Walk ’n Write With ChatGPT
2024, April 17
Voice-activated ChatGPT really has revolutionized my writing process. I now get most of my writing done by talking to ChatGPT while I’m walking. It’s been the biggest game-changer of my creative life.
It’s like having a phone call with ChatGPT while I’m walking. Two things happen on that call: 1. As I speak, my thoughts are being transcribed. Huge chunks of my writing get done here because this already provides a written record of my ideas. 2. ChatGPT then reflects these ideas back to me, which works as a kind of reshaping of my words for me. Sometimes I like the sentences ChatGPT provides, and it helps me clarify what I want to express. Sometimes I hugely dislike ChatGPT’s words and ideas, and this forces me to shape my ideas with even greater distinction.
(Good to know: I have ChatGPT‘s paid version, and I’m using it as an app on my phone — I’m not sure if voice activation comes with the free version. If not, I definitely recommend trying out the paid version for a month; last time I checked, you could cancel your subscription monthly.)
Here are the main prompts that I use for my walk ’n write sessions with ChatGPT:
Prompts for Walk ’n Write with ChatGPT
Kick off: “Hi ChatGPT, I’m about to write an essay. I want to share all the thoughts that pop up in my mind that might end up in my essay. Are you ready?”
Mid-conversation: Sharing 1-3 thoughts per output. It should be fast and short, otherwise, I will overwhelm ChatGPT. I close the output with “Reflect back to me what you just heard me saying, without overly praising me. Prioritize the thoughts and sentences that you find most edgy and surprising and most unlikely to be accepted by some kind of mainstream magazine.”
End summary: “List 9 key points from our conversation that seem the most significant for my essay. Prioritize the key points that you find most edgy and surprising and most unlikely to be accepted by a mainstream magazine. For each key point, provide a mini-summary.”
After my walk ’n write session with ChatGPT I usually go home to transform the transcript into a coherent piece of writing.
Why no praising? In my experience, ChatGPT tends to overpraise, which clutters the actual creative process I want to engage in.
Why anti-mainstream? In my experience, ChatGPT tends to ignore the most unusual parts and overprioritizes generic thoughts and clichés. Even if my original thought is unconventional, ChatGPT will turn it into the most generic cliché thing ever. That’s why it needs prompts that instruct it to choose the things that are unlikely to be accepted by the mainstream.
There are a thousand other playful ways to trick ChatGPT into giving more interesting, unconventional responses. Stay tuned for more.