This New AI Tool is the DREAM for Fiction Authors

In this video, Jason, the 'nerdy novelist', discusses a new AI tool called Novel Crafter that has piqued his interest. He explains that while many AI tools are not tailored for fiction authors, Novel Crafter stands out for its specific features designed to assist in the writing process. The tool includes a 'Codex' for planning novels, a chatbot for various interactions, and a manuscript review feature. It caters to both planners and 'pantsers' (authors who write by the seat of their pants). Jason appreciates the tool's ability to generate text one beat at a time, allowing the AI to learn the author's style and reduce editing needs over time. He also highlights the cost-effectiveness of Novel Crafter, as it utilizes APIs from OpenAI's playground and other models, charging users based on the amount of text generated. The tool is currently in open Beta and free to use, with potential future pricing tiers for additional features. Jason concludes by mentioning his AI Storyteller membership, which offers various resources for authors and is set to close for new sign-ups.

Takeaways

• 📚 Jason, the 'nerdy novelist,' discusses a new AI tool called Novel Crafter that is gaining his interest and could be a dream come true for fiction authors.
• 🚫 Jason is skeptical about many AI tools, often dismissing them as either too similar to existing tools or as attempts to cash in on the AI trend without being genuinely useful for authors.
• 🆕 Novel Crafter stands out for its focus on fiction authors, offering features like the Codex, which allows for novel planning, writing, and manuscript review in various ways.
• 👩‍💼 The tool has been developed by a single person and is currently in open Beta, offering a free sign-up with a waiting list due to high demand.
• 💡 Novel Crafter is designed to work with both planners and 'pantsers' (authors who write by the seat of their pants), providing flexibility in writing processes.
• 📈 The tool allows for detailed character and story planning, with the ability to add progression, notes, and track character appearances throughout the story.
• 💻 Users can select different AI models to generate prose, including Claude and open-source models like Toppy, which can handle different types of content.
• 💰 Pricing for Novel Crafter is not yet finalized, but during open Beta, it's free to use, with potential future pricing tiers offering additional features like collaborative writing.
• ✍️ As authors edit the AI-generated text, the tool learns their style, improving the quality of subsequent outputs and reducing the need for heavy editing.
• 🔄 The tool provides options to expand, rephrase, or shorten text, similar to functions found in other writing tools like PSE Pseudoite.
• 🔗 Jason highlights the importance of the Codex feature, which serves as a 'world Bible' for authors, allowing them to incorporate their entire story universe into the tool for more effective writing.
• ⏰ Jason's AI Storyteller membership is closing for new sign-ups, offering exclusive content and resources for authors interested in using AI in their writing process.

Q & A

What is the name of the new AI tool discussed in the transcript that is of interest to fiction authors?

The new AI tool discussed in the transcript is called Novel Crafter.

Why does Jason, the speaker, find Novel Crafter more appealing than other tools for fiction authors?

Jason finds Novel Crafter more appealing because it is specifically designed to help fiction authors, offers a more user-friendly approach, and includes a feature called the Codex which allows for comprehensive planning and organization of the novel's elements.

What is the Codex feature in Novel Crafter?

The Codex is a feature in Novel Crafter that acts as a comprehensive planning and organization tool. It allows authors to plan their novel, write, and tinker with the text. It also serves as a chatbot for different interactions and a review tool for the manuscript.

How does Novel Crafter differ from other tools in terms of writing process?

Novel Crafter differs by allowing authors to write one beat at a time, which helps in maintaining the author's style and provides a more natural writing flow. It also learns from the author's edits to improve the quality of subsequent outputs.

What are some of the issues Jason has with the current workflow of other AI writing tools like PSE Pseudoite?

Jason mentions that using the best Pros option in PSE Pseudoite can be almost unusable because authors have to stop and edit the text along the way. He also suggests that generating entire chapters at once can be inefficient and may waste tokens.

How does Novel Crafter utilize different AI models for writing?

Novel Crafter allows users to select from various AI models, such as Claude and open-source models, to generate prose. If one model doesn't work for a particular beat, users can switch to a different model.

What is the pricing structure for Novel Crafter during its open Beta phase?

During the open Beta phase, Novel Crafter is free to use, but users need to sign up for a waiting list. The pricing page suggests potential future pricing tiers around $14 for the main tier and $20 for a tier that includes shared series and universes, and collaborative writing.

How does Novel Crafter's pricing work in relation to the amount of text generated?

The cost of using Novel Crafter is based on the amount of text generated, as it uses APIs from OpenAI's playground and other models. The more text generated, the more it costs, but the cost is relatively low, amounting to just a few pennies for longer entries.

What is the purpose of the Codex in Novel Crafter?

The Codex in Novel Crafter serves as a 'world Bible' where authors can store and organize all the elements of their story, such as characters, locations, objects, and lore. It helps the AI to understand the context and write more accurately.

How does Novel Crafter help with character development and tracking?

Novel Crafter allows authors to create detailed profiles for each character, including aliases, progression, notes, and tracking their appearances throughout the story. This helps in maintaining consistency and depth in character development.

What are the advantages of writing one beat at a time in Novel Crafter?

Writing one beat at a time in Novel Crafter allows the AI to slowly learn the author's style, leading to better output with less editing as the process continues. It also mimics the natural writer's flow and saves tokens by only using them when needed.

What additional features does Novel Crafter offer for refining the generated text?

Novel Crafter offers features to expand, rephrase, shorten, and configure specific prompts for each model. This allows authors to fine-tune the generated text to better fit their vision and style.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Novel Crafter Tool

Jason, the 'nerdy novelist,' discusses the rapid advancements in AI and introduces a new tool called Novel Crafter that has piqued his interest. He talks about his usual approach to reviewing AI tools, emphasizing his focus on tools for fiction authors. He mentions the recent update to Claude 2.1 and compares it to previous versions. Jason also discusses PSE Pseudoite, a tool he feels is not entirely tailored to the needs of fiction authors despite its improvements. He highlights Novel Crafter's unique features, such as the Codex, which allows for planning, writing, and reviewing novels in various formats. He also mentions that Novel Crafter is developed by a single person and is currently in open Beta, available for free but with a waiting list.

05:00

📝 Novel Crafter's Planning and Writing Features

Jason demonstrates the planning mode in Novel Crafter, which allows for detailed chapter planning with customization options. He explains how the tool moves from planning to writing, where users can input beats one at a time and select the point of view and main character. He also shows how the tool generates prose using different models, such as Claude 2 and T2, and how it can be edited for a more personalized output. Additionally, Jason explores the Tinker feature, which acts as a chat bot for open-ended review and customization. He emphasizes the tool's ability to save tokens by only including relevant characters in a scene and how the AI learns the author's style over time, improving the output with each edit.

10:03

💰 Pricing and Cost of Using Novel Crafter

Jason addresses the pricing of Novel Crafter, noting that it is currently in open Beta and free to use but will likely have a subscription fee in the future. He explains that the cost is due to server expenses and the use of APIs from OpenAI's playground for generating the story's text. He mentions that the cost of generating text is minimal, usually just a few pennies for a scene, and that the more a user writes, the more they get value from the tool. Jason also discusses the benefits of writing in smaller sections, as it allows the AI to learn the author's style and reduce the need for editing in subsequent sections.

15:06

✍️ Editing and Customizing with Novel Crafter

Jason talks about the editing capabilities within Novel Crafter, such as expanding, rephrasing, and shortening text. He shows how users can configure prompts for different models and customize the output to fit their writing style. He also mentions that while Novel Crafter does not have plugins like PSE Pseudoite, it offers flexibility in crafting prompts. Jason expresses his intention to use Novel Crafter for future writing projects and compares it to Pseudoite, noting that Novel Crafter's Codex feature is superior for incorporating a story's details. Lastly, he promotes his AI Storyteller membership, which offers various resources and benefits, and announces its closure.

Keywords

💡AI Tools

AI Tools refer to software applications that utilize artificial intelligence to perform tasks that would typically require human intelligence. In the context of the video, AI Tools are used to assist fiction authors in their writing process, making it more efficient and enhancing creativity.

💡Novel Crafter

Novel Crafter is a new AI tool designed specifically for fiction authors to help with planning, writing, and reviewing their manuscripts. It is highlighted in the video as a tool that stands out for its unique features, such as the Codex, which allows authors to integrate their story's world-building elements into the writing process.

💡Claude

Claude is an AI model mentioned in the video that has been updated to version 2.1, causing a significant change in the AI writing community. It is used within Novel Crafter to generate prose for specific story beats, with the ability to select different models for different writing styles.

💡Writer's Block

Writer's Block is a common term used to describe the inability to produce new content or ideas in writing. The video discusses how Novel Crafter aims to alleviate this issue by providing a structured approach to planning and writing novels, thus potentially helping authors overcome this creative hurdle.

💡Codex

The Codex in Novel Crafter is a feature that serves as a comprehensive database for an author's story elements, including characters, locations, objects, and lore. It allows authors to plan their novels in detail and ensures consistency throughout the writing process by providing context to the AI during prose generation.

💡Plotters vs. Pantsers

Plotters are authors who outline their stories in detail before writing, while Pantsers write by the 'seat of their pants,' allowing the story to develop organically. Novel Crafter is designed to cater to both types of authors, providing tools for detailed planning as well as flexibility for more spontaneous writing.

💡API

An API, or Application Programming Interface, is a set of protocols and tools that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. In the context of Novel Crafter, it uses APIs to access various AI models for generating text, which affects the cost as users are charged based on the amount of text generated.

💡Open Beta

Open Beta refers to a testing phase of a software program where it is made available to the public to use and provide feedback. Novel Crafter is currently in Open Beta, which means it is free to use, but users need to sign up for a waiting list to gain access.

💡Prose Generation

Prose Generation is the process of creating written text, typically through automated means. In the video, Novel Crafter's ability to generate prose for specific story beats is a central feature, allowing authors to produce a significant amount of text that can then be edited and refined.

💡AI Storyteller Membership

The AI Storyteller Membership is a subscription service offered by the speaker, which provides access to various resources, courses, and tools for authors interested in using AI in their writing process. The membership is set to close for new sign-ups at the time of the video, with the speaker planning to re-evaluate and improve the service before potentially reopening it.

💡Server Costs

Server Costs refer to the expenses associated with maintaining and operating server infrastructure, which is necessary for running online applications like Novel Crafter. The video mentions that the pricing for the tool takes into account these costs, which is why there is a charge for using the service beyond the free Open Beta period.

Highlights

AI advancements have led to the creation of a new tool called Novel Crafter, which is gaining interest among fiction authors.

Novel Crafter is designed to help fiction authors with planning, writing, and reviewing their manuscripts through a chat bot interface.

The tool offers a unique feature called the Codex, which allows authors to plan their novels and manage character and story details.

Novel Crafter is developed by a single person and has been well-received by the author community, including Jason's Discord community.

The tool is currently in open Beta and is free to use, but users need to sign up for a waiting list.

Novel Crafter provides customization options for planning chapters and allows for detailed character and scene management.

The writing format allows authors to write one beat at a time, which can be more efficient and less overwhelming than writing entire chapters at once.

Authors can select different AI models like Claude or open-source models to generate prose, offering flexibility and control over the writing process.

The Codex feature helps save tokens by only pulling in relevant characters and information when needed during the writing process.

Novel Crafter's pricing is expected to be around $14 for the main tier, with an option to upgrade for additional features like collaborative writing.

The cost of generating words in the story comes from an API to OpenAI's playground, which is paid for on an ongoing basis based on usage.

As authors edit and refine the AI-generated text, the tool learns their style, improving the quality of subsequent outputs.

Novel Crafter provides options to expand, rephrase, shorten, and configure prompts for different AI models, offering a high degree of control over the writing process.

Jason, the presenter, finds Novel Crafter to be more attuned to the needs of fiction authors compared to other tools like PSE Sudoite.

The tool does not currently have the equivalent of plugins but offers flexibility in writing custom prompts.

Novel Crafter's Codex feature is particularly praised for its thorough and engaging way of incorporating an author's entire story Bible.

Jason's AI Storyteller membership, which offers various resources and courses for authors, is closing down and may reopen with changes in the future.