How many typos do I need to add to not be flagged as AI?

[nice90sguy]

@lobster56 ,@nice90sguy
Y’all realize this story is an example of one of his that DIDN’T get flagged for AI, right?

II thought that was obvious since it was actually published.

Yes I did realise that - but I thought it would give me clues

 

[Just4Sheets]

I just spent the last 5 hours working on one of my stories that had previously been rejected. I did some research on what kinds of things get flagged and rewrote anything that had that "smell." Things that were too neatly resolved. Things that seemed like I was explaining them.

If it gets rejected again I guess I'm done trying here. I just don't know what to do further.


J4S

 

[TheWritingGroup]

I just spent the last 5 hours working on one of my stories that had previously been rejected. I did some research on what kinds of things get flagged and rewrote anything that had that "smell." Things that were too neatly resolved. Things that seemed like I was explaining them.

If it gets rejected again I guess I'm done trying here. I just don't know what to do further.


J4S

It's more likely (in my uneducated opinion) to be language things that trigger the autoreject, not story structure. The AI isn't reading the story, it's analyzing the language.

--Annie

 

[Just4Sheets]

It's more likely (in my uneducated opinion) to be language things that trigger the autoreject, not story structure. The AI isn't reading the story, it's analyzing the language.

--Annie

I did some research on how an AI detector makes determinations. And then I went through one of my stories and line by line looked for those types of flags.

In the end I probably changed around 30 lines in the story. Added some new paragraphs and removed some stuff.

To be completely honest, I'm not happy with some of the changes I made. Some of the new stuff I added seems useless. Some of the stuff I removed were things I felt were important. For example, the story starts in a bar. In the new version I added a paragraph about what was on the TV in the bar. Seems useless to me, but supposedly humans write about things that don't matter. I don't do that. If I mention a gun .. at some point that gun will be important. It's Just4Sheet's gun! (yeah Chekhov .. yeah).

I feel a little dirty having done it, as it's exactly what I said at the start "how many typos do I need to add?"

It's submitted. If it gets approved I'll give the next story the same treatment. I had 6 pending. Now I have 1 pending and 5 drafts. If it doesn't get approved I'll come up with a new plan, but I doubt it will be on this site.


J4S

 

[StillStunned]

To be completely honest, I'm not happy with some of the changes I made. Some of the new stuff I added seems useless. Some of the stuff I removed were things I felt were important. For example, the story starts in a bar. In the new version I added a paragraph about what was on the TV in the bar. Seems useless to me, but supposedly humans write about things that don't matter. I don't do that. If I mention a gun .. at some point that gun will be important. It's Just4Sheet's gun! (yeah Chekhov .. yeah).

The trick is to add stuff that isn't useless, or else to give it purpose. A man walks into a bar to tell his wife's creepy boss to back off? The television is playing an old western, with the hero preparing for a shootout at noon. Going into a bar to meet a blind date? The television is showing an expedition travelling up the Amazon into unknown territory. Going into a bar to get blind drunk? It's a replay of a washed-up boxer's final fight.

Those little details in the background always serve a double purpose: to establish the setting, but also to highlight the subtext, or provide foreshadowing, or create a recurring theme that connects multiple scenes.

 

[Britva415]

@lobster56 ,@nice90sguy
Y’all realize this story is an example of one of his that DIDN’T get flagged for AI, right?

II thought that was obvious since it was actually published.

It's still good advice. Just because it passed review doesn't mean it wasn't at risk and doesn't mean it can't be improved.

I don't know whether the pattern described is functionally an AI flag as a matter of automated systems, but it's very very plausible that the spider sense of a human could be triggered by it.

The writing quality aspect of it is separate from that but possibly? also of interest to OP. Or to other authors. It's absolutely something I myself am sensitive to, in terms of enjoyment of reading, but also in terms of developing an impression of whether it seems like AI to me.

Some writers can and do "write like how people talk." That's a contrast to how some writers "write their people's speech like how writers write." I think the sweet spot is in the middle: Write like a narrator, but write the spoken content of conversations as if real people are really talking how people really talk, not like how writers write.

 

[Just4Sheets]

The trick is to add stuff that isn't useless, or else to give it purpose. A man walks into a bar to tell his wife's creepy boss to back off? The television is playing an old western, with the hero preparing for a shootout at noon. Going into a bar to meet a blind date? The television is showing an expedition travelling up the Amazon into unknown territory. Going into a bar to get blind drunk? It's a replay of a washed-up boxer's final fight.

Those little details in the background always serve a double purpose: to establish the setting, but also to highlight the subtext, or provide foreshadowing, or create a recurring theme that connects multiple scenes.

I get it, but that's not how I think or write. But if that's the cost of getting my story published .. I'll do it.


J4S

 

[StillStunned]

I get it, but that's not how I think or write. But if that's the cost of getting my story published .. I'll do it.


J4S

If you do it, do it deliberately and properly to make your stories feel more complete. Don't just throw in random details. Readers will start to look for meaning behind them, and they'll be left feeling unsatisfied. Even if they don't realise it consciously.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

The trick is to add stuff that isn't useless, or else to give it purpose. A man walks into a bar to tell his wife's creepy boss to back off? The television is playing an old western, with the hero preparing for a shootout at noon. Going into a bar to meet a blind date? The television is showing an expedition travelling up the Amazon into unknown territory. Going into a bar to get blind drunk? It's a replay of a washed-up boxer's final fight.

Those little details in the background always serve a double purpose: to establish the setting, but also to highlight the subtext, or provide foreshadowing, or create a recurring theme that connects multiple scenes.

In his Latest Writing Group story, Eddie never actually says his goblins are plant elementals (or something) but all his metaphors are either about plants (toes curling like the fronds of ferns during orgasm) or about the earth (comparing bodily protuberances to hills).

--Annie

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I get it, but that's not how I think or write. But if that's the cost of getting my story published .. I'll do it.


J4S

Is it a cost or a benefit?

It may not be how you write now, but then my writing style has grown and morphed quite a bit since I started publishing here.

A few examples: My paragraphs used to be monolithic, full of comma splices and run-on sentences. Now they vary in length and intent, and it gives my stories a readability and vitality the earlier ones didn't have. I've also started using dialog a lot more to tell the story instead of just describing things; telling. It's made my dialog better and as a result, my stories more dynamic and a lot easier to read.

Don't look at modifying your style as a bad thing. Look at it as growing, learning, becoming more versatile. All good things.

 

[Just4Sheets]

I don't know .. this is the paragraph I added. Nothing in the story ever relates to this in any way. The main character is sitting at a bar.

He looked up at the TV. There was a Cricket match .. or game .. or whatever they called it. He had no idea. Some guys with European accents were cheering occasionally, but he had no clue how the game even worked.

That's it. I felt weird writing it.


J4S

 

[YmaOHyd]

I don't know .. this is the paragraph I added. Nothing in the story ever relates to this in any way. The main character is sitting at a bar.



That's it. I felt weird writing it.


J4S

I love when that stuff's in stories. People notice things! I want the writer to tell me what they're noticing. Places have sounds and smells and stuff. There's a restaurant I go to occasionally that has a portrait of every king of Afghanistan on the wall, and if you sit in a particular booth it looks like they're all watching you eat. If and when that restaurant appears in my work, you better believe that detail's going to make it in.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I don't know .. this is the paragraph I added. Nothing in the story ever relates to this in any way. The main character is sitting at a bar.

That's it. I felt weird writing it.

If it doesn't relate to the story, what's the point of the insertion? To be frank, I don't think that's going to help it get through. It's a disjointed collection of phrases, that don't make a great deal of sense.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Is it a cost or a benefit?

It may not be how you write now, but then my writing style has grown and morphed quite a bit since I started publishing here.

A few examples: My paragraphs used to be monolithic, full of comma splices and run-on sentences. Now they vary in length and intent, and it gives my stories a readability and vitality the earlier ones didn't have. I've also started using dialog a lot more to tell the story instead of just describing things; telling. It's made my dialog better and as a result, my stories more dynamic and a lot easier to read.

Don't look at modifying your style as a bad thing. Look at it as growing, learning, becoming more versatile. All good things.

Three or four years ago that would have been seen as good writerly advice and the suggestions would have been applauded. Now though, it's flipped, "Oh no, you can't say that, you can't say change your style. It's the AI detector that's at fault, not the writing."

I think you're spot on the money, by the way.

 

[TheRedChamber]

I don't know .. this is the paragraph I added. Nothing in the story ever relates to this in any way. The main character is sitting at a bar.

He looked up at the TV. There was a Cricket match .. or game .. or whatever they called it. He had no idea. Some guys with European accents were cheering occasionally, but he had no clue how the game even worked.

That's it. I felt weird writing it.

J4S

Just to note that the 'European' is throwing me. For sure, Britain is in Europe, much as certain segments of our populatu
Ion like to pretend it isn't, but (assuming) an American is unlikely (imhe) to describe an English accent as European. And apart from us, its only the (former) Commonwealth countries which really play - Australia, India, West Indies etc. I'm not saying its impossible that a bunch of continental Europeans could have developed an interest in it, or that they cant be watching Italy vs Romania's niche teams. It just sounds wring without the further explanation that the narrator is unqualified to give.

(Also no capital C on cricket)

 

[Just4Sheets]

If it doesn't relate to the story, what's the point of the insertion? To be frank, I don't think that's going to help it get through. It's a disjointed collection of phrases, that don't make a great deal of sense.

As I said, I did a lot of research about what AI "sniffers" look for.

Maybe it won't work. I'll let you know here.


J4S

 

[Just4Sheets]

Just to note that the 'European' is throwing me. For sure, Britain is in Europe, much as certain segments of our populatuon like to pretend it isn't, but (assuming) an Ametican is unlikely (imhe) to describe an English accent as European. And apart from us, its only the (former) Commonwealth countries which really play - Australia, India, West Indies etc. I'm nit saying its impossible that a bunch of continental Europeans could have developed an interest in it, or that they cant ne watching Italy vs Romania's niche teams. It just sounds wring without the further explanation that the narrator is unqualified to give.

(Also no capital C on cricket)

Perfect! Maybe that's the kind of thing that let's me publish this story.

I wrote a story that I feel is the best story I've ever written and I can't get it published here. If I need to add some superfluous crap to get it approved that's a small price to pay.


J4S

 

[TheWritingGroup]

I obviously haven't read the story you haven't published yet, but you could make the TV create the right atmosphere, even if you don't want to put any exposition in there. Say it's about a depressed person, have him notice, "The TV was talking about yet another flood somewhere in the South. As he glanced up, it switched to 'BREAKING NEWS: CHILD FALLS FROM ROOF!' Typical."

At the end, he overhears two strangers talking about how the kid's pants leg caught on the gutter and left him dangling long enough for Mom to catch him, representing the redemptive, happy ending.

--Annie

 

[DEFCOM5]

This area is rapidly descending into superstition and folklore. Maybe always wear clean socks when you submit your story. It might help.

Clean socks? I was told I only need to wear clean underwear!

 

[Just4Sheets]

I obviously haven't read the story you haven't published yet, but you could make the TV create the right atmosphere, even if you don't want to put any exposition in there. Say it's about a depressed person, have him notice, "The TV was talking about yet another flood somewhere in the South. As he glanced up, it switched to 'BREAKING NEWS: CHILD FALLS FROM ROOF!' Typical."

At the end, he overhears two strangers talking about how the kid's pants leg caught on the gutter and left him dangling long enough for Mom to catch him, representing the redemptive, happy ending.

--Annie

I'm not hiding the original. I posted it on Reddit so people could read it since nobody could read it here. That new paragraph is very near the beginning.

https://www.reddit.com/r/transstoriesgonewild/comments/1okviq3

J4S

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

If it doesn't relate to the story, what's the point of the insertion? To be frank, I don't think that's going to help it get through. It's a disjointed collection of phrases, that don't make a great deal of sense.

Maybe not to you. It made perfect sense to me and resonated. I feel the same way when Hockey is on in my favorites sports bar. I just don't get it, but a lot of other people do. I love this kind of color, or flavor, in stories. It pulls me into the narrative.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I'm not hiding the original. I posted it on Reddit so people could read it since nobody could read it here. That new paragraph is very near the beginning.

https://www.reddit.com/r/transstoriesgonewild/comments/1okviq3

J4S

It fits perfectly, adding to the feeling that he's someplace out of his comfort zone, and foreshadows him experiencing the new and different things that come later in the story..

 

[YmaOHyd]

you could make the TV create the right atmosphere

You can, and that's fun and helpful when done sparingly. I think sometimes authors fall into psychotropic scenery, where saying something like "yonder is... the castle" causes a wolf to howl or a bolt of lightning to split the sky, or a depressed protagonist causes the piano player at the bar to play only Chopin's Nocturne in C# minor Op.27 No.1 . You can do the same thing by having the TV have the exact wrong atmosphere, where your depressed protagonist hears the local news guy talking about Monte, a cat from Bedminster that was trapped in the back of a rumpety-bumpety baker's truck, and she gets irritated by the triviality.

Having stuff that's unrelated to the protagonist, done right, reinforces the sense that they exist in a larger world that isn't just a place for them to have sex. That's how I want my stories to feel. Other people don't and that's cool too.

 

[Just4Sheets]

Having stuff that's unrelated to the protagonist, done right, reinforces the sense that they exist in a larger world that isn't just a place for them to have sex. That's how I want my stories to feel. Other people don't and that's cool too.

I'm ok with the stuff I added I guess, but it's just not the type of thing I would normally write. It just seems obvious that my writing style is getting flagged, so I'm trying to "evolve" I guess.


J4S

 

[BlkCruelt]

As you know, it's a spectrum. Autism affects all of us in different ways. My daughter can't have a real conversation with anyone. My son tries but winds up being shunned as "creepy." I was just weird.

I just went to openai and pasted one of my stories and it said it was likely AI. I'm not sure what to do. Maybe it's best if I just take a break.


J4S

As a reader, I hope that you don't give up