Using ChatGPT for Writing and Recommending Books - Ep. 2 with Nat Eliason
Dec 1, 2023
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Nat Eliason, a writer with a book deal from Random House, discusses how he uses ChatGPT for identifying his writing taste, finding new reading inspirations, generating story outlines, settling bar bets, summarizing news, and generating recipes. The podcast also explores using ChatGPT for personalized book recommendations, evaluating a book's quality, crowd-sourced book reviews, expanding readership, and using ChatGPT for writing and idea generation.
ChatGPT helps Nat Eliason identify his taste in writing and discover new books for inspiration.
Using ChatGPT, Nat Eliason can generate story outlines, create vivid character descriptions, and tap into alternative ways of describing emotions in his fiction writing.
Deep dives
Using chat GPT for finding book recommendations
The podcast discusses using chat GPT to find book recommendations. The speaker mentions using chat GPT to find authors who write great near term hard sci-fi without involving space, similar to Michael Crichton. They talk about how using traditional platforms like Google or Reddit can be time-consuming and how chat GPT provides quicker and more relevant results. They highlight the ability to easily ask follow-up questions for more recommendations and the surprise and satisfaction of finding book suggestions that align perfectly with their interests.
Using chat GPT for recipe ideas
In the podcast, the speaker talks about using chat GPT for recipe ideas. They mention an experience where they wanted to make a stir-fry with ground pork and Korean onions, and chat GPT provided them with a simple and delicious stir-fry recipe. They appreciate that chat GPT gives clear instructions without the need to scroll through lengthy blog posts. Additionally, they suggest using the vision capabilities of chat GPT to extract and modify recipes from images, which they assume would be successful. Overall, they emphasize the convenience and usefulness of chat GPT in recipe exploration and experimentation.
Using chat GPT for writing and outlining
The podcast explores how chat GPT can be used for writing and outlining. The speaker mentions using chat GPT for finding alternative ways to describe emotions in fiction writing. They find it helpful in generating alternative phrases and avoiding repetition. The speaker also discusses how chat GPT can assist in outlining a story by providing different story frameworks such as the hero's journey or plot structures. They mention using chat GPT to generate questions and suggestions for improving and expanding their story outline. They acknowledge that chat GPT is a useful tool that complements their own creativity in the writing and outlining process.
Mindset for using chat GPT effectively
The podcast delves into the mindset required to effectively use chat GPT. The speaker notes that chat GPT is still a work in progress and is like an eager teenager with an internet connection. They recommend having realistic expectations and understanding that chat GPT has limitations and areas where it excels. They compare it to working with people who have different strengths and weaknesses. The speaker suggests being patient and willing to try different approaches or prompts to get the desired results. They highlight the importance of recognizing chat GPT as a tool rather than expecting it to be infallible.
How Nat Eliason uses ChatGPT to write books:
Nat Eliason is a shape-shifter.
He’s a writer with a book deal from Random House, a crypto trader, a Roam Research aficionado, a marketer, a book podcaster, a parent, and a seed oil iconoclast. He's amassed thousands of newsletter subscribers, 70,000 followers on X, and 110,000 on TikTok.
His secret weapon for all of his exploring? ChatGPT.
Nat took me through why he uses it every day for his work and his life. In this interview we talk about using ChatGPT for:
Identifying his taste in writing. He uses ChatGPT to help him identify the kind of writing he likes, so that he can produce more of it.
Finding new books to read for inspiration. ChatGPT helps him find writers and books that he never would've encountered through Googling or in his daily life.
Generating story outlines and character descriptions. He uses ChatGPT to help him outline the sci-fi novel he's writing and learn how to create vivid descriptions.
Settling bar bets. Air in the atmosphere contains carbon—which can technically be converted into diamond. So, how much air would be required to make a diamond? It's the kind of thing you might argue about over drinks with a friend—and exactly the kind of question ChatGPT is built to answer.
Reading the news. Nat doesn't read the news. But every once in a while he wants to know what's going on about a particular topic. ChatGPT is the perfect news summarizer.
Generating recipes. Nat is a frequent chef. ChatGPT is his recipe companion: surfacing ideas, and easily modifying them based on what he has at hand and his family's dietary preferences.
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