Take part in writing Roof Cats!

Submit a chapter and have a chance of getting published!

 

AI-ASSISTED WRITING CONTEST: CAT GPT

Process

The major arcs of the story were already determined before the experiment and divided into chapters. We then communicated specific instructions to ChatGPT, asking it to expand each section, one after the other. At first, we tried to take each chapter as one single section, but we quickly realized it was more efficient to divide the chapters themselves into sections. You can find our discussion with ChatGPT here.
The chapters were released as they were penned.

Participation

The first part has been written exclusively with ChatGPT.
For the upcoming chapters, however, we’re expanding the experiment: first by experimenting other AI tools, and second by inviting those of you, our followers, who have a penchant for writing, to participate in the experiment by contributing some of the chapters. The winning chapters will be included in the published book, and the authors will be rewarded with a percentage of the royalties.

Rules & Instructions

Rules

– Use ChatGPT or any other AI writing tool: just make sure to save the whole conversation in a way that can be shared with us and the readers (either link or editable file – screenshots not accepted),
– If you use ChatGPT, you may or may not start with the conversation we already had with it and which you can find here,
– Follow the instructions of style defined in the conversation itself (you can also find them below),
– Follow the specific plot, guidelines, and indicated number of words of each chapter (you can find them below). A margin of 50 words per section and 100 words per chapter is allowed,
– Feel free to add any details you’d like, but ensure they don’t contradict the character’s personality, the spirit of the book, or the events that take place in the following chapters,
– Keep in mind to always mention the cats’ actions, even if it’s not explicitly specified,
– Surprise us, both in the text itself, and in the conversation and efficiency with the AI tool you used, keeping in mind the purpose of the experiment,
– The purpose of the experiment is to draw maximum conclusions regarding the use of AI in creative writing, understand how this technology works, identify its limitations, and optimize its application in creative writing,
– You can make several attempts to find the perfect prompt(s),
– You can (and probably should) edit the AI's work, particularly to incorporate funny and witty dialogues that align with the existing spirit. However, if you manage to generate good dialogues in the same spirit using an AI tool, that would certainly be a valuable addition to your submission,
– The action takes place in Beirut: Don’t hesitate to undertake research or get inspired by the local characteristics described in the first part in order to enhance the credibility,
– Read carefully the whole available synopsis for all the chapters to ensure you don’t include in your submission anything contradicting the rest of the story,
– You can propose a title to the chapter you’re submitting.
– Send your work before the submission deadline, which is different for each chapter, and which can be found further below.
– Don’t hesitate to send us a message if you have any questions.

Writing Instructions

(Those instructions were given to ChatGPT as a prompt. We will also use them for the chapters to come and you are required to use them too in your conversation with the AI tool you’ll have chosen.)

1- Present tense: The narration is in the present tense.
2- Audiovisual and descriptive narration: Describe only visual actions, sounds, and dialogues. Avoid describing inner thoughts, intentions, expectations, or assumptions of both humans and animals. Stay objective.
3- Maintain a consistent and interesting style, including figures of speech and humor.
4- Humor: Present situations and use chosen words to make the reader smile.
5- Avoid complicated words and expressions: Ensure the book can be understood by an average 10-year-old native speaker.
6- Follow the existing psychological traits for the main characters (Tarek and Katsup).

Psychology of the Protagonists

 

Tarek:
Tarek is 35 years old and works in advertising. He has a French lover who lives in France and is currently expecting their child. Tarek approaches life with a calm and measured demeanor. He is intelligent, wise, and unflappable; in the midst of an earthquake, if he knows there's nothing he can do, he will patiently wait for it to pass. However, when he recognizes that action is required, he can act swiftly and decisively.
Tarek enjoys smoking a shisha. In addition to his career in advertising, he dedicates time to crafting scripts that he hopes to sell. His life is well-organized, especially in terms of his computer files. He spends most of his time working on his laptop, even during leisure moments when he's surfing the internet, playing games, or engaging with social media. Despite his mental and virtual organization, his physical living space is a complete mess – not dirty, but cluttered.

 

Katsup:
Katsup is smart and resourceful, though not the smartest cat you've seen (for example, she will never learn how to open a door with a doorknob, like some cats do). She's stubborn. When she arrives at this building, she's 6-7 months old. She's well-mannered (never climbs on tables, never steals Tarek's food from his plate), so Tarek suspects she must have been born in a human house and then either escaped or was abandoned.

 

Synopsis of the remaining chapters

 

Available here.

 

 

Chapter 6: 06/01/2024

Chapter 7: 13/01/2024

Chapter 14: 02/03/2024

Legal Conditions

1. General Procedure, Prize, and Royalties

a. Submission Period: Submissions will be accepted from October 1, 2023, until December 31, 2023. The winners will be determined by a jury composed of the Eukalypto editorial team and announced at the book launch, scheduled for the end of March 2024. The book will be signed by the collective name “Eukalypto”, and will include a link leading to the list of all the contributors.
b. Limitation on Submissions: Each participant may submit only one entry per chapter.
c. Submission Guidelines: Entries must adhere to the summary and guidelines outlined on the contest page. Submissions must not contain defamatory, obscene, offensive, or any other unsuitable material. Eukalypto reserves the right to disqualify entries containing such content. Entries must be suitable for publication by Eukalypto and appropriate for audiences of all ages.
d. Eligibility: This contest is open to individuals aged 18 years and older.
e. Chapter Competition and Winners: There will be nine chapters available for competition. Eukalypto reserves the right to select multiple winners for the same chapter. In such cases, the winning works will be combined, and the prize will be divided among the selected winners accordingly. Eukalypto also reserves the right to use one or more chapters written by their own teams in case no submitted chapter meets the required standards.
f. Royalties and Publication: Each winner of the CatGPT Writing Contest ("The Contest") will have their submitted chapter published in the book titled "Roof Cats," attributed to the collective name "Eukalypto." In the case of a sole winner per chapter, they shall be entitled to receive a reward equivalent to 2% of the royalties generated from the sales of the aforementioned book.

g. Submission Address: All submissions shall be sent to [email protected].

2. Originality and Plagiarism

a. All participants in The Contest affirm and warrant that their submitted work is original, free from plagiarism, and does not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of any third party.
b. Eukalypto assumes no responsibility if contestants disregard the Originality and Plagiarism terms and conditions. Contestants agree to indemnify Eukalypto against any claims made by third parties resulting from their breach of these terms and conditions.

3. Exclusive Rights and Editorial Work

a. By participating in the Contest, all participants irrevocably grant Eukalypto exclusive rights to the chapter they have authored.
b. Participants further consent to Eukalypto's editorial discretion in making any modifications or enhancements to their submitted chapter.
c. All participants hereby grant Eukalypto the irrevocable right to publish their entries in the upcoming book, subject to the terms and conditions outlined in this document. Each entrant retains the copyright in their entry but grants Eukalypto a perpetual, exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, broadcast (across all media), post the entry online, and use it on any other platforms, including those yet to be developed. This license also includes the right to use the entrant's name, age, and country of residence in association with the entry. It is understood that this license encompasses all necessary rights and permissions to facilitate Eukalypto's use for prize fulfillment and contest administration.

4. Royalties and Adaptations

a. As all story arcs and characters are created by Eukalypto, which holds the rights to them, the aforementioned royalties shall apply exclusively to the sales of the specific edition of the book 'Roof Cats' that includes the winning chapters. These royalties shall not extend to any other royalties arising from adaptations, including, but not limited to, graphic novels, movie adaptations, or any other derivative works.
b. By submitting an entry, you agree that Eukalypto may at its sole discretion edit, adapt, abridge or translate the entry for the purposes listed in these terms and conditions (even if you don’t win, we may, for example, publish your essay or excerpts from it as a runner-up in the contest). You grant permission to Eukalypto, and to those acting under Eukalypto's authority, to use your name, picture, voice, biographical information and statements for promotional purposes without additional compensation, in all media now known or hereafter discovered, worldwide and on the Internet and World Wide Web, without notice, review or approval.

5. Rights and Decision-Making Authority

a. Given that all story arcs and characters are created by Eukalypto, which retains full ownership of their rights, participation in and victory in the Contest shall not grant participants any decision-making authority or rights concerning the book's adaptations, publishing platforms, or any other related matters. Such decisions shall solely rest within the discretion of Eukalypto.

6. Publicity and Promotion

a. All Contest participants shall consent to the use of their name and photograph for promotional purposes related to the book "Roof Cats" and its creative process. Participants shall also be available for participation in podcasts, interviews, or other promotional activities related to the book as reasonably requested by Eukalypto.

7. Notification of Winners and Prize Claim

a. The winners will be notified within 21 days of the contest's closing date via email, postal mail, or phone, using the contact details provided with their entry.
b. Eukalypto will make all reasonable efforts to contact the winners. If any winner cannot be contacted, is unavailable, or fails to claim their prize within 10 days of the announcement date, Eukalypto reserves the right to offer the prize to the next eligible entrant selected from the correct entries received before the contest's closing date.

8. Modification and Contest Voidance

In the event of unforeseen circumstances, we reserve the right to alter, amend, or cancel the contest without prior notice. We also retain the right to modify these terms at any time. The contest is void wherever prohibited by law.

9. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These terms are governed by the laws of Cyprus and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Cyprus.

These Legal Conditions govern the "Roof Cats" Writing Contest and constitute a legally binding agreement between all participants and Eukalypto. By participating in the Contest, participants acknowledge their acceptance of these conditions in their entirety.