NovelAI Review | Worth Considering?

Undoubtedly, ChatGPT is the talk of the hour, and rightfully so, due to its revolutionary impact on AI-based text generators. Surely, we have witnessed various AI writing assistants in the past, but ChatGPT has taken this technology to another level. However, were you aware that there is an AI writer designed specifically for crafting stories and novels?

Sounds too good to be true, but NovelAI is another remarkable AI creation that can bring your imagination to life through words, potentially even producing a complete book. Brace yourself as I provide a comprehensive NovelAI review, including instructions on its usage.

I will also explain how to use it and whether it’s possible to generate a full-fledged novel with this amazing storyteller program.

NovelAI Review | What Is It?

NovelAI is an AI-based text generator software (Saas) that’s trained to write human-like stories with the help of little input. It employs sophisticated artificial intelligence algorithms and advanced machine learning techniques to analyze the provided input and produce unique and imaginative responses.

Anlatan, a software company based in Delaware, released the platform in June 2021, and within the next three months, it amazingly amassed a user base of 40,000, gaining plenty of attention.

Since its initial release, NovelAI has undergone numerous updates and refinements to improve its functionality and output quality. Utilizing this software does not require any technical expertise; all you need to do is express your imagination through writing, and NovelAI will complete the story for you.

To enhance the appeal of your stories, the program also features an Image Creator tool where you can generate stunning animated images to incorporate into your stories or novels. In addition to crafting compelling narratives, NovelAI can serve as your virtual assistant, providing an opportunity to engage in entertaining word games.

NovelAI Features

Labeling NovelAI as merely a story generator tool would be an unjust assessment, considering its extensive range of functionalities that can even assist in the creation of an entire book. Let’s discuss some of the key features of NovelAI.

1. Storytelling

The storytelling mode is the main highlight of NovelAI. In this mode, you provide the tool with some basic input, and it takes the story forward from there. If the generated response doesn’t align with your imagination, you have the flexibility to edit it or generate an entirely new one.

You can input a few words, sentences, or even an entire paragraph, and NovelAI’s powerful AI engine will analyze the input using advanced machine learning algorithms to generate the most suitable follow-up. With each input, NovelAI produces unique and engaging responses that are bound to capture the attention of readers. The only limit here is your imagination!

You can also use your pre-written stories, contexts, and characters as input. The software will then analyze its memory to extract the most fitting dialogues, plot twists, and events to provide a satisfying conclusion to your unfinished work. 

It’s important to note that the level of detail in your inputs will directly impact the relevance and quality of the output. Therefore, don’t hesitate to include specific story genres, character descriptions, past context, locations, time settings, and other relevant details in your input to enhance the output generated by NovelAI.

Moreover, the NovelAI language model is trained in diverse techniques and styles of writing, including the likes of William Shakespeare. This capability adds an extra layer of creativity to your work, enabling it to possess a highly professional and polished appearance.

2. Text Adventure

Next is Text Adventure – your virtual assistant you can use as a chatbot. It serves as a GPT-based sandbox where you can immerse yourself in interactive adventures such as playing games, engaging in dialogues, or playing out a story. Text Adventure operates on the same fundamental principles as the Storyteller feature. However, the key distinction lies in the fact that here you can define the actions and characters to achieve the desired output.

Text adventure includes the following commands:

1. Do – You provide a prompt and ask NovelAI to take action based on it. The text Adventure feature will generate a suitable outcome and progress the story accordingly.
2. Say – You engage in dialogue with the chatbot and receive responses as if you were conversing with a real person. This functionality enables you to create captivating dialogues for your story. 
3. Story – Combining the “Do” and “Say” commands, this feature functions as a storytelling mode. Once again, you can generate brief scenes and stories using this feature.

In short, you can engage in a text adventure game where you set the plot and characters. From there, you provide instructions to the characters using the available commands, and NovelAI will use its creativity to play the game on your behalf.

3. Image Generation

The Image Generator feature of NovelAI generates images based on the prompts you provide in the form of texts. With this feature, you can generate pictures for your stories to make them more captivating. All you have to do is describe your idea using simple English language, and AI will do the magic. 

Additionally, the image generation tool allows you to use photographs or other visual media as a foundation for creating animated or graphic pictures for your book. NovelAI also grants you the flexibility to adjust the image-generating parameters, enabling further customization according to your preferences. So, Simply unleash your imagination and input your ideas, and the AI will handle the rest

4. Story Encryption

NovelAI prioritizes the security of your work with utmost care. All AI-generated content is stored on an encrypted server that is exclusively accessible to you. The software employs robust encryption methods to safeguard your creative work and prevent unauthorized access.

5. Custom Editing

NovelAI offers a custom editor that allows you to fine-tune various elements of your work. You have the freedom to modify fonts, colors, and layouts, as well as the overall style and aesthetics. With this feature, you no longer require a separate editor to create the masterpiece you envision; the AI takes care of that for you.

5. Ease of Use

In contrast to certain AI text generators, NovelAI boasts an incredibly user-friendly interface. The homepage provides convenient access to all key options, making it extremely easy to navigate through them. All you need to do is express your thoughts, and within seconds, you will receive the output, which you can further modify. Even if you don’t possess advanced creative writing skills, you will effortlessly be able to generate enchanting storylines using NovelAI. 

How to Use NovelAI?

My favorite feature of NovelAI is that you can start using it for free, even without creating an account. The storytelling and Text Adventure features are available to use without signing up. However, I advise you to register before starting any writing project to have the ability to save your progress. To sign up, all you need to do is provide your email address, select a password, and you’ll be ready to dive in.

To start new work, you need to click on Start Writing, and you’ll be presented with the available options – Storyteller, Text Adventure, and Generate Images. You can also use the tutorials to learn more about these features in detail. 

Let’s see how each function works:

1. Storyteller

When you click on Storyteller, a blank text editor will open where you can type your input and click on Send button to get the response. Within a few seconds, you will be presented with the most suitable follow-up event or dialogue based on your input. 

At this stage, you have three options:

1. You can provide additional input to further contribute to the story’s development and await the AI’s response. 
2. Alternatively, you can continuously click on the Send button to allow the AI to generate the subsequent parts of the story. 
3. If you find the response unsatisfactory, you can click on Retry, prompting NovelAI to create a different response with a completely new reference and incident.

Here is an example to illustrate the process:

Furthermore, by clicking on the Lorebook icon at the bottom, you get the option to bookmark your entries. This feature serves as an ideal space to expand upon various aspects of your story’s world, including events, locations, characters, and environments. While there are multiple settings available, if you’re new to the process, you only need to focus on the Entry tab to begin.

Also, you can click on the dice icon on the Storyteller page to generate a title for your story. The AI engine will do its best to find the closest matched titles based on the texts in your story. 

2. Text Adventure

To interact with the virtual assistant or partake in interactive games with NovelAI, simply click on the Text Adventure option. As previously mentioned, this distinctive feature allows you to establish a plot, define characters, and provide instructions. The AI will then proceed to follow your lead and engage in the game alongside you.

Here is an example:

It’s important to note that the instructions provided to NovelAI are displayed in blue text, while the responses are presented in white. You have the flexibility to edit both the inputs and responses in real-time, allowing you to mold the conversation according to your specific needs.

I must admit that I was genuinely impressed by the AI’s ability to engage in multifaceted conversations and actions. While the responses may not be consistently accurate, considering the software’s age, the results were truly remarkable.

3. Image Generation

As the name implies, the Generate Images feature allows you to create unique visuals that are not sourced from the internet but are solely a product of the AI’s imagination. To access this feature, simply click on Generate Images, which can be found next to Text Adventure, and you will be directed to a page resembling the following: 

In the example provided, you can observe that I inputted a request for an image of an elephant in a dark setting. Additionally, the tool offers options to exclude specific elements from the generated output. Overall, the image generation feature performs exceptionally well, and the resulting anime images can be effectively utilized within your fictional stories.

NovelAI: Advantages & Drawbacks

After getting my hands on the tool, I must express that I was largely impressed by its overall performance and the quality of the results. However, there are certain areas where I believe there is potential for improvement. Let’s take a look:

What I like about NovelAI?

Based on my personal experience, here are the things that impressed me the most:

1. Easy to Use

What impressed me the most was the ease with which stories and images can be created using NovelAI. With just a few words or lines, you can swiftly receive unique stories that are not plagiarized from any sources. The same holds for image generation. While the quality and variety of images may not be as extensive as dedicated AI image tools like Midjourney, NovelAI still produces decent images suitable for use in your book.

2. Free Trial

Another positive aspect I observed is that NovelAI offers a practically unlimited free trial. You can start writing stories for free without even signing up. However, to save your work, you will need to create an account. During the free trial, you have access to the Storytelling and Text Adventure features.

3. Creative Outputs

NovelAI uses advanced AI technologies to create the responses you would like. Its deep machine learning and natural language processing are strong enough to produce unique, original, and creative stories in mere minutes.

What I Dislike about NovelAI?

There are certain limitations of NovelAI, which left me disappointed. Take a look:

1. Image Generator is not Free

It’s worth noting that while the company provides a free trial, the Image Generator feature is not available for free. To test the image quality, you would need to spend at least $10.

2. Delayed Responses at Times

During my testing, I encountered occasional delays in responses, which could be frustrating if you use it professionally. The interface is interactive but often takes time to load the pages. Additionally, there were a few instances where the software failed to connect to the servers, resulting in a waiting time of approximately 5-7 minutes before I could provide the next input.

3. Time-Consuming

Undoubtedly, NovelAI can assist in writing original and intriguing storylines; however, it creates fragments, making it time-consuming to compose an entire storybook, let alone a novel. I think there should have been a ‘Full Story’ option where the tool completes the story in its entirety. 

Plans And Pricing

So, how much does this remarkable piece of engineering cost? In addition to the free trial, NovelAI provides three premium plans, with prices starting from $10 per month and increasing from there. Let’s take a look at each of them:

PAPER Free	TABLET $10/month	SCROLL $15/month	OPUS $25/month
Access to Clio, a NovelAI exclusive storyteller 100 free text generations 6144 tokens of memory (24576 characters that the AI can remember) 100 Free Stories-to-voice generations	Access to Clio, a NovelAI exclusive storyteller Unlimited text generations 3072 tokens of memory (12288 characters that the AI can remember) 1000 free Anlas that you can use for image generation and custom module training Access to NovelAI Image Generation Model	Access to Clio, a NovelAI exclusive storyteller Unlimited text generations 6144 tokens of memory (24576 characters that the AI can remember) 1000 free Anlas that you can use for image generation and custom module training Access to NovelAI Image Generation Model Access to NovelAI-generated Text-to-Speech voices	Access to Clio, a NovelAI exclusive storyteller Unlimited text generations 8192 tokens of memory (32768 characters that the AI can remember) 10,000 free Anlas for image generation and custom module training Access to the latest experimental features Unlimited image generation (Small and normal size) NovelAI-generated TTS voices

 

Is NovelAI Free?

Thankfully, the company offers a forever-free plan with limited functionalities. If you wish to explore the features before committing to a premium plan, the free trial will suffice. However, it doesn’t include the Image Generation feature, which requires an upgrade to at least the Tablet plan, priced at $10 per month.

It’s worth noting that NovelAI allows you to commence writing stories without the need for an account, thanks to their generous free trial. However, the free trial grants you only 50 text generations. After signing up for free, you receive an additional 50 text generations. Also, to save your work, it is necessary to create a NovelAI account. 

Is It Possible to Generate a Full-Fledged Novel with NovelAI?

Coming to the most important question – Is It possible to generate a complete novel with NovelAI? The answer is a straight No. Let’s see why. 

Undoubtedly, NovelAI is an impressive AI platform that exhibits remarkable capabilities in mimicking human thinking and generating text that can resemble the work of real authors. However, in the grand scheme of things, it still has a long way to go. AI tools, including NovelAI, are far from replacing actual authors, and it’s unlikely that they will be writing a book anytime soon.

Having said that, NovelAI can certainly assist you in creating engaging short stories, dialogue sequences, and plot twists, but that requires a great deal of imagination from your side. While the platform allows you to limit the influence of AI in your writing, finding the sweet spot can be challenging.

One of the biggest limitations of the platform is the absence of a Finish Story feature, which means you have to construct your story piece by piece. From a practical standpoint, it could take a considerable amount of time to complete a novel using NovelAI.

How is the Content Quality and Accuracy of Novel AI?

One of the essential factors when evaluating any AI writing assistant is the quality of writing and the accuracy it holds. After all, the main purpose of investing in such programs is to enhance writing speed and efficiency without compromising content quality. So how does the NovelAI fare in this regard?

Talking about the quality of writing, I must say that NovelAI can generate content that can match the level of a human author most of the time. The responses are typically aligned with the provided input and are devoid of any grammatical or spelling errors, which is a significant advantage. Moreover, it maintains a consistent tone throughout, and with minor editing, the content is suitable for use in stories or books.

Nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge that NovelAI is still a machine and has its limitations. There are certain aspects where its responses may not fully meet expectations. For example, the writing occasionally lacks the complexity and originality that a human author would bring. Additionally, there can be instances where the plot and dialogue do not seamlessly connect, resulting in inconsistencies when incorporating them into a story.

Should You Use NovelAI?

Having thoroughly examined the platform, would I endorse it? Although there are certain factors you must take into consideration.

NovelAI is a valuable tool for individuals involved in the realm of fiction, encompassing a wide range of creative professionals such as authors, game developers, illustrators, novelists, screenwriters, and story writers. It is also beneficial for those working in the theater industry, as it aids in crafting interesting screenplays, dialogues, and plot sequences.

Generating fictional stories differs significantly from writing informative blogs, as there is no need to concern oneself with the accuracy of facts.

Can you use NovelAI to write a novel? Absolutely, but it is important to note that completing an entire novel using the tool may require considerable time dedicated to proofreading, editing, and reviewing the content. Instead, NovelAI can serve as an inspirational resource, helping you add intriguing short plots and engaging conversations to enhance your novel.

FAQs | NovelAI

1. What do you use NovelAI for?

You can NovelAI to write stories, short plots, and dialogues for your writing projects or novels. With just a simple scenario as input, it can generate appropriate follow-ups that advance the storyline. You can also play an interactive game with AI and generate images. 

2. How do I start writing for free in NovelAI?

To use NovelAI for free, simply visit the homepage and click on the ‘Start writing for free’ option. From there, you can choose between the Storyteller or Text Adventure mode to begin your writing journey.

3. Does NovelAI Plagiarize?

Rest assured, NovelAI does not engage in plagiarism. It has undergone training using intelligent datasets and utilizes advanced AI algorithms to produce original content that has not been previously used elsewhere.

Conclusion

NovelAI stands as one of the leading AI story writers currently available and can compete with the likes of ChatGPT and JasperAI in terms of content quality and creative capabilities. Nevertheless, it is important to note that both the platform and AI are still undergoing development, which means there can be occasional misfires.

Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect NovelAI to complete an entire novel on its own, as that would be an excessive demand. However, the tool offers an array of impressive features, and with the availability of a free trial, it is certainly worth exploring.