For novelists choosing an AI
Claude vs ChatGPT for writing a novel
Which one writes better is a matter of taste, and it shifts with every new model, so test it on your own pages. For a novel, the bigger question is whether it has read your book.
Pride and Prejudice
Asking your reader
Where is Pemberley first mentioned?
Chapter VI, earlier than most people remember. Miss Bingley teases Darcy about marrying Elizabeth, saying her mother “will be always at Pemberley with you.” The fuller Pemberley talk, the library and Bingley offering to buy the place, comes in Chapter VIII.
What matters on a long book
Has it read the whole thing?
An opinion on chapter nine means little if chapter two isn't in the conversation. That goes for both of them.
Is it the current draft?
A file you uploaded last month is last month's book. Rewrite the middle and it's still reading the old one.
Can you check what it says?
Ask for the chapter, then go and look. An answer you can verify is worth more than one that sounds right.
Questions only your book can answer
- Where would a reader put it down?
- Which character disappears for too long?
- Did I give two people the same surname?
- Is the climax set up anywhere before chapter 20?
Run your own test
Reviews of which AI writes better tell you about someone else's taste. Your own chapter tells you more. Take one you know has a problem, and don't say what the problem is.
Give the same chapter and the same questions to both, in new chats. Then see which one found what you already knew, which one told you something new, and which one flattered you.
Questions for the test
- Where would a reader lose interest, and why?
- What is the weakest line in this chapter?
- What does this character want here, and do they get it?
- Quote the sentence that shows it.
The last one matters most. If it can't quote your words back, it may be guessing.
Where we stand
We built Chapter & Worse with Claude and tested it with Claude. That's the only one we can vouch for.
ChatGPT has its own way of connecting outside tools. As far as we can tell it needs a paid plan and its developer mode, and we haven't tested our app with it, so don't sign up on the strength of this page. OpenAI's help pages say how it works today.
If you already use ChatGPT and it's working for you, nothing here is a reason to leave.
What you'd get with Claude
Your whole book in any Claude chat, on your laptop or your phone, and always the current draft.
A reader that can't change a word. Claude can suggest a line in the chat, and you decide whether it goes in.
Claude's paid plans take custom connectors, and its free plan allows one.
The first 14 days free, with no card to enter.
Bring your worst chapter.
Sign in with Google and start on your book today. The first 14 days are free, and there's no card to enter.
Already have a book here? The same button signs you in.
Or see it on Pride and Prejudice, no sign-in