Say your brain is offering you a character who walks into a rural Wisconsin bar and sees all its patrons wearing deer antlers. You like this flash of a moment, but you have no good ideas for what might come next in the story.
I logged into Nate's world builder and asked it for 5 reasons everyone in this bar might be wearing deer antlers, with detail. Within seconds, it spit out ideas.
A few were kind of
obvious: a hunting tradition; a secret society; a themed birthday party. A wildlife conservation charity event wasn't a bad idea.
But the one I chose to explore further: an annual commemoration of a "mythical deer [that] saved the town from a great disaster many years ago."
So I asked the world builder to offer 5 scenarios for how this mythical deer saved the town. Among those replies: during a wildfire the deer used its hooves to redirect a nearby river; it drove away a plague of locusts by letting loose "a powerful bellow"; and it lured a band of marauders into a trap in the forest.
I asked for 5 reasons these marauders would attempt to plunder the town. One of those scenarios involved ancient artifacts that, according to the AI, were "remnants of a long-lost civilization that once thrived in the region. These artifacts are believed to hold significant historical and monetary value."
OK, one more level and I'll let you be on your way. I asked for 5 names for this ancient civilization and what its people were known for. Of those, no. 2 was the "Serulites," seafarers who moved inland to flee a great flood and "left behind a network of underground tunnels and caverns filled with intricate
mosaics."
So, about eight minutes ago we came in with an image of a man walking into a bar and we're now leaving with the bones of a story about people celebrating a mythical deer that once saved the town from marauders looking to steal ancient artifacts from the seafaring Serulites.
I wouldn't necessarily write that exact story, but it's highly likely that the mere process of thinking through the AI's scenarios would spark my own ideas for the piece.
So if I, a totally inept amateur, can do this, what do I need Nate for? Well, Nate built the program himself and knows exactly how to tease out its most effective responses.
Not only that, but he had his AI create a few images based on my description of my setting, which really
enhanced the visuals my brain has been working with.
Stay tuned for more on this.
And don't forget to check out next week's message for
contest results!
As always, thank you for reading.
