Chris and ChatGPT, part 7

Still friends, ChatGPT and I decided to go all in and write a story for my author friend, Karl.

Still with me? Sure, this whole ChatGPT chat is dragging out, but that’s also the point. Within an hour ChatGPT pumped out 15,000 words with several variations of the same story. Each story was written in about three minutes.

And people say I’m prolific!

Just to put it in perspective, lots of my Maratse novellas are about 15,000 words in length. I take a week to write the first draft.

I don’t even want to think about what ChatGPT could produce in a week!

So we open with the story I asked ChatGPT to write. You may remember ChatGPT was also trying to cheer up an author who wasn’t feeling very lucky.

Here’s the chat with ChatGPT with my prompts and questions in bold.

Transcript of chat with ChatGPT on February 22, 2023.

Can you write a succinct science fiction story of roughly 1000 words about an author who invents a machine that creates luck?

Sure, here’s a story for you:

Max always felt like he was unlucky. His writing career had stalled, his relationships had ended in disaster, and he just couldn’t seem to catch a break. So, one day, he decided to do something about it. He invented a machine that created luck.

Max wasn’t exactly sure how the machine worked. He just knew that when he flipped the switch, something happened. The first time he tried it, he found a $20 bill on the sidewalk. The second time, he got a call from a publisher who wanted to publish his latest manuscript. And the third time, he met the love of his life.

Max’s luck had turned around, and he couldn’t be happier. He spent all his time experimenting with the machine, fine-tuning it to create even more luck. But as his luck continued to improve, he began to notice something strange.

The people around him were starting to have terrible luck. His neighbor’s dog got hit by a car, his best friend got fired from his job, and his sister’s house was robbed. Max didn’t understand what was happening. He had created the machine to bring luck to everyone, not just himself.

But the more Max tinkered with the machine, the worse things got. He was so focused on his own good luck that he didn’t see the chaos he was causing. And then, one day, something went terribly wrong.

Max flipped the switch on the machine, and there was a blinding flash of light. When he opened his eyes, he was in a different place. It was a world that was completely devoid of luck.

Max realized that he had siphoned all the luck from his own world and transferred it to this one. And now he was stuck in a place where nothing good ever happened. He tried to reverse the machine, but it was too late. He had destroyed the balance of luck in both worlds.

Max was stuck in a world where nothing ever went right, and he realized that he had brought this on himself. He had been so focused on his own luck that he had ignored the consequences of his actions. He had learned the hard way that luck was not something that could be created or controlled. It was something that just happened.

I hope you enjoyed the story!

I did. But can you write it again using Karl Drinkwater’s character Opal as the main character?

Sure, here’s the story:

Opal was an inventor, always tinkering away in her lab to create something new and exciting. She had always been interested in the concept of luck, and had spent years researching ways to harness it. Finally, she had cracked the code, and invented a machine that could create luck.

Opal was thrilled with her invention, and immediately set about testing it. She started small, using the machine to help her win at card games and other competitions. But soon, she began to realize the full potential of her invention. With her machine, she could make herself lucky in every aspect of her life – career, relationships, finances, everything.

At first, things seemed to be going well. Opal was achieving more than she ever had before, and everything seemed to be falling into place. But as time went on, she began to realize the true cost of her invention. She had become so reliant on the machine to make her successful that she had lost touch with the things that truly mattered in life.

Opal tried to stop using the machine, but found that she couldn’t. She was addicted to the feeling of being lucky, and couldn’t bear the thought of going back to a life without it. As she continued to use the machine, she began to notice that the things she had once treasured – her friends, her family, her passions – were slipping away from her.

Eventually, Opal realized that her invention had turned her into someone she didn’t recognize. She had become a shell of her former self, obsessed with success and blind to the things that truly mattered. With a heavy heart, she destroyed the machine and vowed to start anew.

It wasn’t easy, but Opal slowly began to rebuild her life. She reconnected with her loved ones and rediscovered the things that made her happy. Though she would always remember her invention, she knew that it was better left in the past. She had learned the hard way that sometimes, the greatest success comes from within, and that true luck can’t be created – only earned.

Thank you. Now how about rewriting that story using Opal as a character, but changing the setting to somewhere remote and cold and writing in the style of Petersen and Drinkwater. Feel free to make it a little longer if you need to. And please add more descriptions of the environment.

Opal was used to the cold, having grown up in the vast wilderness of northern Canada. But this was different. The remote research station she had been sent to was in the heart of Antarctica, a place of crushing isolation and bitter winds. The landscape was desolate and unforgiving, with jagged peaks of ice jutting up from a sea of white.

Opal had been sent to the station to test out a new invention, a machine that could create luck. The machine had been created by an author named Mitchell, who had grown tired of the fickle nature of his industry. He had spent years researching and tinkering, finally emerging with a device that he believed could change his fortunes.

Opal was skeptical of the machine, but Mitchell had promised her that it would work. The first few days were uneventful, but then the machine started to hum to life. Opal felt a strange warmth spread through her body, and suddenly she felt like the odds were stacked in her favor.

It was then that the first storm hit. The winds were like nothing Opal had ever experienced, and she could feel the station shaking and groaning under the assault. But despite the danger, she felt a strange sense of calm. She knew that somehow, against all odds, she was going to survive.

The storm raged on for days, and Opal found herself working tirelessly to keep the station running. She fixed leaks, checked instruments, and did her best to keep the other researchers calm. And all the while, the machine hummed away, filling her with a sense of invincibility.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the storm began to abate. Opal and the other researchers emerged from the station to find that the landscape had been transformed. The snowdrifts were twice as high, and the ice seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.

But as they started to make their way across the frozen wasteland, they began to notice something odd. Everywhere they went, the ice seemed to shift and crack beneath their feet. Opal realized with horror that the machine had not created luck – it had simply shifted the odds in their favor. And now, as a result, they were walking across a landscape that was more treacherous than ever.

Opal’s heart sank as she realized what she had done. She had been so blinded by the promise of good fortune that she had ignored the risks. And now, she and the other researchers were in more danger than ever.

As they struggled through the frozen wilderness, Opal could feel the machine humming away in the background. It seemed to be growing stronger, filling her with an almost manic sense of confidence. She knew that she had to destroy the machine, to end its dangerous influence before it was too late.

But as she made her way back to the station, she knew that it would not be easy. The machine had become a part of her, a voice in her head that whispered promises of success and invincibility. It was going to take all of her willpower to resist its call and put an end to its power. But she knew that she had to try, for her own sake and for the sake of everyone else at the station.

Opal took a deep breath and steeled herself for the battle ahead. She knew that she was going to need every ounce of strength and determination if she was going to save herself and the others. But for the first time in days, she felt a glimmer of hope. She knew that she had what it took to overcome the machine and emerge from the frozen wasteland alive.

That’s good.

Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Is there anything else I can assist you with?

…

There was, but we’ll save that for next time. 😉

To be continued.

Chris