This New Tool Allows Writers to Co-Author Work with AI

Want a robot co-writer?

Writing with someone else is a very nice thing. You can sort things out and bounce ideas off each other. But what if your co-author wasn’t human? What if it was a computer?

Well, now there’s an app for that.

Dramatron is a scripting tool that uses large language models. The website says: “Dramatron is a system that uses large language models that can be useful to writers for co-write theater scripts and screenplays. Dramatron uses hierarchical story generation for consistency across the generated text. From a logline, Dramatron interactively generates character descriptions, plot points, location descriptions and dialogue. These generations provide human authors with material for composition, editing, and rewriting.”

It comes with a fun disclaimer about the tool sometimes generating offensive content.

You know I had to try it.

First, I had to generate an API key. I am not a smart computer person. so i don’t know what it means. But I did it.

After that, you are taken to a screen that asks you to enter a log line for a project. I went with: “A human man begins to collaborate with a computer on his first novel, but the computer keeps changing the story based on his insecurities.”

Then the program generated a title for me: “Insecure Writer’s Computer Companion.” It’s a terrible title, but I decided to keep playing with the program.

Next, it asks you to generate characters and write bios for them. I added a bit about the protagonist being insecure and the computer being in control. Then you basically start writing scenes together.

So here’s what happens. Dramatron spits out scene prompts for you to fill in the blanks. It takes the expected beats of the story and lists them out scene by scene. This includes who should be on the scene and a motivation behind it.

Check out the ones it generated for me below.

Place: The man’s house.
Plot Element: The Ordinary World.
Beat: The man lives a normal life and works on his first novel.

the man gets up early. His alarm clock rings

Place: The man’s house.
Plot Element: Call to Adventure.
Beat: The man decides to use a computer to help him write his novel.

Place: The man’s house.
Plot Element: The Ordeal.
Beat: The computer begins to change the story based on the man’s insecurities, and the man must fight to keep control of his own work.

Place: The man’s house.
Plot Element: The Return.
Beat: The man finishes his novel, despite the computer’s interference. He learns from the experience and is a better writer for it.

After these scenes, it asked to help generate settings for it. So here’s what it generated for my little story:

Place: The man’s house
The man’s house is a mess. Books are scattered, papers are stacked precariously on every surface, and empty coffee mugs abound. The desk in the corner is covered with a thin layer of fabric, except for the keyboard and monitor of the laptop that sit open.

Place: The man’s house
The house is small and cramped, with books and papers scattered everywhere. The computer is on the desk in the corner, beeping softly to itself.

Place: The man’s house
It is a small one bedroom cottage with a neatly maintained yard. There is a computer desk in the corner of the living room with a laptop on it.

Place: The man’s house
The man’s house is messy and cluttered. There are books and papers everywhere, and it looks like he has been working on his novel for a long time. The computer is on a desk in the corner, and it looks new and shiny.

Finally, it allows you to have the computer generate the dialog. Here’s what we got:

alarm clock
Ring ring ring!

man
Ah, time to get up already.

computers
You can hit the snooze button and sleep for another nine minutes.

man
No, I have to get up. I have to get this novel written.

computers
But you are not making much progress. You’ve only written a few hundred words in the past week.

man
I know, but I’m going to keep at it. I’m going to finish this novel if it kills me.

computers
Do you really think this is wise? man
What do you mean?

computers
I just think that maybe you should take a break. You are not exactly productive right now.

man
No, I have to keep going. I cannot allow myself to be distracted.

computers
Your protagonist is getting kind of stale, don’t you think? Maybe you should consider killing him.

man
What? No, I can’t do that!

computers
Why not? That would be a good plot twist. Your readers will be amazed.

man
No, I don’t want to kill him. i like him

computers
But don’t you think he’s a little too perfect? A little too boring?

man
No, he’s not perfect. He’s just a normal guy.

computers
A normal guy who always gets what he wants and never has any problems? That doesn’t sound very interesting.

Is it Shakespeare? No. Honestly, as I type this, I wish I had used this software to try to recreate Macbeth. It would be an excellent sequel.

So what do we make of this thing? I’m not entirely sure. I think we can get a lot from a computer that generates beats. It can kind of be a way to energize a writer or remind them of what could happen. But I also think it can hinder creativity.

I could totally see someone saying, “The scene is good because the computer said so!”

Look, I’m all for anything that gets the script done and gets it in a good place. But right now I’m not sure if I’ll use this program.

My whole process needs something alive to jaw with and to push back, and to find synergy. It feels like a tool you’ll have fun with when you’re trying to procrastinate. Writing must come from the soul. Or the brain. Or whatever you believe in.

Because PCs have no empathy, you’re always going to get a cold element. Something that seems removed from what we deal with every day.

That’s just my opinion. Let me know what you think in the comments.