FALL! ALREADY!
MY! MY!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
The Awesome co-hosts for the October 4 posting are Natalie Aguirre, Kim Lajevardi, Debs Carey, Gwen Gardner, Patricia Josephine, and Rebecca Douglass!
Be sure to visit their sites and see what they have going on.
Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
Remember, the question is optional!
October 4 question: The topic of AI writing has been heavily debated across the world. According to various sources, generative AI will assist writers, not replace them. What are your thoughts?
Who knows what this tool will do for writers? Who knows if it will remain a tool or become much more in all of our writing lives? Even our friend Musk has some reservations, so perhaps we need to tread with some caution.
I’ve read some AI generated writing, and so far it’s like reading a fleshed out dictionary: the facts set down consistently and without errors.
One friend used it to write a synopsis, and it was close to perfect. She only had to tweak a couple of sentences. Since most writers detest writing synopses, this could be a major help. At least, AI could generate a draft, and then the writer could fine tune it.
As for me, I’ll plod along with my quill pen and blotter. I rather like the way working out my brain makes me feel. It has almost the same effect as the endorphin boost physical exercise gives my body.
I’m slowly transferring to Substack. All I need is a few hours of uninterrupted time to figure it out, but that does not seem possible right now. Besides having a new book close to launch and three others in stages of completion, I’m about to start a house remodeling project. What is wrong with me?
Anyway, come see me at my almost NEW DIGS.
Quote of the Month: “Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.”
― Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Mary K Aalgaard says
I love your book trailer. I’d like to read Rattlesnake and write a review. You have my email. Thanks! Mary
Nas says
AI is a machine and it will give you what you input. So for writing, yes, it will give you a blurb or a synopsis but then you will have to work at it. It will not replace humans and their creativity. And people should use it ethically.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I’m a little doubtful about people’s ethical use of AI. Most will use it properly. Some will not.
Olga Godim says
If AI could generate decent synopses for my stories, that along would be worth its buying price.
Substack? Frankly, I’m afraid to switch to an entirely new platform, but I hate the new WordPress editor. I’d be interested in your experience with Substack.
[I tried commenting yesterday, but your site seemed to have eaten my comment. Trying again.]
C. Lee McKenzie says
Your post resurfaced and I responded. Then it disappeared again. This is one of the reasons I’m fed up with WP. Check out my Substack, and you’ll see that when I post here, I also post on Substack. I accidentally linked the two. You can tell that I’m a novice at this.
Jeff says
Change is painful but is also constant and we’re going to have to deal with AI as much as I hate it. I still like writing with pencils so I can erase.
C. Lee McKenzie says
Give me a very large eraser, Jeff. I couldn’t write without one.
Mary Aalgaard says
Great quote by Shelley! I stand by my statement on my post. I believe that humans have an innate need to create. AI might make things perfect, but that’s like watching something happen rather than participating. Participation is the most satisfying.
I look forward to your spooky stories! Congrats on all the writing and publishing success!
C. Lee McKenzie says
Yes. I’d hate to become nothing but a spectator. Your comment makes me wonder if our obsession with computers and cell phones is paving the way for that to be more acceptable.
Loni Townsend says
Adjusting what AI gives you would make the process quicker and probably easier, but you have to like what AI gives you first! How does the whole synopsis thing work? Did she have to upload her entire book for it to spit something out?
C. Lee McKenzie says
I think she just gave it a list of sentences: plot points in chronological order.
Carol Kilgore says
I love the quote! It’s certainly true for my little human brain.
C. Lee McKenzie says
Hi Carol, I’m still trying to comment on your blog, so I’ll be over when I have time to figure out why I can’t do that easily.
Denise Covey says
“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.”
― Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
Your quote – spot on. Looking back on all the changes I’ve seen during my lifetime, I think the AI one seems to be sudden, but it’s not. It’s been happening while most of us were blissfully unaware.
I like the idea of help with a synopsis and blurbs, two jobs writers generally suck at. Some writers live a lonely existence and AI offers a ‘guide by the side’ which I think is fair.
C. Lee McKenzie says
It has been creeping up on us, but now there seems to be a huge leap forward, or it could just be that there’s more about it in social media.
Patricia J.L. says
I’ve heard a few ideas of using AI to make book marketing stuff easier, but for writing? It feels like adding a step to the process.
C. Lee McKenzie says
If it could make book marketing easier, I’d sign on.
Sandra Cox says
Good luck with the flip to substack
C. Lee McKenzie says
It’s going fairly smoothly so far.
John Winkelman says
I think my favorite quote about bot-generated prose was “Why should I bother to read something nobody bothered to write?”
C. Lee McKenzie says
Exactly. I’m not interested in what a machine can generate; I want to connect to another human mind. Thanks for the visit!
Liz A. says
Sometimes you just need uninterrupted time to figure things out. It’s too bad that’s in short supply.
C. Lee McKenzie says
Oh, don’t I know it!
Natalie Aguirre says
It’s good to know that AI can help with a synopsis. I look at it as a tool to help with some tasks. But I wouldn’t use it to write a manuscript.
C. Lee McKenzie says
You’ve mentioned that you use it for your legal work. That must save you a lot of time.
diedre says
Hi Lee!
I agree (begrudgingly admit) that there are positive aspects of AI. The idea of it creating a synopsis is impressive and terrifying. I think it comes down to trust.
A new book launch? How exciting! Let me know how I can help.
More remodeling? Wonderful! Can’t wait to hear/see more about the project. I happen to know that writing is not all you’re good at 😉
C. Lee McKenzie says
I guess we might have to dabble with the AI generated synopsis. We might find it useful. Thanks for the encouragement. I need all I can get.
Anna says
I’ve found ChatGPT to be entertaining and fun. I never thought to put it to work. hehehe
Anna from elements of emaginette
C. Lee McKenzie says
I might be good to give it a go!
Olga Godim says
If an AI could write synopses for my stories, that alone would totally be worth its price.
I hate the new WordPress editor, but I’m scared to move to another platform altogether. I’d be interested to read about your experiences with Substack.
C. Lee McKenzie says
What I’m doing now is publishing my monthly blog on both WP and Substack. When my domain name expires on GoDaddy, I’m thinking of giving it up entirely. Not sure if that’s a good idea, but it’s costly. I’ll keep you posted.
Sherry Ellis says
I never thought of using AI to generate a synopsis. Those are difficult to write. Might be useful to see what AI can come up with. Most likely, I’ll keep doing it they way I always have—using my own brain. 🙂
C. Lee McKenzie says
What else is a brain for anyway? Good idea.
Gwen says
Love the quote!
AI is good for generating ideas, and it is a useful tool. But it always requires editing.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I’ll give it whirl one day and see what it churns out for me in the way of a synopsis.
Elephants Child says
It worries me more than a little. We are way too quick to hand over our responsibilities without fully considering/understanding the possibilities that abdication can present.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I like your choice of the word, abdication. Give it up and let something else take over. Not a healthy choice by any means.
Rebecca Douglass says
About Substack–I’ve been thinking of duplicating my blog over there. Don’t totally want to give up the blog and domain name, but it might be a way to pick up more of an audience.
C. Lee McKenzie says
It has more options and WordPress has become increasingly complicated–perhaps I’m just not smart enough to keep ahead of it, but I really don’t want to try. I’d like a tool to help, not hinder me. Let me know if you jump into Substack.
Jacqui says
I love that the AI programmers fully admit their AI’s (Chat GPT, Bard, et al) make mistakes and normalize that by calling them ‘hallucinations’. Aw, what a warm, fuzzy way to make us feel better about them!
C. Lee McKenzie says
I’ll have my own hallucinations, thank you very much. I can do that a lot better than a robot. 🙂
Debs Carey says
I like writing, so cannot for the life of me think why I’d want to hand it over. It was enough of a change moving from pen to keyboard… and I’m an old broad. I’ll keep doing what gives me pleasure and keep hoping that AI proves to be simply by the time I get around to playing with it.
@DebsDespatches posting today from Fiction Can Be Fun
C. Lee McKenzie says
Old broads should really rule this planet. Seriously, we seem to exhibit the most common sense. Thanks for the visit, Debs.
L. Diane Wolfe says
Several others have mentioned using it for the synopsis and I might have to give that a try. It should at least give me a starting point.
C. Lee McKenzie says
It seems to work, and if you get a start using AI, it will save you a lot of time.
Rebecca Douglass says
I was thinking the same thing, though I have no idea how I would go about doing that!
Tyrean Martinson says
I toyed with AI just to see if it was as “evil” as I’ve heard, and I have to say it’s far from becoming Skynet. I agree. It’s riddled with repetition and hollowness. I prefer to write on my own.
C. Lee McKenzie says
That’s the fun of writing, right? To stretch your brain until it screams for a rest, and then stretch it some more. AI isn’t going to do much your brain or the reward it feels when you’ve finished writing a good story.
Nick Wilford says
You’re quite right about that endorphin rush. A well turned out sentence is a thing of pleasure. Why give that job to a machine for a probably inferior result, ha!
C. Lee McKenzie says
Thanks for chiming in, Nick. Glad we’re on the same page.
H. R. Sinclair says
I enjoy writing, so I’ll kept doing it. But now the synopsis 😂
Are you moving everything over to Substack and shutting this down?
C. Lee McKenzie says
I agree. That synopsis is always such a beast.
I’m considering what to do. I have some time on my domain with GoDaddy, so I won’t switch off this until that contract expires.
Jemi Fraser says
Our views on AI are about the same 🙂
I haven’t had time to look into substack yet but I know a few people using it too
C. Lee McKenzie says
I’m easing into it. It seems less fraught with quirks than this WP blog!
Alex J. Cavanaugh says
I’ll just continue writing the way I have as well.
C. Lee McKenzie says
No need to change our way of doing things, right?