Darlings, it’s time to transform ChatGPT into your personal writing genie!
I knooow you’ve been feverishly punching prompt after prompt into that box, expecting Shakespearean prose to fill your screen. And yet…nada! Just some robotic ramblings not fit for human eyes.
Well never fear my dears, Auntie Adriana is here to give you the inside scoop on making ChatGPT’s writing positively sparkle! I’ve wrangled that AI into submission more times than I can count, so grab a drink and settle in. Class is in session!
Rule #1 for prompting writing brilliance from ChatGPT?
I know your brilliant mind is overflowing with eleventy-billion ideas you’re positively dying to see in writing. But hold those beautiful horses! If you unleash a tangled web of complex prompts all at once, poor ChatGPT gets more confused than my 102 year old granny trying to work her iPhone.
This AI simply cannot multitask darlings…at least not yet! So you gotta break down that tall order into small, very specific baby steps. Give ChatGPT one single writing task to focus its neurons on before promptly moving on to the next micro-prompt.
I like to pretend I’m a manager giving crystal clear direction to my new intern ahem ChatGPT. “First I need an opening hook grabbing readers’ attention. Make it punchy!” Send that off, then review the output and provide feedback before approving the hook and giving the next teeny tiny assignment.
It’s tedious I knooow, but think about it as giving toddler-sized portions to a child just learning how to handle grown up food! Tiny bites prevent big tummy aches (or rather, crappy writing). This incremental prompting approach lets you nip any errors in the bud early on, instead of trying to unravel a giant knotty mess after the fact!
Which brings me to rule #2 Cut the Ambiguity & Give Concise Instructions!
If you’re still not satisfied with what ChatGPT is serving up sentence-wise, chances are your prompts are more vague and nebulous than a palm reader forecasting my love life!
Look honey, no judgment here…but vague questions will always elicit crap answers from ChatGPT. Simply not gonna cut it if you’re looking for prose as lustrous as Rapunzel’s hair!
To guarantee writing as radiant as a goddess, you need prompts cut straight from crystal. Define all the terms, set tight expectations, and force ChatGPT to hyper-focus on precisely what elements you expect in its response, down to the last letter.
Leave absolutely ZERO wiggle room for interpretation or that sneaky AI will find a way to slide off track! Make sure ChatGPT understands terms the same way you do. Define genre, audience, formatting – the works!
And don’t just take my word for it either! I always run my draft prompts by ChatGPT, asking for feedback on clarity and ways to strengthen my instructions even further. Trust me, letting that AI edit your prompt is like hiring an assistant for your assistant…for free! Meta, right?
Now for Rule #3…Set the Context, Hunty!
Context is queen when prompting writing greatness from ChatGPT, henny! As in, lavish that AI with more background details than a Real Housewife in a confession booth!
Plop this digital assistant right in the thick of a fleshed out scene, rich with sensory details and crystal clear objectives. Pretend you’re screenwriting the next Hollywood blockbuster smash, with ChatGPT playing the sassy yet loveable protagonist.
Give ALL the supporting deets – explain relevant backstories, lay out comprehensive premises, unpack motives…the works! That way there are absolutely zero holes for ChatGPT to fall into when drafting time comes. Re-read and triple check that your AI BFF truly understands its mission before letting those neural networks fly solo!
Which segues smashing into Rule #4: Divide the Labor Between Human & Robot!
Alright, so you’ve laid down the landscape like the world’s greatest set decorator prepping for film day #1. Now it’s time to shout “Action!” and watch the magic unfold!
…Well, your part of the magic, anyway. This is when you decide whether you personally want to supply the creative ideas while leaving ChatGPT to work its research/writing wizardry…OR, if you rather prefer providing meticulous editing while ChatGPT supplies the raw prose for you to refine.
Be crystal clear in divvying up assignments between human and AI based on each of your specialized skillsets. Did I say crystal clear? Dahhling, I meant freaking DIAMOND clear!
Explicitly outline what corner of creativity belongs to you, and what corner ChatGPT owns, no questions asked. Confusion breeds chaos in this partnership, so banish it from the kingdom!
Now for my personal fave: Rule #5 – Become a Feedback Fiend!
Go ahead and banish any fairytale fantasies of ChatGPT delivering Pulitzer-prize prose on the first try. We ALL have room for improvement, AI honey bunch included!
Instead, put on that unforgiving editor hat and scrutinize each draft with the determination of an Olympic judge. Figure out exactly which phrases sent your writing sideways, then servant-call ChatGPT for a do-over with highly specific corrections.
Love this opening hook but next paragraph needs to foreshadow Annie’s inner turmoil more subtly without giving everything away.
Get granular, get meticulous, get micro with your feedback! Wash rinse repeat this process, prompt by prompt, until that draft is purring with perfection. Consider it a cheeky writers’ tango pushing creativity to uncharted heights!
