How Novelists Use Generative Language Models: An Exploratory User Study

Alex Calderwood, Katy Ilonka Gero, Vivien Qui, Lydia Chilton

Abstract:

Generative language models are garnering interest as creative tools.
We present a user study to explore how fiction writers use generative language models during their writing process. We had four
professional novelists complete various writing tasks while having
access to a generative language model that either finishes their
sentence or generates the next paragraph of text. We report the
primary ways that novelists interact with these models, including:
to generate ideas for describing scenes and characters, to create
antagonistic suggestions that force them to hone their descriptive
language, and as a constraint tool for challenging their writing
practice. We identify six criteria for evaluating creative writing assistants, and propose design guidelines for future co-writing tools.