Cinewrite: an algorithm-sketch for writing novels cinematically,and two mysteries therein

Autopoeisis, a cognitive science project aimed ultimately at getting a computer to write sophisticated fiction, has recently been launched at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. One ‘sub-push’ of Autopoeisis is the unabashed attempt, straight away, to cast the writing of novels in computational terms. This attempt (to be distinguished from the attempt at building a story generator, another aspect of Autopoeisis) though still in its infancy, has resulted in CINEWRITE, an algorithm-sketch for crafting genre novels in highly ‘cinematic’ fashion. CINEWRITE is an algorithm-sketch, not a cognitive model. A cognitive model should presumably reflect what humans actually do in the domain in question. Since CINEWRITE is based largely on creative writing as practiced by me (Bringsjord), it may be highly idiosyncratic. One of the possible virtues of CINEWRITE is that reflection upon it brings one face to face with what may well be the two aspects of human story generation least amenable to computational analysis: dextrous manipulation of ‘temporally extended’ mental images, and adoption of a character's point of view. After CINEWRITE is sketched, these two aspects of narrative creation are examined from a theoretical point of view, which results in the humbling admission that handling them computationally is bound to be extraordinarily difficult.