Today’s writing prompt response is a little different.
I came across a blog post by a successful (long time successful, I hasten to add) author which has encouraged me to explore ChatGPT as a means to stimulate ideas, think about book blurbs etc – a sort of brainstorming partner, take the pressure off my husband :D. While not brainstorming, I couldn’t resist asking the AI to write a response to today’s prompt. Hmm.
The prompt is: Use these four words – decision false ribbon plague
I asked for a 300-400 word story and this is what it came up with. What do you think? Not sure I’ll enter it in any competition!
I’ve done no editing, and at least it knows dialogue punctuation (a pet peeve). Interestingly, it used the words in order – so there’s a sign it was written by a machine. And another also, it starts in NY and seems to end up in a ‘town’ with winding streets. It’s big on cliche too, but I guess that’s to be expected.
I promise to let you know if I do this again!
False promises lead to (the AI’s title for this tale)
Sophie had a decision to make. She had been offered a job in New York, and while she was excited about the opportunity, she was also hesitant to leave her hometown. After days of agonizing, Sophie finally made her choice and accepted the job. But little did she know that her decision would lead her down a path filled with false promises and unexpected twists.
Sophie arrived in New York and immediately fell in love with the city. She started her new job and worked hard, but as time went on, she began to realize that the company she was working for was not what it seemed. Her boss promised her promotions and raises that never materialized, and she soon found out that the company was involved in some shady dealings.
One day, Sophie stumbled upon a ribbon on the ground. It was a deep shade of purple and looked like it had been there for a while. As she picked it up, she noticed that there was something written on it in small letters. It read, “Follow me if you dare.”
Sophie’s curiosity got the better of her, and she followed the ribbon through the winding streets of the city. It led her to a run-down building on the outskirts of town. As she entered, she found herself in a dimly lit room filled with people in masks. They were all coughing and hacking, and Sophie soon realized that they were suffering from a terrible plague.
THE END – apparently! Might send it my blog post on story endings.
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A terrible plague had hit the city and inhabitants were dropping like flies. Shirley thought she could escape by simply hiding in her house and not letting anyone near.
The consequences of catching the disease was disastrous – certain death, no one would survive.
Shirley shivered with fear as she realised that life as she knew it, even her own, was about to come to an abrupt finish.
She anxiously twirled the ribbon tying back her hair, fingers pulling incessantly at the curls.
“What am I to do,” she thought. “Where can I go to escape this terrible scourge? Maybe I can make a run for it and I won’t catch it.”
Even as these thoughts crossed her mind, she knew it was futile. Even now, thousands of disease-ridden rats were descending on the house, squeezing through any cracks they could find.
In desperation, she hid in a cupboard. Maybe they wouldn’t try to get in there. Through a crack she could she the floor – now covered in heaving and rapidly moving vermin.
It was only a matter of time before they found her hiding place and she knew her fate was sealed.
It had been a false decision to come to this town searching for her long-lost mother. And now she was going to pay the ultimate price.
Ugh! Rats … once had a family of them run riot in a garden shed, poisoned them and then had to clear it all out – a horrible job!
Interesting I think. Fairly unimaginative and predictable but no doubt you would expect that from a programmed machine, eh?
And very badly constructed!