Ain’t there.

Suggestion:

“Hey, AI thing, write a 1000 word passage from the Iliad in the style of James Joyce. Thanks. Have a cigar.”

Or Proust?

Pynchon?

Heinlein?

Iambic Pentameter, please…

Not what I would have expected.

As I said, I think currently it is more suited for writing scripts for commercials, or Jingles rather than anything anyone would want to read…

But given how fast it is advancing, I think we could see something very impressive very soon…

Chapter 1: From Cotillions to Cosmos

The March household in Concord, Massachusetts was abuzz with activity. Jo sat at the window, her pen darting across the paper, capturing the vividness of her imagination, while Meg attempted to perfect a stitch she’d been struggling with for days. Beth, gentle as ever, softly played the piano, the melody filling the corners of the room, and Amy, the youngest, sketched at her easel, her face screwed up in concentration.

“You know,” said Meg, looking up from her embroidery, “Annie Moffat’s ball is just around the corner. I do wish we had something new to wear.”

Amy sighed, pausing her drawing. “I heard she’s going to have the most beautiful French pastries. And I would give anything for a new ribbon for my hair.”

Jo, never one to be overly concerned with such matters, rolled her eyes. “I’d rather be here, writing my stories. Who cares for pastries and ribbons?”

Beth smiled. “It’s all in good fun, Jo. A little dream of finery and dance can bring joy.”

As the sisters laughed and chatted, there came a sudden, forceful knock at the door. The laughter ceased, replaced by a silence filled with surprise. It was rare for them to have unexpected visitors.

Meg rose and went to answer the door. Standing there was a tall figure, unlike anyone they had seen before. He was dressed in shimmering garments, which appeared both ancient and otherworldly. His skin had a peculiar silver hue, and his eyes sparkled like twin galaxies.

“Good evening,” he began in a voice both melodic and commanding. “I hope I do not intrude. I am Zael of the B’har.”

The girls exchanged glances, confusion evident on their faces. Jo, ever the bold one, asked, “The B’what now?”

Zael smiled, a gesture which seemed almost rehearsed. “B’har. I understand this might come as a surprise, but I am not from your world.”

Amy gasped, “Are you from Europe?” thinking perhaps he was a distant, exotic relative.

“No, young one. I’m from much farther away. I come with a proposition, and a message of utmost importance.”

The girls ushered him in, curiosity piqued. Mrs. March, having overheard the commotion, came in, her motherly instincts wary. “Good sir, I hope your intentions are honorable.”

Zael nodded in respect. “Indeed, they are, Mrs. March. I come from a galaxy far beyond your comprehension. Our records show that among Earth’s inhabitants, your four daughters have unique abilities and strengths that can aid us in a dire mission.”

Meg whispered to Jo, “Perhaps he’s heard of your writing?”

Beth’s eyes widened. “Or maybe Amy’s art? Or Meg’s impeccable stitching?”

Jo scoffed, “Or perhaps it’s Beth’s piano playing that’s echoing through the cosmos.”

Zael, sensing their disbelief, continued, “I know this sounds unbelievable, but Earth is under threat. A species, the Formics, wish to conquer your planet. And we, the B’har, wish to help defend it. For reasons we cannot yet explain, your sisters are crucial to this mission.”

Amy blinked, her thoughts still on the upcoming ball. “But… what about Annie Moffat’s party?”

Zael looked puzzled for a moment, then said, “The fate of the Earth is far more important. However, before we discuss any of that, might I impose upon you for dinner? It has been a long journey.”

Mrs. March, ever the gracious hostess, agreed, and soon the household was filled with the aroma of a sumptuous meal.

As they dined, Zael told tales of interstellar wars, cosmic dances, and the power of unity and love across the galaxies. The girls listened, spellbound, their earlier concerns about dresses and dances fading into insignificance.

As dessert was served, Zael turned serious. “Time is of the essence. The Formics are on their way, and we need to begin preparations. You four have a destiny far greater than you ever imagined.”

Jo looked determined. “Tell us what we need to do.”

That’s the beginning! I’ve attempted to intertwine the domestic concerns of the March sisters with the emerging interstellar situation. What do you think? How should we proceed, and are there any elements you’d like to clarify or focus on?

The prose is shit and not compelling.

Write a story that includes the characters and setting of ‘Little Women’ written by Louisa May Alcott. The idea is to write the story that begins in the style of Louisa May Alcott, with all the characters dealing with the issues that concern them in the original book. Then a mysterious stranger appears at their door (He will turn out to be from a benevolent alien race called The B’har), and after an elegant dinner he explains that the ‘little women’, (Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy) are needed to join and train with the forces of the B’har space fleet to defend earth from an attack from an evil insect like alien race called the Formics.

Chapter 1 will cover the opening of the book up until the point that the mysterious stranger explains the threat and the need for the little women to pack and leave with him on his spacecraft to begin training on a B’har base orbiting Titan. Chapter 1 will start in the style of Louisa May Alcott, but will slowly start to transition into the style of Orson Scott Card.

I would like this chapter 1 to be very roughly 15,000 words long plus or minus 5000 words.

Can you tell me your understanding of what I am requesting? Please let me know if you have any questions about this request.

The response:

Absolutely, I understand your request. You’d like a story that begins in the world and style of “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott, where Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are living their everyday lives and dealing with their respective personal challenges. As the story progresses, a mysterious stranger appears, and the tone will gradually shift to mirror the style of Orson Scott Card. This stranger will reveal himself to be from the B’har, a benevolent alien race, and he will inform the girls that they are needed to help defend the Earth from the Formics, an evil insect-like alien race.

This Chapter 1 will detail the arrival of the stranger, an elegant dinner during which the threat is explained, and end with the girls preparing to leave Earth for their training on a base orbiting Titan.

The desired length is approximately 15,000 words, but you’ve given flexibility for it to be between 10,000 and 20,000 words.

Given the constraint of the platform, I won’t be able to provide the full 15,000-word story in one go, but I can certainly begin crafting the story for you, and you can request more as you see fit. Would you like me to proceed with the beginning of Chapter 1 based on the premise you’ve provided?

My Clarification:

Ok – before you start let me explain the effect I am trying to achieve. It would be humorous to have it start in the world of Louisa May Alcott’s Little women where the characters are concerned about suitors and cotillions and the slowly become a story about saving the Earth from a hostile alien attack. Do you understand? Don’t start writing it yet

ChatGPT:

Absolutely, I understand the effect you’re aiming for. Essentially, you’re looking for a humorous juxtaposition: the story starts in the quaint, genteel world of “Little Women,” with its societal concerns of the era. Then, there’s a gradual and unexpected pivot towards an epic science fiction scenario involving alien races and the defense of Earth. This shift should be comedic in its contrast, as the sisters move from worrying about the next dance or their romantic prospects to suddenly being thrust into the role of interstellar defenders.

It’s a fun and quirky idea that plays on the stark differences between the two genres and settings. I’m ready to start when you are!

Me:

Ok, why don’t you start it and write as much as you can until you feel it would help for me to give you additional guidance and prompts. Then tell me what elements of the story you feel you need me to offer clarification or guidance on. Thank you!

ChatGPT:

Of course! Let’s begin.

I have been playing around with both, there is some sort of art/science to writing the prompts that I don’t think I have figured out yet.

Chat GPT 4.0 is impressive, but not what I consider to be terribly useful for the tasks I am mostly interested in. However, I can see that it is only a matter of time – GPT 5 or 6 could potentially reshape the world (and probably put a LOT of people out of work). I think we are just a few years from a true AI revolution. (Of course it could be there are AI out there far beyond GPT 4 already… so who knows, maybe the revolution is just around the corner… or has already started?)

Unlike some of the alarmists, I do not think AI itself will destroy humanity, but it WILL reshape the workforce- largely by making a great number of people obsolete.

Writers of commercials and ad jingles could be easily replaced by GPT 4. GPT 5 or 6 might replace a great number of programmers. AI is already writing short news stories, although very badly…

Great novels might even be made by AI in the not too distant future, however it is nowhere near that now. Which raises an interesting philosophical question- can a novel written by an AI, no matter how compelling or impactful, ever be considered a ‘Great work’? If it is a hard to put down work, does it matter if it was written by Stephen King or AI?

I have no idea what the longest post ever posted here was. Maybe a thousand words?

So lets talk how many words in 200 pages.

Maybe start with a post, then add the other pieces as comments? Chapters, if you will.

I know I am being cautious, maybe unworthy worry. But this ship is held together with duct tape and a prayer. And our chief engineer is on shore leave.

Is there any way you can post it elsewhere and link?