AI and being a Writer in 2023

The New Age of AI

Anyone involved in freelance writing today has felt the chill of the coming winter of AI, led by faceless bots, threatening to take away writing assignments that were already few and far between.

We are besieged by news posts, social media feeds and even people we know IRL, asking, “Aren’t you afraid AI writing technology will replace you?”

It is a question that needs to be considered. I have used AI as a jumping off point when no other muse is willing to show up, as well as a way of proofreading and editing my work. What I haven’t done is the (shudder) total cut and paste, allowing a bot to write it for me.

Editors will already wrongly suggest submitted content is AI generated, and not original work. There are improvements that need to be made on that technology.

The Writer’s Voice

I haven’t done that, not because it feels a little like cheating, although writing is a business and all’s fair in this world of making a living, but because I have discovered AI robs my writing of my voice. It comes off a little stilted, more formal, and worse, ends up poorly written. If I can see it, anyone who knows my style can also, and new readers will never know me as a writer.

AI-powered content creation cannot replace a writer’s unique voice, not yet, although anytime I see a general post updating the world on the advancements in robotics, or deep fake videos on social media, I do admit I see that future racing towards us. It’s a hell of a struggle to not fight back with the tool’s others are using, getting published with, getting paid for. But, after I read over a chapter I was working on after Grammarly got hold of it, I was left with the realization that I couldn’t find myself in the work. Grammarly had taken my voice out of the creative process. I had vanished.

What Can a Writer Do?

I reduce the control Grammarly wields, reject dire warnings about clarity and context if I, the writer, feel what I am trying to convey is lost in the pursuit of perfection. I still find Grammarly and Rytr to be excellent tools when used as an accompaniment to my creative process, not as a replacement for myself.

Writers aren’t perfect, and they shouldn’t be. I will accept the shame of incorrectly placed commas and all other mistypes to preserve my voice.

In chasing that mirage, we end up with a reflection of what we already see on Instagram, Tik Tok, etc., everything overlaid with a perfection filter, auto tuned to a copy of what we think the world wants to see, what we believe the world wants to read.

I stay on top of AI developments, I research the tools, and I predict, as best I can, where it might be headed. I utilize AI tools, while struggling to make certain they don’t use me.

I believe keeping control over what we write needs to be added to keeping the faith in ourselves that we have always needed as writers in order to simply produce.

Have your own thoughts and opinion on AI and writing in general? Drop a comment or contact me directly.

I promise, I’m not a bot.

Characters & Target Audiences

“Writing is a little bit like prostitution. First you do it for love. Then you do it for a few friends. Then you do it for money.”

Molière 

All those pure souls who insist they exclusively write for self-expression and art’s sake, please leave this post now. It isn’t going to get any prettier. I started with a quote comparing writers to whores, so don’t act so surprised.

Those who have stayed aren’t expecting writing fiction to make them overnight millionaires. Instead, they yearn for the day readers pay a fair price to receive a piece of fiction the reader already wants to read. Charging for your product and your service doesn’t cheapen it. 

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Creating Character Voice with AI

Creating a believable and distinct character voice is one of the most critical elements of writing. It helps to give readers an insight into the character’s personalities and emotions and provides a unique perspective on their story. AI can help with that.

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AI in Writing

Hear me out. As much as AI has quickly become portrayed as an enemy to writing, AI can be helpful when used in specific and exact tasks like fleshing out a character.

Characters are the building blocks of any story, and creating them can be challenging for writers. Writing believable, engaging characters and having depth is essential for a good story. With the help of AI tools, writers can create characters more quickly and accurately. Such devices can suggest how to develop characters based on their traits, goals, and motivations. They can also help writers generate character descriptions that are detailed and interesting.

Everyone we engage with IRL has their own uniqueness, shown in their expressions and actions as much as their speaking voice.

Creating a character voice requires skill and creativity but can be done quickly with good techniques. By understanding how to craft dialogue, build a backstory, and use descriptive language, writers can create realistic and engaging characters. Anyone can create compelling characters that draw readers in and leave them wanting more.

Tips for Development

One thing that has proven helpful for me is reading the piece aloud or having text-to-voice read it. Hearing your work spoken eliminates all the tunnel vision we writers have when it comes to loving the sound of our inner voice a little too much.

Weak writing is often saturated with more words than necessary for compelling storytelling. We learn so much more about our characters by their actions and reactions — how they handle certain situations.

It is easy to fall into the trap of using dialogue to have your character tell the audience who they are. When a character tells the audience what is happening, who is where, why things are happening, and what could happen if those things keep happening, the reader can get bored quickly.

Show me, don’t tell me, and let me, the reader, expand the story with my own imagination.

Online Writing Groups

Find Your Tribe

Writing can be a solitary journey. Still, authors looking to publish their work eventually must face good and bad critiques. Generous, polished authors who recall what it was like when starting out may be happy to give constructive feedback. Writers will also encounter internet trolls, anyone who, although they have never written a single line themselves, wants to tell you precisely what is wrong with your work.

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10 Tips on Blog Writing

I’m at the point where I feel comfortable listing a few tips I have collected from various sources on producing a blog.

Of course, as soon as I began this entry, I saw an error on my website caused by editing on the fly on my phone. That leads me not to another tip but a gentle warning. Don’t beat yourself up over mistakes. Everything is a process, and the best writing is fluid and transformational for both the reader and the writer. Don’t discourage yourself; plenty of naysayers on the web are happy to do that for you.

Now on to some tips I’ve picked up over the last year:

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Giving Something Up

Sacrifice. “They sacrificed their life for another,” a phrase used to describe heroes. We often feel the need to exchange one thing for another. We accept something is terrible for us because someone tells us so out of guilt or a desire for healthier living. We sometimes forget that for an old habit to be extinguished, a new one needs to be ready to take its place.

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