I can't even express how much the codex helps. I used the chat , chat gpt and codex entries to make shit I'd never be able to fully flesh out on my own, using the AI for math, science and story context instead of what Sudowrite would do which is just make shit up and hope it fits. the sole issue with novelcrafter is it not having any say over the AI moderation, which can be tricky to get around. But I made a god damn solar system, 18 regions with 55 fiefs, all of the ecosystems, and all of the rulers and I can expand upon that and transfer it to future stories for context if I want. Before this I used a jumbled google doc or multiple chat gpt chats and did my best to remember EVERYTHING. NC is like an actual assistant that takes notes and can reference back and write for you while you lay on a couch telling it what to write( and you very rarely have to worry about it hallucinating shit that has nothing to do with your story). And the discord support is greater than great.
I started out with Sudowrite. But since a little while I’m trying out Novelcrafter. And to be honest I think I will stick to Novelcrafter. It take a little time to get to know. But I really like it. And I get pretty good results that I’m really happy about
You hit all the nails on their heads here, in my opinion. Even though I had recently renewed my 1-years subscription at Sudowrite when I got into Novelcrafter beta, I haven't touched Sudowrite since. But that was my second year of subscription, and I am glad I had that experience with Sudowrite. It is less overwhelming for a newcomer, but I would recommend using the monthly subscription now, because at some point the serious writer will likely jump ship. (Sorry about your affiliate fee... I really have to salute you for your honesty here, that takes some serious guts!)
Would love an updated video for this! Sudowrite and whoever else you want to do - now that Sudowrite has listened to you and added their own 'codex' and other things :)
I’ve been tinkering with both. I find NovelCrafter is lacking at the moment in terms of plotting. But the price of SudoWrite and credit wasting is eye watering. I do appreciate NC’s codex and probable affordability.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 📚 *Overview of Novelcrafter and Sudowrite* - Introduction to AI writing tools for fiction authors: Novelcrafter and Sudowrite. - Brief mention of another tool, Rexy, which won't be compared in this showdown. 01:09 🤖 *Criteria for Evaluation* - Explanation of the evaluation criteria for the showdown. - Categories include ease of use, community, handling story Bible, in-text editing, full chapter generation, and customization. - Criteria details: ease of use, community involvement, AI interaction with story Bible information, in-text modifications, full chapter generation capabilities, and customization options. 02:03 🧩 *Ease of Use: PSE Sudowrite* - Evaluation of PSE Sudowrite's ease of use. - Positive aspects include simplicity, clear instructions, and user-friendly interface. - Mention of the somewhat overwhelming nature of Novelcrafter's interface. 04:19 🧩 *Ease of Use: Novelcrafter* - Evaluation of Novelcrafter's ease of use. - Acknowledgment of a more complex interface compared to PSE Sudowrite. - Highlighting Novelcrafter's features tailored for authors, including the chat feature. 08:25 🤝 *Community: Tie* - Acknowledgment of the active and helpful communities in both Sudowrite and Novelcrafter. - Mention of Discord servers for each tool. - Declaration of a tie between the communities of both tools. 09:20 📚 *Story Bible Handling: Sudowrite* - Examination of Sudowrite's handling of story Bibles. - Overview of character information and limited sections for genre and style. - Mention of the 700-word limit for character descriptions. 11:54 📚 *Story Bible Handling: Novelcrafter* - Evaluation of Novelcrafter's Codex for story Bibles. - Mention of the flexibility to include characters, locations, objects, lore, and more. - Highlight of the lack of word limits and the ability to tag notes for personal reference. 15:06 ✍️ *In-Text Editing: Tie* - Comparison of in-text editing features in Sudowrite and Novelcrafter. - Mention of options like rephrase, expand, shorten, and the ability to configure prompts. - Declaration of a tie in this category due to both tools offering useful features for authors. 17:09 📖 *Full Chapter Generation: Sudowrite* - Assessment of Sudowrite's ability to generate full chapters. - Mention of the chapter generator feature and its potential efficiency. - Acknowledgment of potential challenges and the need for editing. 19:26 📖 *Full Chapter Generation: Novelcrafter* - Evaluation of Novelcrafter's approach to generating chapters scene by scene. - Recognition of the AI's ability to read and match style with the edited content. - Acknowledgment that Novelcrafter cannot generate a full chapter at once. 20:08 🎨 *Customization: Sudowrite* - Exploration of Sudowrite's customization features. - Highlight of the plugins feature for creating and using custom prompts. - Mention of experimental access to different models for customization. 21:19 🎨 *Customization: Novelcrafter* - Acknowledgment of Novelcrafter lacking the plugins feature but having it in development. - Mention of Sudowrite's limitation in modifying backend prompts for better efficiency. - Recognition of Novelcrafter offering flexibility with location, object, and lore customization. 21:32 🛠️ *Novel Crafter Customization* - Novel Crafter allows customization of prompts, models, temperature, top P, and more. - Access to a variety of models through OpenAI API. - Cloning and modification of system prompts for greater flexibility. 23:10 🤖 *Novel Crafter Chat and Codex* - Novel Crafter offers a chat feature for flexible interaction with AI. - Codex allows customization with notes, adding depth to generated content. - Emphasizes Novel Crafter's versatility and customization options. 24:46 💰 *Pricing: Novel Crafter* - Novel Crafter pricing starts at $4 a month, with additional tiers for more features. - Pricing tiers range from $4 to $20, depending on user needs. - Integration with OpenAI API incurs separate costs based on word generation. 27:43 💸 *Pricing: PSE Sudoite* - PSE Sudoite uses a credit system with tiers ranging from $10 to $29 monthly. - Credits in PSE Sudoite have a maximum limit and don't roll over. - Lack of transparency in PSE Sudoite pricing and potential higher costs. 30:03 🏆 *Novel Crafter vs. PSE Sudoite (Conclusion)* - Novel Crafter considered the better option for fiction authors based on customization and pricing. - Acknowledges PSE Sudoite's suitability for beginners. - Recognizes the evolving nature of AI tools and plans to reassess in the future. Made with HARPA AI
The scoring is wonky, but I agree with most of the analysis in this video. I've been working with both Sudowrite and Novelcrafter, and I have gotten many of the same impressions. I do think Novelcrafter is easier to use than Sudowrite. There's just an initial hurdle as you figure out how to basically navigate the user interface, how to move between Codex, Planning and Writing, figure out how scenes work and find out where commands are hidden, and I'll admit I was sort of stuck at first until I got some pointers. After making it over that hurdle, though, it's proven much more comfortable to work with than Sudowrite. I've always had friction with Sudowrite, where I felt like there was a struggle to get it to do what I really want. Meanwhile, Sudowrite has been complicated greatly by the introduction of Story Engine, which to me seemed super promising at first, but actually working with it turned out frustrating. Then it was merged into the main composition tool, which just made Sudowrite as a whole rather more confusing than it was before. A trick I love with Novelcrafter is that I can put my own written prose into chapters and scenes, then direct the AI to write the summaries (something I would find tedious to do myself), and then those summaries become part of the reference material for the AI to continue developing the story.
I love writing the actual prose, and then I let the AI write the summary. I can then quickly see if I have successfully gotten my points across. Plus having those small summaries in the right margin when I refer back to earlier scenes is nifty, but I am too lazy to write those for myself (or rather it breaks my immersion). Novelcrafter really nails the "AI as assistant" trope that used to be science fiction a couple of years ago.
I love the 'Summarize Scene' feature of NC. I do this in a free AI model, so it doesn't cost me anything to generate these summaries. I also love the idea of grabbing the scenes on the left and moving it anywhere else in the book. This has saved me so much time and effort on current novel and I am re-orging the outline for a stronger pinch and twist. Dragging and dropping my scenes and chapters is wonderful.
I think sudowrites one touch flow was actually a little too much for me. I didn't like putting in just a little information and then having sudowrite run with it as far as it could go and ate up my trial words for something I couldn't use and didn't really teach me how to use sudowrite. It was like I clicked a button and the trial was over. So I like novelcrafter more because it makes me feel much more in control of what is happening.
I dipped my toe into the Sudowrite pool the other day and it definitely needs some work. It deviated heavily from my inputs and needs better tools for fine tuning the inputs. You really have to know what you are doing to get something useable out of it and you’re not going to get that information from sudowrite itself.
Very insightful. I have only used Sudowrite, but plan to give NovelCrafter a try now. To underscore one of your points:I was frustrated how Sudowrite would wander off the path with beats resulting in a lot of rewriting. Therefore, I think I will like the more constrained beats of NovelCrafter. I also found the Story Bible in Sudowrite limiting as well. That didn't bother me a lot as I figured Scrivener is my story bible anyway, however, after seeing what NovelCrafter offers it convinces me I need to give it a try. Again, thanks for the great video.
I was AI skeptical and using Sudowrite back in july/August/September was just frustrating because it used up all my words and gave me a whole bunch of nothing. Left me AI-negative. But when you first mentioned novelcrafter and it being familiar w the 24 chapter Outline, I said "let's give it a whirl". Novelcrafter, without a doubt, understands how writers write. It's not the AI that makes novelcrafter special. It's the fact that it's set up for novelists. I would pay $14/mo for it even if it wasn't hooked up to AI. The "Plan" tab and being able to drag and drop, being able to tag codex entries and create custom tags, too... Color coding codex entries and having them highlighted in text... The codex tracking where characters are mentioned, linking codex entries... It reminds me of a Scrivener with just the best features.
This video led me to Novelcrafter. And i think your assessment is spot on. I have transitioned over from Sudowrite over the last 24 hours. Novelcrafter is amazing but more complicated and has a tiny bit more of a learning curve, but between your videos, existing resources, and the community, this is easily overcome. After about a 3 hours pause to export everything out of Sudowrite, populate my Codex, repopulate my Codex because I did not understand the interface, and plugging in my APIs, I am bag to productive writing. It was a little intimidating at first because I had gotten used to Sudowrite. I understand enough of Novelcrafter now to use it the way I need it, which is as a writing partner to help me get past a blank spot. THANK YOU!
Was very excited to see the new video "Novelcrafter vs Sudowrite: The Ultimate Showdown" Ive had limited use with both and have been debating with myself which Id rather invest my time/money with. Great timing with this one, it helped to hear another's insight on the same bullet points Ive been kicking around inside my own head.
I cancelled my Sudowrite and NovelAI subscriptions. Novelcrafter + LM Studio + OpenHermes Mistral model has completely upended and changed my productivity now.
great channel, I know it's a bit off topic but I keep noticing that your audio is not fully sync with the video, it's kind off even though subtle but it's there. Not sure what your editing process is. Keep more videos coming, good stuff.
I appreciate your honesty because I’m a new writer that have all these ideas and notes stored on my Phone. And I was looking for a platform that would assist me with turning it into a novel .
This was a great video, and an excellent overview of both tools for someone looking to decide. Really appreciate the mostly-objective review and not trying to push one tool over another.
I watched this because I'd tried Sudowrite and I was preparing to try Novelcrafter as well. I expected to prefer Novelcrafter after watching it, but I much prefer Sudowrite, so that's what I'm using.
If Claude 2 wasn't so filtered/moderated, I would use that for prose. If they could create an unfiltered subscription level, I would pay for it. Now it's so hypersensitive it's ridiculous. At least in NC I can keep my intimacy and conflict scenes blocked from AI pulling or reading it to keep Claude writing 90% of the prose but still reading all the context and codex.
Thank you! I have a subscription to claude. Would NC replace that? Having a lot of fun with it, but now i need something like novel crafter to help put it all together... Great review!
I spent the last few months of 2023 comparing and contrasting Novelcrafter. I opted to go with sudowrite. Novelcrafter just wasn't very intuitive, sudowrite seems to have a larger and more engaged community, sudowrite plugins put it on another level(mostly due to community support), and there just isn't enough information about how to effectively craft codex entries. I love the idea of the codex, but I think they need to get information about how to effectively utilize it. When I asked about things like that, all I got in response was "experiment". I'll be curious to re-evaluate both of these applications at the end of 2024. It should be very interesting.
Novel crafter is amazing. It is a little bit of a learning curve but Space and all of the discord community are super helpful especially for noobs like me LOL. I found sudowrite a bit harder to work with. I love the codex in novelcrafter and how you can set the POV for the scene. Also NC is easy on the eyes with its compact design.
Thank you for this, very informative. One question I do have is, how well do either of these tools cope with more than one book in the system at the same time? I've got two series on the go, will it cope or get confused?
Just tell me one thing, which one helps better in writing spicy stories? Cauz I’ve used Sudowrite and it can write spicy scenes. I’ve never tried Novelcrafter so can’t say anything about that.
Love your content, and I'm confused regards novelcrafter.. could you please to a full tutorial on how you use novelcrafter to create a novel from start to finish. If you do cover any of that in your program please advise, and I will get your program 😊
Do you have a video on the bedt way to use novel crafter? That is the one good thing abouf sudowrite they do a great job with there videos as far as teaching
Nerdy Novelist - Thanks for doing this video. At first glance, Sudowrite looks more inviting / intuitve / user friendly. Having to use a "/" to generate a scene beat does not make sense to me. Anyway, I am more novelist than nerdy so I need your help explaining something. When you click on Expand or Rephrase, there appears to be a list of items to choose from (again, a bit overwhelming). Are those included in Novelcrafter or are those additional subscriptions - such as OpenAI GPT-4 - that need to be purchased and mapped (routed?) to Novelcrafter? Maybe I am oversimplifying my approach but my hope or expectation in using something like Novelcrafter is that I do not need to incorporate anything else into it (it should be complete as is). Agree or disagree?
Not sure if I am imagining things but it generally feels like your sound and video are not synced perfectly? I find myself distracted by second guessing whether your movements line up with the audio
I'm struggling with NC, I can't even figure out how to properly indent my paragraphs. I'm not an expert with AI though & only recently started using it. I am pretty tech savvy, but I just can't get comfortable writing in one of the AI based programs. I was previously using Livewriter just to store my novel / organize it & easy exporting, while using chatbots for ideas etc.. I want a place I can do it all. It seems like NC is that place but man am I struggling to figure it out lol
I am just starting to try out sudowrite. I find that the prose it generates is a bit off compared to claude 2.0, which i was using before. Any tips on how to get better prose in sudowrite?
@TheNerdyNovelist Do you mean best prose? The option it gives when you go to generate chapter.? I'm sorry I'm new to sudowrite and I don't understand much😔
I have both, and must admit I prefer Sudowrite. But, everyone says how good Novelcrafter is "better". The problem is for me is Codex, I find this too cumbersome, and frankly right now dont use it.
I was so set on getting Sudowrite to help me write my first novel....now I am not sure about it. Also, regarding the credit system , does 1 credit = 1 word?...
Yeah, pretty much, but it’s more accurate imho to think of it as a unit of information. So, if you use 1000 tokens, it may not give you 1000 new words - it might be 400 words of context (your prompt, any relevant information) processed by the LLM + 600 new words written for you by the LLM.
OK, question about Novelcrafter I did try to use it, there’s a lot about it that I really like, but I added $20 to it when I first started playing around and I burned through it like crazy just using the chat feature. I want to switch over to it nervous that I’m gonna burn through too much money, ideas or tips for how to best optimize it? I’ve tried to use free chats to generate pros but mistral at least… doesn’t work lol
Start new chats when you change topic, as like with playground, the ai reads up all the way everytime it answers. And only get it to look at codex/chapters where you really need them. Kinda like resource management :) Some of the cheaper models are good at the analysis work, just check what their token limits are for reading back :) Hope this helps.
I use differnt models for different things. I prefer Claude prose, but will switch to Weaver for NSFW scenes (Sudo uses Weaver for it's unfiltered module). I do brain storming, synopsis and outline in GPT4 or cheaper modules (because you can afford to run it 3 or 4 times and tweak your prompting), then Claude if nothing suits me. I use the expensive models for prose only. I do try Open Hermes:Mistral, Airo, Toppy, etc. Each have their best uses, and most are cheap enough to try it with some beats. Also, Sudo's credit system is not cheap either and it looks like they are trying to use the same model as NovelCrafter in letting you pick the AI you want to use. So you will face the same issue with both companies pretty soon. So learn the AI modules and what prompts work best from YT to get the most for your money.
SW doesn't have context for anything outside of Story Bible. Which means the describe and rewrite function is useless, generic, and nonsensical most of the time. NC gives you the ability to tailor and customize your prompts behind the scene. I could kiss @spacemotion for this. And use whatever model you want! Not just what SW allows you.
As a new potential user for one of these, Sudowrite UI looks outdated (especially brainstorming area UI icons ) and limited in places , plus the credit thing for number of words is not my bag. I will end up making loads of generated stuff that will be discarded. Novelcrafter looks like a nicer place to spend my hours. reading the comments as well, seems like the better choice. I want a decent timeline generator too, though e.g. Preceden for fictional timelines - does either have one of those?
I don’t know why I am not satisfied with the texts generated in NC. There are short (the content of the beats) and the proses are weird. So I don’t have any choice but to stick to Sudowrite even though my pocket is bleeding.
For the best writing of a chapter or dialogue, I use Clause 2 in NC. It's the same AI used in Sudo under the 'Best Prose' option. But in NC I go in and increase or decrease Claude's creativity, I also penalize it for repeating words or phrases, I force it to look for unique dialogue or descriptions. Can't do that in Sudo very well. Also change your writing style in the Codex to tweak the prose response in NC.
Sí, incluso con los prompts originales en inglés. Simplemente selecciona idioma español en los ajustes de la novela en cuestión, rellena las entradas del Códex en español, escribe tus “Scene Beats” en español… etc. El modelo GPT4 al menos parece funcionar perfectamente, en proporción a la universalidad del español; los otros… probablemente baste con probar la versión gratis de Claude unas pocas veces, para comprobarlo ;)
6:47 Brainstorming. Some examples of what I've done to brainstorm. Me >>> Chat, Ask me a question about [...] Chat >> [...]? Me >>> I don't know, please give me some options to choose from. Chat >> [...] Me >>> I like option [B], please expand on it. Chat >> [...] Me >>> Pretty good, but let's add some changes... also, questions like: ~ A character arc starts as "weak and helpless" and ends as "Super soldier", write an example character arc following maslow's hierarchy of needs. ~ What are some example spells at the [Cantrip / low / medium / high] level and their tactical military applications? ~ Could you please describe a system that is a mix of Feudalism and Sects from Xianxia ~ Given [huge info dump], please suggest names. ~ A Sci-Fi technology works as [...]. A natural law works as [...], what would be the implictions on traffic managment.
At this point, I’m using the very simple ChatGPT interface, free version. Is it the best? Probably not. But it helps get me past writer’s block and generates ideas fairly well. While you’re working your way to affording one of the paid models, the free ChatGPT 3.5 interface may be your best bet. IMHO YMMV
Newbie here... Could you do a video on how to import an existing manuscript into NovelCrafter? I'm really confused by what I need to edit in my manuscript when the program asks for 'Chapters', 'Headings', and 'Acts'. What is a Heading????
I honestly don't get how people get anything out of sudowrite by following the sudowrite instructions (and not having to engage with the community). All my attempts with it proved it can't remember anything I added in the bible, or in previous chapters, or in the same chapter, or even follow the beat I tell it too. It changes my character's jobs and looks, keeps mixing up who has the sibling, and repeats itself constantly. What am I supposed to enter in the beats, if not the beats, to get the beats written out? lol I am honestly at a loss with it.
You're not alone. Sudowrite is pure garbage when it comes to generating text from your story beats. I mean it was unusable for me. Novelcrafter, on the other hand, has been performing very well by keeping things on task as I go through and develop chapters based on my story beats. The difference is night and day.
@@markbruno72 glad to know it's not just me! I only started the trial of novelcrafter yesterday, so I can't say much about it yet. It seems a little overwhelming but good so far. My only issue with it would be having to pay for two separate services instead of one, but I guess that's a minor complaint if it turns out more usable lol
I struggled with Novelcrafter at first but after watching some of the videos on their RUclips channel and browsing the knowledgebase I just dove right in and things started to click. I'm 8 chapters into a new novel now. I agree about having to split up payments between two different services, but OpenRouter has been pretty affordable so far.@@kitkatneko
I would say Novel Crafter because I warned & tried to help SudoWrite when it started that if they don't improve they will be replaced but they were to company oriented and saw my warnings & offerings of help as disrespectful. And now they are far behind & Novel Crafter is just open to extreme feedback In The age of Ai your replacement is literally one miss improvement away
No company is going to listen to a single rando on the internet because most companies get thousands of trolls and idiots emailing them everyday absolute nonsense or stuff they haven't finished yet or just plain old haters trying to sabotage them. You can not be the voice of reason. Ever. You need influence like this youtuber whose opinion actually matters because his opinion is legitimate and professional with provided evidence (i.e his well updated channel). Everyone else, they can't tell apart for sh*t.
The thing is. There’s no such thing as the perfect software. Some things are better for individual people. But yeah Novelcrafter is better. Currently. I have no doubt Sudowrite will pick up the pace.
@@TheNerdyNovelistI tried NC but so far I prefer Sudowrite with best prose model and plus chapters are long. I am not satisfied with NC. I wrote some chapter beats using model Claude,but the content it generated was odd and too brief.
I was an early adopter of Sudowrite, but frankly, Novelcrafter is miles ahead now.
Yeah, I'm glad I waited.
I can't even express how much the codex helps. I used the chat , chat gpt and codex entries to make shit I'd never be able to fully flesh out on my own, using the AI for math, science and story context instead of what Sudowrite would do which is just make shit up and hope it fits. the sole issue with novelcrafter is it not having any say over the AI moderation, which can be tricky to get around. But I made a god damn solar system, 18 regions with 55 fiefs, all of the ecosystems, and all of the rulers and I can expand upon that and transfer it to future stories for context if I want. Before this I used a jumbled google doc or multiple chat gpt chats and did my best to remember EVERYTHING. NC is like an actual assistant that takes notes and can reference back and write for you while you lay on a couch telling it what to write( and you very rarely have to worry about it hallucinating shit that has nothing to do with your story). And the discord support is greater than great.
I started out with Sudowrite. But since a little while I’m trying out Novelcrafter. And to be honest I think I will stick to Novelcrafter. It take a little time to get to know. But I really like it. And I get pretty good results that I’m really happy about
I agree. I started with Sudowrite but Novelcrafter works well.
You hit all the nails on their heads here, in my opinion. Even though I had recently renewed my 1-years subscription at Sudowrite when I got into Novelcrafter beta, I haven't touched Sudowrite since. But that was my second year of subscription, and I am glad I had that experience with Sudowrite. It is less overwhelming for a newcomer, but I would recommend using the monthly subscription now, because at some point the serious writer will likely jump ship. (Sorry about your affiliate fee... I really have to salute you for your honesty here, that takes some serious guts!)
Would love an updated video for this! Sudowrite and whoever else you want to do - now that Sudowrite has listened to you and added their own 'codex' and other things :)
I’ve been tinkering with both. I find NovelCrafter is lacking at the moment in terms of plotting. But the price of SudoWrite and credit wasting is eye watering. I do appreciate NC’s codex and probable affordability.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:00 📚 *Overview of Novelcrafter and Sudowrite*
- Introduction to AI writing tools for fiction authors: Novelcrafter and Sudowrite.
- Brief mention of another tool, Rexy, which won't be compared in this showdown.
01:09 🤖 *Criteria for Evaluation*
- Explanation of the evaluation criteria for the showdown.
- Categories include ease of use, community, handling story Bible, in-text editing, full chapter generation, and customization.
- Criteria details: ease of use, community involvement, AI interaction with story Bible information, in-text modifications, full chapter generation capabilities, and customization options.
02:03 🧩 *Ease of Use: PSE Sudowrite*
- Evaluation of PSE Sudowrite's ease of use.
- Positive aspects include simplicity, clear instructions, and user-friendly interface.
- Mention of the somewhat overwhelming nature of Novelcrafter's interface.
04:19 🧩 *Ease of Use: Novelcrafter*
- Evaluation of Novelcrafter's ease of use.
- Acknowledgment of a more complex interface compared to PSE Sudowrite.
- Highlighting Novelcrafter's features tailored for authors, including the chat feature.
08:25 🤝 *Community: Tie*
- Acknowledgment of the active and helpful communities in both Sudowrite and Novelcrafter.
- Mention of Discord servers for each tool.
- Declaration of a tie between the communities of both tools.
09:20 📚 *Story Bible Handling: Sudowrite*
- Examination of Sudowrite's handling of story Bibles.
- Overview of character information and limited sections for genre and style.
- Mention of the 700-word limit for character descriptions.
11:54 📚 *Story Bible Handling: Novelcrafter*
- Evaluation of Novelcrafter's Codex for story Bibles.
- Mention of the flexibility to include characters, locations, objects, lore, and more.
- Highlight of the lack of word limits and the ability to tag notes for personal reference.
15:06 ✍️ *In-Text Editing: Tie*
- Comparison of in-text editing features in Sudowrite and Novelcrafter.
- Mention of options like rephrase, expand, shorten, and the ability to configure prompts.
- Declaration of a tie in this category due to both tools offering useful features for authors.
17:09 📖 *Full Chapter Generation: Sudowrite*
- Assessment of Sudowrite's ability to generate full chapters.
- Mention of the chapter generator feature and its potential efficiency.
- Acknowledgment of potential challenges and the need for editing.
19:26 📖 *Full Chapter Generation: Novelcrafter*
- Evaluation of Novelcrafter's approach to generating chapters scene by scene.
- Recognition of the AI's ability to read and match style with the edited content.
- Acknowledgment that Novelcrafter cannot generate a full chapter at once.
20:08 🎨 *Customization: Sudowrite*
- Exploration of Sudowrite's customization features.
- Highlight of the plugins feature for creating and using custom prompts.
- Mention of experimental access to different models for customization.
21:19 🎨 *Customization: Novelcrafter*
- Acknowledgment of Novelcrafter lacking the plugins feature but having it in development.
- Mention of Sudowrite's limitation in modifying backend prompts for better efficiency.
- Recognition of Novelcrafter offering flexibility with location, object, and lore customization.
21:32 🛠️ *Novel Crafter Customization*
- Novel Crafter allows customization of prompts, models, temperature, top P, and more.
- Access to a variety of models through OpenAI API.
- Cloning and modification of system prompts for greater flexibility.
23:10 🤖 *Novel Crafter Chat and Codex*
- Novel Crafter offers a chat feature for flexible interaction with AI.
- Codex allows customization with notes, adding depth to generated content.
- Emphasizes Novel Crafter's versatility and customization options.
24:46 💰 *Pricing: Novel Crafter*
- Novel Crafter pricing starts at $4 a month, with additional tiers for more features.
- Pricing tiers range from $4 to $20, depending on user needs.
- Integration with OpenAI API incurs separate costs based on word generation.
27:43 💸 *Pricing: PSE Sudoite*
- PSE Sudoite uses a credit system with tiers ranging from $10 to $29 monthly.
- Credits in PSE Sudoite have a maximum limit and don't roll over.
- Lack of transparency in PSE Sudoite pricing and potential higher costs.
30:03 🏆 *Novel Crafter vs. PSE Sudoite (Conclusion)*
- Novel Crafter considered the better option for fiction authors based on customization and pricing.
- Acknowledges PSE Sudoite's suitability for beginners.
- Recognizes the evolving nature of AI tools and plans to reassess in the future.
Made with HARPA AI
The scoring is wonky, but I agree with most of the analysis in this video. I've been working with both Sudowrite and Novelcrafter, and I have gotten many of the same impressions. I do think Novelcrafter is easier to use than Sudowrite. There's just an initial hurdle as you figure out how to basically navigate the user interface, how to move between Codex, Planning and Writing, figure out how scenes work and find out where commands are hidden, and I'll admit I was sort of stuck at first until I got some pointers. After making it over that hurdle, though, it's proven much more comfortable to work with than Sudowrite. I've always had friction with Sudowrite, where I felt like there was a struggle to get it to do what I really want.
Meanwhile, Sudowrite has been complicated greatly by the introduction of Story Engine, which to me seemed super promising at first, but actually working with it turned out frustrating. Then it was merged into the main composition tool, which just made Sudowrite as a whole rather more confusing than it was before.
A trick I love with Novelcrafter is that I can put my own written prose into chapters and scenes, then direct the AI to write the summaries (something I would find tedious to do myself), and then those summaries become part of the reference material for the AI to continue developing the story.
I love writing the actual prose, and then I let the AI write the summary. I can then quickly see if I have successfully gotten my points across. Plus having those small summaries in the right margin when I refer back to earlier scenes is nifty, but I am too lazy to write those for myself (or rather it breaks my immersion). Novelcrafter really nails the "AI as assistant" trope that used to be science fiction a couple of years ago.
I love the 'Summarize Scene' feature of NC. I do this in a free AI model, so it doesn't cost me anything to generate these summaries. I also love the idea of grabbing the scenes on the left and moving it anywhere else in the book. This has saved me so much time and effort on current novel and I am re-orging the outline for a stronger pinch and twist. Dragging and dropping my scenes and chapters is wonderful.
I think sudowrites one touch flow was actually a little too much for me. I didn't like putting in just a little information and then having sudowrite run with it as far as it could go and ate up my trial words for something I couldn't use and didn't really teach me how to use sudowrite. It was like I clicked a button and the trial was over.
So I like novelcrafter more because it makes me feel much more in control of what is happening.
I dipped my toe into the Sudowrite pool the other day and it definitely needs some work. It deviated heavily from my inputs and needs better tools for fine tuning the inputs. You really have to know what you are doing to get something useable out of it and you’re not going to get that information from sudowrite itself.
Very insightful. I have only used Sudowrite, but plan to give NovelCrafter a try now. To underscore one of your points:I was frustrated how Sudowrite would wander off the path with beats resulting in a lot of rewriting. Therefore, I think I will like the more constrained beats of NovelCrafter. I also found the Story Bible in Sudowrite limiting as well. That didn't bother me a lot as I figured Scrivener is my story bible anyway, however, after seeing what NovelCrafter offers it convinces me I need to give it a try. Again, thanks for the great video.
I was AI skeptical and using Sudowrite back in july/August/September was just frustrating because it used up all my words and gave me a whole bunch of nothing. Left me AI-negative. But when you first mentioned novelcrafter and it being familiar w the 24 chapter Outline, I said "let's give it a whirl". Novelcrafter, without a doubt, understands how writers write. It's not the AI that makes novelcrafter special. It's the fact that it's set up for novelists. I would pay $14/mo for it even if it wasn't hooked up to AI. The "Plan" tab and being able to drag and drop, being able to tag codex entries and create custom tags, too... Color coding codex entries and having them highlighted in text... The codex tracking where characters are mentioned, linking codex entries... It reminds me of a Scrivener with just the best features.
This video led me to Novelcrafter. And i think your assessment is spot on. I have transitioned over from Sudowrite over the last 24 hours. Novelcrafter is amazing but more complicated and has a tiny bit more of a learning curve, but between your videos, existing resources, and the community, this is easily overcome. After about a 3 hours pause to export everything out of Sudowrite, populate my Codex, repopulate my Codex because I did not understand the interface, and plugging in my APIs, I am bag to productive writing. It was a little intimidating at first because I had gotten used to Sudowrite. I understand enough of Novelcrafter now to use it the way I need it, which is as a writing partner to help me get past a blank spot. THANK YOU!
Was very excited to see the new video "Novelcrafter vs Sudowrite: The Ultimate Showdown" Ive had limited use with both and have been debating with myself which Id rather invest my time/money with. Great timing with this one, it helped to hear another's insight on the same bullet points Ive been kicking around inside my own head.
Was waiting for this sort of video from you.
I cancelled my Sudowrite and NovelAI subscriptions. Novelcrafter + LM Studio + OpenHermes Mistral model has completely upended and changed my productivity now.
Why did you cancel NovelAI? It allows you to write stuff without any filter. Is it not as good as Novelcrafter?
Why is lm studio and openhermes necessary?
Great job on this video. Nice breakdown, and I think you hit the pros and cons REALLY well here.
Thanks Kevin!
great channel, I know it's a bit off topic but I keep noticing that your audio is not fully sync with the video, it's kind off even though subtle but it's there. Not sure what your editing process is. Keep more videos coming, good stuff.
I appreciate your honesty because I’m a new writer that have all these ideas and notes stored on my Phone. And I was looking for a platform that would assist me with turning it into a novel .
Excellent. Thanks! Filtering your results by what's important to me, Novelcrafter came out even more on top.
This was a great video, and an excellent overview of both tools for someone looking to decide. Really appreciate the mostly-objective review and not trying to push one tool over another.
I watched this because I'd tried Sudowrite and I was preparing to try Novelcrafter as well. I expected to prefer Novelcrafter after watching it, but I much prefer Sudowrite, so that's what I'm using.
If Claude 2 wasn't so filtered/moderated, I would use that for prose. If they could create an unfiltered subscription level, I would pay for it. Now it's so hypersensitive it's ridiculous. At least in NC I can keep my intimacy and conflict scenes blocked from AI pulling or reading it to keep Claude writing 90% of the prose but still reading all the context and codex.
OpenRouter actually updated their moderation today to make it less strict. You might be able to generate that kind of text with it now!
Thank you! I have a subscription to claude. Would NC replace that? Having a lot of fun with it, but now i need something like novel crafter to help put it all together... Great review!
I spent the last few months of 2023 comparing and contrasting Novelcrafter. I opted to go with sudowrite. Novelcrafter just wasn't very intuitive, sudowrite seems to have a larger and more engaged community, sudowrite plugins put it on another level(mostly due to community support), and there just isn't enough information about how to effectively craft codex entries. I love the idea of the codex, but I think they need to get information about how to effectively utilize it. When I asked about things like that, all I got in response was "experiment". I'll be curious to re-evaluate both of these applications at the end of 2024. It should be very interesting.
Terrific video! Thanks, very helpful.
Novelcrafter. Hands down. Cheaper and more features, especially codex and chat bot
Novel crafter is amazing. It is a little bit of a learning curve but Space and all of the discord community are super helpful especially for noobs like me LOL. I found sudowrite a bit harder to work with. I love the codex in novelcrafter and how you can set the POV for the scene. Also NC is easy on the eyes with its compact design.
I tried Claude 2.0 vs Sudowrite (Both Most Accurate and Balanced) vs Novel Crafter (GRPT -4 Turbo) and Novel crafter won by a landslide
Thank you for this, very informative. One question I do have is, how well do either of these tools cope with more than one book in the system at the same time? I've got two series on the go, will it cope or get confused?
Just tell me one thing, which one helps better in writing spicy stories? Cauz I’ve used Sudowrite and it can write spicy scenes. I’ve never tried Novelcrafter so can’t say anything about that.
Love your content, and I'm confused regards novelcrafter.. could you please to a full tutorial on how you use novelcrafter to create a novel from start to finish. If you do cover any of that in your program please advise, and I will get your program 😊
Thanks for this, it was very helpful.
Do you have a video on the bedt way to use novel crafter? That is the one good thing abouf sudowrite they do a great job with there videos as far as teaching
It's not even a contest: Sudowrite is for people who don't mind getting ripped off.
I like it :(
Nerdy Novelist - Thanks for doing this video. At first glance, Sudowrite looks more inviting / intuitve / user friendly. Having to use a "/" to generate a scene beat does not make sense to me. Anyway, I am more novelist than nerdy so I need your help explaining something. When you click on Expand or Rephrase, there appears to be a list of items to choose from (again, a bit overwhelming). Are those included in Novelcrafter or are those additional subscriptions - such as OpenAI GPT-4 - that need to be purchased and mapped (routed?) to Novelcrafter? Maybe I am oversimplifying my approach but my hope or expectation in using something like Novelcrafter is that I do not need to incorporate anything else into it (it should be complete as is). Agree or disagree?
So many AI models to choose from! For action fiction are there any preferred models, or is this a moot point? Just go with the most popular? Cheapest?
Not sure if I am imagining things but it generally feels like your sound and video are not synced perfectly? I find myself distracted by second guessing whether your movements line up with the audio
I'm struggling with NC, I can't even figure out how to properly indent my paragraphs.
I'm not an expert with AI though & only recently started using it. I am pretty tech savvy, but I just can't get comfortable writing in one of the AI based programs.
I was previously using Livewriter just to store my novel / organize it & easy exporting, while using chatbots for ideas etc..
I want a place I can do it all. It seems like NC is that place but man am I struggling to figure it out lol
I am just starting to try out sudowrite. I find that the prose it generates is a bit off compared to claude 2.0, which i was using before. Any tips on how to get better prose in sudowrite?
Use the better prose version. Which is actually Claude 2.0
@TheNerdyNovelist Do you mean best prose? The option it gives when you go to generate chapter.? I'm sorry I'm new to sudowrite and I don't understand much😔
@@user-zn5eg6fz5c yes, "Best Prose" in Sudowrite uses the Claude 2.0 model.
Novelcrafter is supreme.
I have both, and must admit I prefer Sudowrite. But, everyone says how good Novelcrafter is "better". The problem is for me is Codex, I find this too cumbersome, and frankly right now dont use it.
Can you make videos on how to get started with novel crafter I'm having trouble connecting to AI
This was made 6 months ago.. so curious about your thoughts now? June 2024
I was so set on getting Sudowrite to help me write my first novel....now I am not sure about it. Also, regarding the credit system , does 1 credit = 1 word?...
Yeah, pretty much, but it’s more accurate imho to think of it as a unit of information. So, if you use 1000 tokens, it may not give you 1000 new words - it might be 400 words of context (your prompt, any relevant information) processed by the LLM + 600 new words written for you by the LLM.
Q: at 5.01 a writer can paste his novel in the Chat - and then? - can I get a rewrite? - or what is the function for?
OK, question about Novelcrafter I did try to use it, there’s a lot about it that I really like, but I added $20 to it when I first started playing around and I burned through it like crazy just using the chat feature. I want to switch over to it nervous that I’m gonna burn through too much money, ideas or tips for how to best optimize it? I’ve tried to use free chats to generate pros but mistral at least… doesn’t work lol
Start new chats when you change topic, as like with playground, the ai reads up all the way everytime it answers. And only get it to look at codex/chapters where you really need them. Kinda like resource management :) Some of the cheaper models are good at the analysis work, just check what their token limits are for reading back :) Hope this helps.
I use differnt models for different things. I prefer Claude prose, but will switch to Weaver for NSFW scenes (Sudo uses Weaver for it's unfiltered module). I do brain storming, synopsis and outline in GPT4 or cheaper modules (because you can afford to run it 3 or 4 times and tweak your prompting), then Claude if nothing suits me. I use the expensive models for prose only. I do try Open Hermes:Mistral, Airo, Toppy, etc. Each have their best uses, and most are cheap enough to try it with some beats. Also, Sudo's credit system is not cheap either and it looks like they are trying to use the same model as NovelCrafter in letting you pick the AI you want to use. So you will face the same issue with both companies pretty soon. So learn the AI modules and what prompts work best from YT to get the most for your money.
Ever since Claude changed, I have leaned more toward Storycrafter. For me it wins.
lol watchign this in the back ground well using mr van dam with a super script and got it to just spit out 5000 words your script is wonderful..
SW doesn't have context for anything outside of Story Bible. Which means the describe and rewrite function is useless, generic, and nonsensical most of the time. NC gives you the ability to tailor and customize your prompts behind the scene. I could kiss @spacemotion for this. And use whatever model you want! Not just what SW allows you.
Amen.
will i be able to use it in spanish?
Is novelcrafter a useful tool for taking a fictional story and making it into a video for youtube or film in general?
Sudowrite need handphone support, because it need alot of space, it can use by PC
How do I use novelcrafter AI? How do I purchase it so I can pay a monthly fee. I just don’t understand.
LInk to purchase it is in my description.
I like that Novelcrafter interface is alot like the Godot interface.
As a new potential user for one of these, Sudowrite UI looks outdated (especially brainstorming area UI icons ) and limited in places , plus the credit thing for number of words is not my bag. I will end up making loads of generated stuff that will be discarded. Novelcrafter looks like a nicer place to spend my hours. reading the comments as well, seems like the better choice. I want a decent timeline generator too, though e.g. Preceden for fictional timelines - does either have one of those?
I don’t know why I am not satisfied with the texts generated in NC. There are short (the content of the beats) and the proses are weird. So I don’t have any choice but to stick to Sudowrite even though my pocket is bleeding.
For the best writing of a chapter or dialogue, I use Clause 2 in NC. It's the same AI used in Sudo under the 'Best Prose' option. But in NC I go in and increase or decrease Claude's creativity, I also penalize it for repeating words or phrases, I force it to look for unique dialogue or descriptions. Can't do that in Sudo very well. Also change your writing style in the Codex to tweak the prose response in NC.
Thank you so much. But how do you increase and decrease Claude Creativity?
Are both of these tools capable of writing non-fiction? For example, I want to write murder mystery novel with investigation going on.
I’ve got an upcoming video about this.
Can we write a book in Spanish in Novelcrafter??
Sí, incluso con los prompts originales en inglés. Simplemente selecciona idioma español en los ajustes de la novela en cuestión, rellena las entradas del Códex en español, escribe tus “Scene Beats” en español… etc. El modelo GPT4 al menos parece funcionar perfectamente, en proporción a la universalidad del español; los otros… probablemente baste con probar la versión gratis de Claude unas pocas veces, para comprobarlo ;)
You missed a novel crafter tally point when they were 1:1
What about for NON fiction books?
Is either of this a good tool?
I have a video coming out about this very soon.
6:47 Brainstorming.
Some examples of what I've done to brainstorm.
Me >>> Chat, Ask me a question about [...]
Chat >> [...]?
Me >>> I don't know, please give me some options to choose from.
Chat >> [...]
Me >>> I like option [B], please expand on it.
Chat >> [...]
Me >>> Pretty good, but let's add some changes...
also, questions like:
~ A character arc starts as "weak and helpless" and ends as "Super soldier", write an example character arc following maslow's hierarchy of needs.
~ What are some example spells at the [Cantrip / low / medium / high] level and their tactical military applications?
~ Could you please describe a system that is a mix of Feudalism and Sects from Xianxia
~ Given [huge info dump], please suggest names.
~ A Sci-Fi technology works as [...]. A natural law works as [...], what would be the implictions on traffic managment.
I'm new at using AI to write
(And I'm poor)
Any suggestions?
Npvelcrafter is cheaper
At this point, I’m using the very simple ChatGPT interface, free version. Is it the best? Probably not. But it helps get me past writer’s block and generates ideas fairly well. While you’re working your way to affording one of the paid models, the free ChatGPT 3.5 interface may be your best bet.
IMHO YMMV
Free?
You might be underestimating how poor I am.
I've been using ChatGPT 3.5 so far... because it is _free._
@@shanerooney7288 yes. That’s the free one I’m talking about. ChatGPT 3.5.
I don’t use it enough to pay for the 4.0 version.
Newbie here... Could you do a video on how to import an existing manuscript into NovelCrafter? I'm really confused by what I need to edit in my manuscript when the program asks for 'Chapters', 'Headings', and 'Acts'. What is a Heading????
i think i will just learn how to wright a new story the old fashion .
I honestly don't get how people get anything out of sudowrite by following the sudowrite instructions (and not having to engage with the community). All my attempts with it proved it can't remember anything I added in the bible, or in previous chapters, or in the same chapter, or even follow the beat I tell it too. It changes my character's jobs and looks, keeps mixing up who has the sibling, and repeats itself constantly.
What am I supposed to enter in the beats, if not the beats, to get the beats written out? lol I am honestly at a loss with it.
You're not alone. Sudowrite is pure garbage when it comes to generating text from your story beats. I mean it was unusable for me. Novelcrafter, on the other hand, has been performing very well by keeping things on task as I go through and develop chapters based on my story beats. The difference is night and day.
@@markbruno72 glad to know it's not just me! I only started the trial of novelcrafter yesterday, so I can't say much about it yet. It seems a little overwhelming but good so far. My only issue with it would be having to pay for two separate services instead of one, but I guess that's a minor complaint if it turns out more usable lol
I struggled with Novelcrafter at first but after watching some of the videos on their RUclips channel and browsing the knowledgebase I just dove right in and things started to click. I'm 8 chapters into a new novel now. I agree about having to split up payments between two different services, but OpenRouter has been pretty affordable so far.@@kitkatneko
I would say Novel Crafter because I warned & tried to help SudoWrite when it started that if they don't improve they will be replaced but they were to company oriented and saw my warnings & offerings of help as disrespectful. And now they are far behind & Novel Crafter is just open to extreme feedback
In The age of Ai your replacement is literally one miss improvement away
No company is going to listen to a single rando on the internet because most companies get thousands of trolls and idiots emailing them everyday absolute nonsense or stuff they haven't finished yet or just plain old haters trying to sabotage them. You can not be the voice of reason. Ever. You need influence like this youtuber whose opinion actually matters because his opinion is legitimate and professional with provided evidence (i.e his well updated channel). Everyone else, they can't tell apart for sh*t.
Lol "giving it to Sudowrite even though Novel Crafter actually does it better"... somebody doesn't want SW to fall too far behind... ;-)
The thing is. There’s no such thing as the perfect software. Some things are better for individual people. But yeah Novelcrafter is better. Currently. I have no doubt Sudowrite will pick up the pace.
@@TheNerdyNovelistI tried NC but so far I prefer Sudowrite with best prose model and plus chapters are long. I am not satisfied with NC. I wrote some chapter beats using model Claude,but the content it generated was odd and too brief.
True - we're the winners. Now if only we could get some serious competition for Open-AI and Anthropic..@@TheNerdyNovelist
Good Lord I was the number 25th person to like this video
oh please don't use that annoying, ear-peircing ding noise. I almost had to miss your video because of that teeth-grinding noise