

There is a lot of debate about the ongoing use of ChatGPT as AI capabilities grow into the future. Will there still be room for individual thought and creations? What jobs will be most affected? What are the ethical and legal ramifications for it to be used by students?

Hard questions to answer for sure, but ChatGPT is a fascinating addition to technology. It’s definitely not one that I’ll ever understand fully, but it’s fun to play with.

Marcie Geffner wrote a blog post at Writer Unboxed detailing her experience with using ChatGPT to write a title for an upcoming book. How Chat GPT Wrote My Book Title. She put a lot of time and effort into refining the responses she was getting – I think she said most of a day before she had a title that she liked. That’s definitely more time that I would’ve spent going back and forth with a bot.

For my current WIP, I just asked my son for help in finding a title – a different son BTW. We had a pleasant lunch and within an hour I had the title: One More Time. It’s a sequel to One Perfect Love, the story that followed One Small Victory, that introduced Jenny Jasik as one strong woman who doesn’t back down from drug dealers in her small town.

Which reminds me, I should get to work on that, so I’ll sign off for today. I hope your week starts off well and continues that way. Whatever is on our agenda, be happy. Be safe.