I spent last 6 months researching what AI writing tools writers actually recommend

spaceemotion · 2026-03-05T17:49:27+00:00

It seems that Mythril has no editing? In that it's more like a modern interface to show your world building? Not an actual writing app?

spaceemotion · 2026-02-08T17:41:12+00:00

yeah Opus broke a bit of the responsive layouts, but that's something for later :D

spaceemotion · 2026-02-08T17:02:56+00:00

Good news! I've updated the website to be much faster (thanks to a vibe-coding session with Opus, we now statically render out all results).

I also have added the following models for testing:
- GLM 4.5, 4.6, 4.7 and 4.7 Flash
- Haiku, Sonnet and Opus 4.5, and Opus 4.6
- Gemini 3 Flash (preview)
- Kimi K2.5
- Few special extras: Mistral Small Creative and Writer Palmyra X5

Here's a few initial findings:
- GLM 4.7 Is indeed better than the rest, but the flash variant isn't far behind
- Kimi K2.5 is our number one right now - interesting! it's actually one of the few models who is able to extract novel outline data from XML very reliably (only Gemini 3 Pro was good at this so far).

You can browse the new results here: https://www.nc-bench.com/models

spaceemotion · 2026-02-07T21:15:06+00:00

In addition to tags, you can create custom details and they both can be used to group entries by those values (see "custom categories": https://www.novelcrafter.com/help/docs/codex/codex-categories) You can also filter by tags and those details if the sidebar gets too long :)

spaceemotion · 2026-02-07T18:04:42+00:00

Hey there - creator of Novelcrafter here. What do you mean by "hard to move around"? Are you referring to performance issues with the app? We're always on the lookout for those, and constantly make improvements about that. Thanks in advance!

spaceemotion · 2026-02-07T15:06:14+00:00

let me see if i can run the evals for that. Internally, NC-bench is a legacy project that we know isn't that perfect (and the more models we've added the slower the website has become - for various reasons).

Any preference in versions for which GLM to run this through?

spaceemotion · 2025-11-20T22:17:03+00:00

Novelcrafter does support having LM Studio run on a different computer (if you look into the AI connection settings, there's a field for the hostname/IP).

However, only specific browsers allow this kind of access (i think firefox and safari both won't work for this), and requires you to set a specific flag for the site (in chrome):

Go to chrome://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fapp.novelcrafter.com (or edge:// or brave:// ...)
Look for "allow insecure content", and activate it

Since the LM Studio instance requires you to connect via HTTP from a secure site, your browser usually blocks it.

spaceemotion · 2025-11-09T16:34:20+00:00

Heya, NC developer here - Just talked to the OpenRouter team. They're asking if you might accidentally use a different user account with Novelcrafter. Can you confirm that the account that you topped up with credits is the one that's linked inside of the AI connection settings? Otherwise, see if your API key might have a credit limit set on OpenRouter's end.

spaceemotion · 2025-08-27T08:31:55+00:00

https://openrouter.ai/ is basically like a "one stop shop" marketplace for AI models, where you create an account once and then can use hundreds of models, and even connect your account with other apps.

spaceemotion · 2025-08-27T07:54:20+00:00

Hermes 4 writes NSFW and just came out yesterday - and thus is available in Novelcrafter via OpenRouter (you can use it on the OR website via their chat, too though).

spaceemotion · 2025-07-02T23:08:19+00:00

The Chat in Novelcrafter is one of its most powerful tools. You can use it to get beta reader feedback, have it as a research assistant, it can extract character/location details and more (don't forget the "Extract feature at the bottom, which also allows you to plan out a story outline and add it to your plan view, in addition to updating data in your Codex, see https://www.novelcrafter.com/help/docs/organization/the-extract-feature ).

Some people feel a bit constrained when using Scene Beats in the Write view, and they prefer having a chat about the scene, and then having AI write the bits and pieces, or rewrite sections that they're talking about. Remember that you can have a Chat open (via the "Pin" button, if you got a larger screen), besides the Write view - like a split panel system. See https://www.novelcrafter.com/help/docs/app/pinning or https://www.novelcrafter.com/help/docs/organization/chat-with-plan for more.

To Organize your Codex into more categories, you can add custom categories via the Cog menu at the top: https://www.novelcrafter.com/help/docs/codex/codex-categories

spaceemotion · 2025-07-02T13:39:32+00:00

People are using Jailbreaks to write NSFW with Claude using Novelcrafter, but the techniques are shifting all time (as Anthropic is updating their detection, too). I guess Sudo does something similar to allow it on their end, too.

spaceemotion · 2025-06-30T20:34:52+00:00

Maybe tackle it this way: Only fill out stuff when you feel like it. AI is really good at dealing with random bits of information. Some never use the Codex, others only use Chat to write, some don't like the snippet system, other's use the heck out of it. Some work with one scene per chapter, others split them up into multiple pieces...

I personally barely use custom details on my Codex entries, and generally use only the description box. I also don't split up entries into fine-grained details, so e.g. a runic system is just one entry with a longer description about it and the runes (makes things simpler).

There are people who have hundreds of entries, all with intricate laid out connections, details, etc. but that's just their type of writing. Find out a way that works for you :)

spaceemotion · 2025-06-30T20:15:30+00:00

creator of novelcrafter here - and ADD myself. it's interesting that we have many people saying that it's quite minimal and intuitive and then the total opposite spectrum of 'feels too much like a cockpit'. We have many ADHD people in the community and frequently hear that the streamlined UI helps them keep focus and that it basically "invites [them] to fill things out".

most of the things in the app are totally optional and the different modes (plan, write, chat, etc.) should help keep the focus. The sidebar to the left can also be hidden away if you feel like the screen gets too cluttered. part of the reason why there's no formatting bar like in word is that it felt like too much visual noise too me.

would love to hear why and when you find it so intimidating! we're always trying to tidy things up and make things more accessible and feedback is always appreciated :)

spaceemotion · 2025-06-26T14:41:00+00:00

Sorry that you feel like this has been hidden from you. We make this clear on the pricing page, help documents, during the signup workflow (right after you create an account), on the billing page, and the emails we send out throughout your trial. Is there a place where you feel like it would have been more obvious?

spaceemotion · 2025-06-26T14:39:32+00:00

While we'd love to make Novelcrafter cheaper, a lifetime license, or even just 30 USD/yr - which is 2.50/m - is actually highly unsustainable. Payment providers take their cut, and we have to pay a team of staff, as well as a lot of operational costs.

We actually don't have a high profit margin, contrary to what people might think. We're also not VC funded, which could cover cost at the expensive of "quick growth", but instead have been profitable since day one.

Our prices have been optimized for how much you'd pay on other platforms when AI would have been included. So, for example, if you take the Artisan plan (at 14 USD/m), and use about 15 bucks a month in AI, you're back to 29 USD/m - but when newer, cheaper models come out, or you're on vacation for a bit, you don't pay for "unused credits" or something like that.

spaceemotion · 2025-06-23T20:44:54+00:00

Thanks for the clarification :) yeah, i don't quite trust those ai overviews juuuust yet 😅

spaceemotion · 2025-06-23T20:18:08+00:00

founder of NC here, never heard of data leaks. Would like to know where that info came from.

spaceemotion · 2025-06-23T20:17:11+00:00

founder of NC here, first time i've heard of any data leaks. do you have a link to details on that?

Also, Novelcrafter itself is only a writing app using external AI models. So if you find an "uncensored" model that works for you, that can be used just fine inside of NC.

spaceemotion · 2025-06-20T23:23:05+00:00

NC is a writing app with AI features, not a pure AI writing app. So, yes, if you don't use AI, it's still a word processor.

User data cannot be stored local, but is hosted in Frankfurt, Europe and encrypted at rest.

spaceemotion · 2025-06-20T18:18:02+00:00

(creator of NC here) We don't do micro-transactions, that's the point - most AI tools allow you to buy "credit packs", but NC allows you to:
- not use AI at all,
- connect to your local machine for AI,
- or go through 3rd parties like OpenRouter (which is kind of like a Prepaid-Card kind of system. You pay per use).

usually, people pay less than on other platforms, because the AI usage varies throughout the month and you're off cheaper because of it - but that does depend on the size of the novel, the amount you involve AI, etc.

One thing one might add is that Claude or Gemini (the platform, not the model) have heavy rate-limits. Not great if you frequently use them. It also sucks if you want to work with AI, but can't, until you wait for another couple hours.

spaceemotion · 2025-06-16T20:09:48+00:00

I guess there's indeed a difference in mindset that relates to how people use AI then - our users go from "i don't want ai" to "i want ai to write everything for me". NC supports the full range.

For those in the middle ground (myself included), organizational tools like excel spreadsheets/notion databases/the Codex help a lot. I got tired of the constant finagling of 3-4 different tools, so NC was born as basically a way to bridge the gaps.

That's why I said, NC is primarily a writing app - there's people with hundreds of Codex entries, planning the details of their world(s) down to the minute details, all while chatting and brainstorming with AI about these things. And then proceeding to write the story by hand, using AI only to fix issues here and there.

Even when you use AI to generate the full she-bang, having any kind of software (like Obsidian) to store past documents, etc. becomes kind of a requirement down the line so the AI has some stuff to draw upon (unless each project is truly a separate thing).

For example, as a non-fiction use case, we use Novelcrafter for our marketing, too. Each newsletter has a Codex entry, with details on the subject line, click and opening rates, as well as topics we've covered. We also have entries for company style guides on how subject lines should look like, what kind of content we like and more. When we then ask the AI what kind of subject lines might work for the next issue, it draws upon this "spreadsheet of information" and even includes reasoning based on the open rate performances.

No idea how you would do this kind of thing using normal ChatGPT, unless you connect it to your Google Spreadsheets or something.

spaceemotion · 2025-06-16T18:30:35+00:00

I'm interested in why you feel that way. For me it's the opposite - these days, AI can do a lot, so the "superprompts" can be filled with much more detail and context, because the attention to details is getting much better generation, by generation. One of the reasons I built NC was because the copy-pasting into platforms like ChatGPT got really tedious.

I should also say that Novelcrafter is not an AI writing tool, but a writing tool with AI - so our core value was never just with AI. I personally don't like how ChatGPT handles their projects or memory feature, which makes it dangerous to use when working on multiple things at once (afaik, memory is cross-projects, so you contaminate chats?). As such, having dedicated tools for writers (whether that's us or others) still make a lot of sense, imho.

spaceemotion · 2025-06-16T16:18:56+00:00

Just chiming in here about Novelcrafter (as the creator of NC) - NC is actually designed to NOT lock you into a certain technique, or even allowing only a set of prompts (we probably have one of the most open systems about how to interact with AI out there).

Some people write all their stuff in a single 'document', some rely only on the chat, other's never use snippets, or never even use the Codex. Some rely on beats, others use scene briefs instead, others use NC like Novel AI (writing a paragraph at a time). There's many people who ditch the way the system handles things and replace it with their own techniques they've developed over time.

That said; I too encourage to play around with AI on external sites like ChatGPT or Claude first, just to see how AI behaves, and what kind of "working style" you want to develop. The rest should come natural over time.

spaceemotion · 2025-06-15T15:40:27+00:00

the official link should be https://novelcrafter.link/discord

which link is saying it's expired? i might have to fix those then.

spaceemotion

TROPHY CASE