Also one of the key aspects of AI writing I find is that it lacks detail.
Lets look at the two examples of the last post-
So this one is written by a human. Now, it's a short paragraph so we don't get much, but it is *specific*. Always place torches on the right side of the cave wall while you're exploring, so all you have to do is keep them to your left side when heading back.
It seems small, but most AI writing without specific promps would be generic. Like. "Place the torches along one side, so they will be on the opposite side on the way back." It would get out that little, idiosyncratic detail of the person saying *place it on the right*. Because right or left, it doesn't matter. Wall or on the side of the floor, doesn't matter. But this human placed it on the right wall, so that is what he tells us in his writing.
Ok lets look at all the 'details' here. I say details because the ones that are there, don't make sense, and aren't used correctly.
"The scent of fresh lavender filled the air as Ellie made her way down the path-" Ok no. 'fresh' lavender suggests laundry, or freshly cut. It implies something very different then walking along a road with lavender around you. Example- "The scent of sun-warmed lavender growing wild filled the air, the purple flowers blooming out along the path-" is something I would write to set the scene.
So, AI probably has seen "fresh lavender" used as the most common description (because laundry and cooking texts), and went with that instead of something that made sense like 'growing lavender' if you're going to be less purple prosey about it (I like my flowery descriptions ok.)
Now, lets look at the rest. "She felt the warmth of the sun on her face and the soft sand between her toes-". Generic as fuuuuuuuuuuck.
Like. This is the blandest description ever. Siri, what is the description of standing on the beach? generic.
Now, a human may write this for a quick 'placement' where they don't want to get too into details. But for an OPENING scene? Plus, we jump straight from a road surrounded by lavender to the beach? Hrm.
Lets try this human-style for an opening scene, trying to evoke a romantic feeling. Now I already said sun-warmed earlier for the lavender, so we don't want to use warmth/warm again for the paragraph.
"It took awhile to finally feel the sand, gritty but soft, between her toes instead of the packed dirt road. She felt the heat of the sun starting to sting at her cheeks- she forgot her hat in her need to get outside. She smiled."
Because sand isn't just soft. On a sunny day it would be hot and always have a little grit. It ain't pillows for godssake. I also added more personality- adding that she rushed in her excitement to get outside, that she doesn't care she's going to get sunburned, etc. All these little details you can tell from what I've now given you that were not there before.
"It was a beautiful day, and she couldn't have been happier."
Generic as all hell. Honestly, I would just cut this out. From the previous scene I wrote where she is smiling at the heat, and the description of the sun and sand- yeah, we know it's a beautiful day and she's happy about it.
"She got closer to the water, she saw him. Jack was sitting on a large rock-"
Are you fucking- sorry. This just tells us nothing. How does she feel seeing Jack? What does Jack look like? Is the large rock IN the water? Nothing important has been communicated, just that she sees a guy named Jack on a rock. Since this is labled a 'romance' we can assume, but not from the actual writing.
"She got closer to the waves rushing in, it was low tide. There, she saw him. Jack was sitting on a large rock a little ways out, still damp from when the tide was higher. His curls were plastered on his freckled face from the salt water, his eyes closed as his head titled up towards the cheerful sun."
'But Robin,' you may say. 'This is longer!'
Sure. I cut out some sentences and would probably retool this, but now that the scene is established I wouldn't have to provide the same descriptions later. This is an *opening*. You GOT to paint the picture for the audience up front so they can see the world the story is taking place in.
Anyway yeah. Not to say some people don't write generically, so don't go accusing everyone of it, but if you suspect it from how generic it is it's always worth some research.
