There is no denying the impact of Artificial intelligence (AI) in today’s creative writing world.This technology is quickly becoming a disruptive force.AI in creative writing has come to stay; it’s being used by everyone from students drafting essays to professional authors generating ideas for their next novel.
There is no denying the impact of Artificial intelligence (AI) in today’s creative writing world.This technology is quickly becoming a disruptive force.AI in creative writing has come to stay; it’s being used by everyone from students drafting essays to professional authors generating ideas for their next novel.
There is no denying the impact of Artificial intelligence (AI) in today’s creative writing world.This technology is quickly becoming a disruptive force. It is transforming everything from business copy to creative storytelling.
The AI writing assistant market is a huge one and is currently projected to reach $2420.32 Million by 2031.It is growing at a CAGR of 26.94% from 2024 to 2031 and is currently valued at $421 million as of 2024.
While that is an overview of the general writing software market, creative writing has a huge share in that from beating writer’s block, ideation, and grammar checks.The factors that drive the surge are as expected: speed of creative writing output, efficiency, and productivity.
Put simply, AI in creative writing has come to stay; it’s being used by everyone from students drafting essays to professional authors generating ideas for their next novel.
But, like any tech, AI writing has its shortcomings.
While AI can churn out creative writing at lightning speed, it often lacks the emotional depth and creativity of a human writer. Said differently, all AI for creative writing is not created equal.
Some are more reliable than others.You’ve most likely seen countless examples of AI-generated stories that end up with awkward phrasing, clichéd plots, or even absurd sentences.
However, despite these flaws, AI offers creative writers great help. Ask any writer around and they’ll tell you.
Mostly because one of the little annoyances of creative writing is crippling writer’s block (I mean, no one likes staring cluelessly at their large blank screen).
( A young lady staring at piles of notes. Source: Unsplash)
So, whether it's helping authors break through writer's block or suggesting unexpected plot twists, AI tools have indeed become valuable "co-writers.".
Therefore, as a creative, the best AI writing tools will help you brainstorm ideas, draft initial outlines, or generate alternative storylines.
You have to focus on refining and shaping the final product. For example, Co-Writer can help add sensory depth and vivid descriptions to your stories.
How AI for Creative Writing Works
Creative writing goes beyond novels and covers everything from flash fiction, autobiography, screenwriting, drama, poetry, school essays, and even songwriting.
All you need to get the best of AI for your creative writing tasks is to understand how it works.
AI writing tools use natural language processing (NLP) and large language models (LLMs) to generate text based on the input it receives.
Essentially, it “learns” from vast amounts of human-written text and uses this knowledge to produce new content.
But instead of just copying, the AI generates new sentences, paragraphs, or entire stories by predicting the most likely words that should come next based on the given prompt.
Here’s what you need to know for the best creative writing outputs:
Learning From Text: AI models are trained on massive datasets made up of books, websites, and articles. For example, if an AI has read thousands of science fiction novels, it can actually generate a science fiction story because it understands the common themes, words, and sentence structures of that genre.
Responding to Prompts: When you give the AI a prompt like “Write an essay about space,” it doesn’t just copy any story it has seen before. Instead, it uses its training to predict what a reasonable story about the topic would look like based on patterns it learned.
Generating Output: The AI analyzes your input, looks at similar texts it’s trained on, and then predicts the best possible next word or sentence, gradually building the entire story.
However, there are different AI Models in this Technology
There are a few different models used for AI creative writing. This is why one AI writing tool is superior to the other.
They all have their strengths and purposes. Let’s take a look at the major ones and the tools that use them.
1. GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer)
This is one of the most widely used models for AI writing.
It works by breaking down language into smaller pieces and then predicting what comes next. It’s great for your creative schoolwork because it has been trained on a huge variety of texts, from literature to movie scripts.
Example: Co.writer AI
One of the best creative writing tools powered by GPT is OpenAI’s Co-Writer AI which enables you to write anything from stories to poems, essays, and even dialogues. You can give it a prompt like “Write a short fantasy story about a wizard who loses his powers,” and it will generate a unique story.
The advantage of GPT-4 over previous models, such as GPT-3, lies in its enhanced accuracy. It understands complex prompts and can handle more complicated tasks. GPT-4 can process more extensive text inputs and generate more coherent, contextually relevant responses.
It also shows massive improvements in language translation, essay writing, and creative problem-solving.
Thus, it makes it especially useful if you have advanced school work improving writing, summarizing, and generating more refined outputs across various domains.
2. Claude AI
This model was developed by Anthropic and is actually designed to be more aligned with human feedback. It’s great for creative writing because it’s trained to consider context and user intent very deeply.
Example: Claude 2
Claude AI is also great for creative writing. Although it equally does a fine job handling complex writing tasks, there is a downside to it, which boils down to the model.
Claude tends to prioritize safety and being helpful, which can sometimes result in responses that are overly cautious or simplified.
This might make it less effective for your technical or detailed tasks where you need a more direct or intricate response.
The differences come down to how the AI model is fine-tuned, and Claude’s focus on safety can sometimes impact depth.
3. Custom AI Models (Sudowrite)
Some tools use custom models built specifically for creative writing rather than general-purpose AI. These are trained on more niche datasets, like fiction books.
Example: Sudowrite
Sudowrite is designed to help fiction writers specifically. It helps you write entire stories, giving suggestions for plot twists, character dialogue, and even sensory details like sights and smells.
Its uniqueness is also a limitation, as it does not cover other aspects like essay writing, summaries, and other bits of academic work involved in creative writing.
4. Transformer-Based Models (T5)
The T5 (Text-To-Text Transfer Transformer) model is versatile. It's especially good at editing and improving text, which makes it mostly useful for refining stories.
Example: Grammarly and Replika
Although Grammarly is mostly known for grammar correction, it uses AI to help with more creative writing tasks like improving sentence flow and tone.
Replika, on the other hand, is an AI chatbot that writes stories for role plays based on your prompts, which can be fun for interactive storytelling.
Here are the best AI writing tools for creative writing:
The best AI for creative writing are those that can adjust their responses to fit your context and style.
Many AI writing tools are just a rehash of already existing ones and some are piss-poor in performance.
In choosing the best ones, go for those that have gone past generic responses, which give you away and earn you the professor’s sanction.
Unfortunately, there are not many great tools out there but here are the top ones you can trust for your task. They can help you with creative ideas.
Additionally, these AI writing tools can adjust their responses to your voice and tone.
Cowriter.AI
Beyond any doubt, Cowriter.AI is ideal for creative writers looking to produce high-quality, original content.
It has great features for refining tones, improving narrative flow, and generating creative ideas while maintaining control over the result.
Sudowrite
Sudowrite is built specifically for creative writing. It helps with brainstorming, character development, and adding sensory details to your stories.
ChatGPT (GPT-4)
Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT can generate creative content like short stories, poetry, and dialogues. It allows for detailed prompts and feedback, so it is useful for a range of creative writing tasks.
How to Use AI for Effective Creative Writing
Each tool has its own way of working, but generally, you’ll need to follow these steps:
Start with a prompt: Give the AI a brief idea. For instance, you can tell AI to “Write a short sci-fi story about a space explorer discovering a new planet.”
It will work to understand your prompt and give you a comprehensive response.
Refine the output: You can tailor the output more specifically to suit your needs.
As an undetected AI for academic work, Co-writer AI makes it possible to adjust, edit, or add your personal touch to your creative writing.
Experiment with settings: You can change the tone, style, or length of the stories.
Try with a first response, then ask the AI to "make it more suspenseful," and it will adjust the story accordingly.
How to Get the Best Response from Co-Writer AI
True to its name, Co-writer is incredibly helpful as a creative writing assistant. These strategies result in some of the best creative writing outputs undetected by your professors.
1. Be Specific with Your Prompts
AI models thrive on clear instructions. If your prompt is too vague, it may respond with generic content. Instead of saying, “Write me a story,” be more specific.
Example: Say, “Write a short story about a lonely space explorer who finds an ancient artifact on a distant planet. The story should be mysterious and have a melancholic tone.”
As you can see in the image above, Co-writer AI tells me my prompt is strong.
Because you have specified the mood, genre, and even some key plot points, Co-writer will produce a response that aligns with your creative vision.
You always need a strong prompt to provide the right response because a strong prompt means context, clarity, and conciseness.
Co-writer will go ahead to generate a super response that I can always improve upon.
2. Set the Tone and Style
Co-writer can generate writing in different tones, whether it’s casual, formal, humorous, or dramatic.
Simply tell it what tone you want. If you’re looking for a witty or emotional dialogue, state it clearly in your prompt.
Example: “Write a conversation between two childhood friends reuniting after 10 years. The tone should be warm but with an undercurrent of unresolved tension.”
3. Use Iterative Refinement
If the first response isn’t perfect, you can guide it by asking follow-up questions or clarifying your prompt.
For instance, you might ask it to rewrite a paragraph more descriptively or creatively.
Example: If the dialogue feels flat, prompt: “Rewrite this dialogue to include more emotional depth and show how the characters are feeling through their words and actions.”
For instance, in the first article on space exploration, Co-writer has so many options for reiteration.
Depending on the kind of writing, there is an option here to “write an opposing argument”, or “write with more details”. It even provided an outline (on the left side).
That’s because I asked for it.
If you ask me, these features are incredibly versatile and useful for students and professionals alike.
The possibilities are endless.
You can be anything, say anything literally, with a powerful AI writing assistant like Cowriter.
4. Provide Context
When developing characters or scenes, give the AI enough background to work with. You could explain the characters’ personalities, motives, or conflicts so that the response is more focused and engaging.
Example: “Write a dialogue between two characters: one is a cautious detective who trusts no one, and the other is a fast-talking informant with a hidden agenda.”
Because of the information I provided, Cowriter responded with a detailed and, I dare say, compelling story featuring the scenario.
I also like that I can add this response to the “document” and even play around with it.
Peep the first few lines of the story:
The sun dipped low in the sky, casting long shadows on the gritty alleyway where Detective Laura Miles found herself waiting, tapping her foot impatiently against the cold pavement. She had seen enough in her years on the force to know that the characters who inhabited these streets were as unpredictable as the weather. Today, she was meeting an informant known for spinning tales as easily as he breathed.
Developing Characters with Co-Writer AI
The fun part is the co-writer’s creativity in fleshing out characters.
Typically, it generates traits, backstories, and motivations.
1. Start with a Basic Profile
Here, you ask the co-writer to create a character based on specific attributes such as age, profession, personality, and background.
Example Prompt: “Create a character profile for a 35-year-old detective named Sarah who is emotionally closed off due to a personal tragedy but is highly intelligent and methodical.”
2. Expand the Character’s Backstory
Once you have a basic character outline, you can ask it to dive deeper into their backstory to explain why they act a certain way. This helps create more relatable and complex characters.
Example Prompt: “Expand on Sarah’s backstory. Explain the personal tragedy she faced and how it affected her relationships and work.”
3. Ask for Character Flaws and Growth Arcs
Flaws make characters more relatable and human. So insert a point where there is a growth arc in your story. At this point, your character overcomes their flaws or evolves.
Example Prompt: “Describe Sarah’s biggest flaw and how it hinders her work as a detective. Then outline how she grows and overcomes it throughout the story.”
Crafting Dialogue with AI
Good dialogue is one of the trickiest parts of writing but also the part where AI can help you the most.
1. Define Character Traits
For natural dialogue, you need each character to have a clear voice. Simply let the co-writer know what kind of person each character is, and the conversation will reflect that.
Example Prompt: “Write a dialogue between a shy librarian and a confident businessman. The librarian is hesitant and unsure of herself, while the businessman is charismatic and persuasive.”
2. Use Context for Realism
Provide the AI with the context of the conversation—where it’s happening, the emotions involved, and what the characters are trying to achieve.
Example Prompt: “Write a tense argument between two siblings in their kitchen, where one is accusing the other of hiding a family secret.”
3. Refine Dialogue to Match Tone
If you are ever dissatisfied with any given response, ask the AI to adjust the tone. You can request more emotional nuance or better pacing.
Example Prompt: “Rewrite the dialogue to sound more emotional, with shorter, sharper sentences to reflect their anger.”
How Cowriter Helps with Creative Writing
1. Character Development
Co-Writer can help you develop complex and unique characters by generating detailed character profiles.
By providing prompts such as “Create a backstory for a rebellious teenager who becomes a hero,” the AI can generate backstories, motivations, and even personality traits. This makes character creation more fluid and dynamic.
2. Dialogue Writing
Writing natural and engaging dialogue can be challenging. Cowriter uses AI to generate dialogues based on character traits or story settings, helping you maintain unique voices for different characters.
You could prompt it with something like, “Write a tense conversation between two detectives with conflicting ideas,” and Cowriter will provide compelling results that reflect both conflict and character depth.
3. World-building and Plot Structuring
For fantasy or romance fiction writers, world-building can be a tedious process.
Cowriter uses AI to help create intricate worlds and generate plot ideas, adding elements such as geography, culture, and historical events that can enhance the richness of your story’s setting.
It can also outline plot structures, helping you create a logical flow for your narrative.
4. Overcoming Writer’s Block
With features like real-time autocompletion and suggestions, Cowriter is particularly effective in overcoming writer’s block.
Analyzing the context of your story predicts the next sentence or paragraph, allowing you to keep writing even when you're unsure of what comes next.
Cowriter is versatile. This AI can also work across various types of creative writing, like fiction, poetry, screenwriting, and even technical or non-fiction content creation.
It’s a valuable tool for both novice writers looking for guidance and experienced authors seeking to enhance their storytelling.
As a student looking to improve the speed of your work without trading quality and originality, this is one of the best writing assistants you can ever have.
It all starts with a simple prompt and you can start writing away whenever you tell Cowriter AI what you are working on.