Writing in the Dark: January 2023

Sunday, January 29, 2023

An Open Letter to My Fellow Old White Cishet Male Writers

The other day, an older male cishet white writer who I consider a mentor posted a rant on social media about how writers these days are nominated for awards based more on their identities – as women, BIPOC, or LQBTQ+ individuals – rather than on the strength and impact of their work alone. It made me very sad, and I’ve thought of little else since. Over the last several years, I’ve seen many straight while male writers, especially older ones, complaining about how publishing now discriminates against them. I’m going to be 59 next month, which probably qualifies me for old man status myself. I’m white, I’ve always identified as male (although personality-wise, I’m a mix of stereotypical male and female traits), and I’ve been primarily heterosexual throughout my life and consider myself straight. I suppose this makes me as a good a person as any to write an open letter to my fellow Old White Cishet Males (OWCM’s) explaining why the current awareness of diversity in publishing is a good thing.

Many OWCM’s believe they can’t get published – or nominated for awards – anymore. Pen America recently released a report on equity in publishing. You can read it here: https://pen.org/report/race-equity-and-book-publishing/ The short version is that OWCM’s (and Young White Cishet Males) are still published far more than any other group and hold more positions in the publishing industry. But I understand how it can feel to OWCM’s that they aren’t wanted in publishing. I’ve seen editors and agents post on social media that they don’t want submissions from OWCM’s, and I know of one award committee which decided to only consider women for awards one year (they didn’t make this preference public, though). I suspect these editors and agents have realized how many more OWCM’s they have on their lists than anyone else, and they’re trying to broaden those lists. Except they never say this is their motivation. I also see many younger people talk about OWCM’s as a singular toxic group, engaging in the kind of prejudice that they accuse OWCM’s of harboring. As a college friend of mine was fond of saying, there’s no standard like a double standard. All of these things can contribute to the impression that OWCM’s have that publishing doesn’t want them anymore, but the truth is that publishing doesn’t only want them anymore. OWCM’s grew up in a world where they belonged everywhere. No place was closed to them, and if it was, they just forced their way in, because they were taught that total and complete access was their birthright. Many of them literally have no concept that the world and everything in it doesn’t belong to them, and when they find out they can’t always have everything, can’t always be centered, when they are sometimes told NO, it confuses the hell out of them and often enrages them. Fellow OWCM’s, you need to learn that life isn’t all about you and your desires. It’s about everyone, and that includes publishing.

Some OWCM’s believe that publishing’s current focus on diversity is all about leftist social engineering. Maybe that’s part of it (I’m a leftist so the notion doesn’t bother me), but publishing is a business and if diversity is currently selling, publishers will seek to increase it. A lot of people fear that publishing, which has only gone so far with increasing diversity, may backslide before too long because they see diversity only as a trend that they’re paying lip service to. I hope that doesn’t happen. One person’s “social engineering” is another’s leveling a playing field that’s been heavily skewed to OWCM’s for far too long. That seems like simple fairness to me, but when you’ve been heavily privileged all your life – which OWCM’s as a group have been – any change in that status can seem like people are trying to take away what’s rightfully yours. You’re not more special than any one else in the world, OWCM’s. You need to get used to it, not because you think someone is trying to force you to do so, but because it’s the right thing to do.

Here's are few more bits of advice for my fellow OWCM’s:

· Listen more than you talk – a lot more. When you’ve been at the top of the power structure all your life, you tend to center your own point of view, automatically and without realizing it. The way to counter this is to listen to other people’s experiences – people who are not and have never been at the top of the power structure – without prejudice or judgment (as best you can; you’re only human). Try to learn from them. Imagine living their lives. You’re a writer. You should be good at imagining. This will increase your understanding and empathy, making you a better person. I’ve grown so much as a person over the years listening to my students (I teach at an urban community college) and from reading posts from different people on social media.

· View diversity as extra-added value. The writing needs to be good to get published. Most books traditionally published will never be great classics of world literature, but they’ll be entertaining and well crafted. A writer’s lived experience is extra added value, and women, BIPOC, and LQBTQ+ writers bring perspectives that haven’t been represented much in publishing (if at all). This is good. It makes literature richer and our overall culture stronger.

· Remember that people can publish works or give awards for whatever reasons they want. WCM’s (young or old) aren’t owed publishing contracts and awards more than anyone else is. Publishers can have different genre lines – mystery, romance, science fiction, etc. You can think of diverse books as another type of genre if you want, one in which the books are written by people who belong to the culture they’re writing about. You could write diverse books too if you belong to some racial/ethnic/cultural group other than WCM. Publishers and readers aren’t interested in work centering the WCM experience because that’s mostly what we’ve gotten for centuries. As for awards, they aren’t about being objectively “best,” because “best” is always a subjective judgment. An award simply means that a certain group of people decided to honor a certain work at a certain time for certain reasons. Those reasons can be anything, and if one of those reasons happens to be that, since women, BIPOC. And LQTBQ+ authors were excluded from awards for so long, they’re being actively considered, so what? They’re being considered alongside works by WCM’s. You simply have more competition now, WCM’s. I’ll never understand why conservatives and libertarians in particular seem so upset about this. Aren’t they supposed to value competition? Maybe they’re just mad that they don’t have the ability to define the playing field and the rules, in which case they don’t really value competition do they? They only value having the upper hand.

· Up your game. Traditional publishing has always been hard. Want to be competitive in this new world? You need to do what you’ve always needed to do. Try to write better than your best every time. If you’re an OCWM like me, this means not getting lazy and resting on your laurels. It’s human nature to slow down as we age and want to take it easy. Nothing wrong with that if that’s what you want to do. But if you want to stay at the top of your game, you have to keep working and keep working hard, just like you’ve always done.

· Self-publish. Don’t like the way traditional publishing is going or how awards are being given? Say fuck it all and self-publish. No one’s forcing you to remain part of a community that’s changing in ways you don’t like. You’re not going to stop the changes. You’re only going to make yourself and others miserable if you try. Self-publish and be happy.

· Try to adjust to your new “neighbors” and contribute to your community. Change is the only constant in life. Imagine that you’ve lived in the same neighborhood for decades. People have moved out. People have moved in. Some have died. Some have grown old and don’t leave their homes much, if at all. You may pine for the old neighborhood, and the status you held in it, but none of that is ever coming back. Not only can’t you control what the neighborhood becomes, it would be wrong of you to try. It’s not your neighborhood, and it never was. It belonged to everyone who lived there then, and it belongs to everyone who lives there now. You can work to adjust to the current neighborhood, find a place in it, and contribute, or you can isolate yourself from it. If you do this, though, you should do your best not to harm the neighborhood. Unless you’re determined to be a dick. But why bother? All that does is waste your time and energy, and it achieves nothing in the end. Plus, it will damage – if not completely destroy – whatever legacy you’ve built in the field.

That’s all I’ve got at the moment. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, feel free to leave them in the comments. I’ll remove any comments that aren’t civil and constructive, though.

No Department of Shameless Self-Promotion this time. I’m not up for it.

Sunday, January 22, 2023

A Matter of Perspective

One of the most basic lessons fiction writers learn is how to handle point of view. We’re told that it’s a vital aspect of story – if not the most vital – and that there are three basic types: First Person, Second Person, and Third Person (divided into Omniscient or Limited). We’re told a few more things. That First Person can be hard to control because your narrator could tell the story in any order he or she wants or veer away from the narrative entirely. That readers don’t like Second-Person stories and they don’t sell (which is bullshit; I received an acceptance for a second-person story today). That Third-Person Omniscient is even harder than First Person to control, and that readers prefer Third-Person Limited the most, as long as it doesn’t get too immersive.

I’m not here to dispute any of that. I am here, however, to tell you that there are three other points of view -- or perhaps a better word would be perspectives -- which writers may employ instinctively or learn to use as they gain experience, but which they aren’t consciously aware of. There may be creative writing teachers out there somewhere who are cognizant of these viewpoints and teach them, but I don’t know of any. I’ve learned them by writing a lot, trying to understand how I use them, and then trying to figure out how to clearly and succinctly explain to others how to use them. And as a matter of fact, I just figured out that last piece this morning – it was my Doc Brown Flux Capacitor moment – hence this blog entry. I’ve named these points of view Observer, Participant, and Experiencer, and they have more to do with how an author imagines characters as they write than they do with narrative voice. They’re about what happens in the writer’s head during composition that allows us to create the illusion of character perspective. And unlike the traditional three voices of First, Second, and Third Person, these other points of view can be used separately or in combination, depending on the effect you want to create. I’d even go so far as to say that these three points of view are perhaps more important than the three traditional ones because they describe what writers themselves imagine – or should imagine – as they write.

Allow me to elucidate . . .

Observer

Interviewers often ask me what’s the most important advice I can give to new writers, and my answer is always the same. People grow up being passive absorbers of media such as movies, TV shows, YouTube videos, etc., and these media make no imaginative demands on their audience. We don’t have to do anything but sit, watch, listen, and let information flow into us. Even people who read a lot still consume thousands of hours more of undemanding visual media throughout their lives. So when people decide to try their hand at writing fiction, they instinctively write from the viewpoint of a detached, passive observer, and their stories are dull and lifeless. “Writers need to write with a more immersive point of view,” I tell interviewers. “Their words need to stimulate reader’s imaginations.”

Observer point of view is different than just consuming media, though. With Observer point of view, the writer imagines themselves watching events play out before them, describing only what they see and hear.

There are times when the Observer point of view works well all by itself. Fairy tales, myths, and stories for preschool-age children are often written like this, presented through the detached voice of an unnamed narrator. One summer day, Busy Bunny was hopping along the main trail through the Forest of Fun, happily singing a song to herself. Little did she know that her pleasant day would soon become quite unpleasant, thanks to the arrival of Grumpy Goose.

Observer point of view can also work well by itself in experimental fiction, creating a distancing effect that keeps readers off-balance, especially when combined with a Second-Person narrative. But Observer point of view is best when it’s combined with Participant and Experiencer, otherwise you’ll end up writing a summary of a story instead of an actual story.

Participant

Participant point of view is when a writer imagines a character interacting with other elements in the story, such as the setting, physical objects, other people, animals, etc. The difference here is that the writer also imagines participating. Whenever an interaction takes place, the writer describes it with somewhat vivid detail, detailing the character’s physical response more than a mental one.

Bob gripped the shovel and chunked its blade into the cold, hard earth.

An Observer would write something like Bob started digging. The Participant point of view is more vivid, implying strength of touch (gripped), strength of impact (chunked) and cold, hard earth adds more detail to the sense of impact, and cold adds a sense of temperature. The writer’s imagination is now participating in what the character is doing, but only in a limited way. Participant point of view does sometimes dip into a character’s thoughts, feelings, and reactions, but only to a small degree, since the writer is primarily imagining themselves – via their character – doing the physical action.

Experiencer

Experiencer point of view is when a writer imagines themselves experiencing everything that occurs in a scene, especially what takes place inside a character.

A single bead of sweat rolls down Jane’s spine, causing her to shiver.

Not real, not real . . .

A high-pitched whine like buzzing mosquito wings drills deep into her ears. She winces, eyes narrowed, jaw tight, and fights against the pain.

Not real, not REAL!

“But it is.”

She doesn’t recognize the voice, but she hears the mockery in its words, feels the dark delight underlying them, and she knows she is lost.

This example is vivid, atmospheric, and impactful (even if I don’t know exactly what’s going on in this mini scene), but it’s entirely internal. Everything is what Jane is experiencing, and while this gives the reader clues to what is happening (or might be happening) in the outer world, the details occur solely in Jane’s psyche.

As effective as Experiencer point of view can be, the danger is that it can go so far into a character’s head that it becomes nearly unreadable stream of consciousness, the apex of which is a novel like James Joyce’s Ulysses – widely considered one of the most challenging texts ever created. (And certainly not a book most people would read for fun.)

Observer, Participant, and Experiencer combined

These writer-as-imaginer points of view can be used as the only ones in a story, but a blend of them is most effective. Here’s an example, broken down by type:

Observer PTV:

John sat on the kitchen floor, crossed his legs, and rested his hands on his knees. He looked at Marcy leaning against the sink, her arms crossed, a slight crease between her eyes.

Participant PTV:

“You’re angry.”

“No.”

“It’s obvious. You’re doing that little frown you always do when you’re mad.”

“Little frown? Don’t infantilize me, you arrogant fuck.”

Experiencer:

Her words hit him like a slap. He shouldn’t have said it – said little – but it had slipped out. Maybe he’d subconsciously wanted to provoke her, to goad her into losing that icy self-control of hers. If so, he’d succeeded, but he’d never heard such loathing in her voice before. Was this how she really felt about him? He feared it was.

He tried to speak, but his throat was tight and dry, and he couldn’t force out any words. Not that he had any idea what to say. Maybe it would be better if he kept his damn mouth shut so he could keep from making things worse than they already were.

Observer:

Marcy turned her back on him, gripped the edge of the sink, and looked out the small window into their backyard. She said nothing for several moments, then “Grass needs mowing.”

Encouraged by her neutral tone, John stood.

Experiencer:

He wanted to go to her, gently put his hands on her shoulders, lightly kiss the back of her neck in apology. But the pain in his head was intensifying, the vision in his left eye already beginning to blur.

Observer:

“Okay,” he said, and headed for the back door.

And when we put the pieces together:

John sat on the kitchen floor, crossed his legs, and rested his hands on his knees. He looked at Marcy leaning against the sink, her arms crossed, a slight crease between her eyes.

“You’re angry.”

“No.”

“It’s obvious. You’re doing that little frown you always do when you’re mad.”

“Little frown? Don’t infantilize me, you arrogant fuck.”

Marcy turned her back on him, gripped the edge of the sink, and looked out the small window into their backyard. She said nothing for several moments, then “Grass needs mowing.”

Encouraged by her neutral tone, John stood.

“Okay,” he said, and headed for the back door.

This shifting between imaginative points of view is what my mind does when I write fiction. I’ve been writing for forty years, and I do this instinctively, without bothering to label the bits and pieces as I go, but in the end, I weave a tapestry of different levels of immersion in a story that hopefully brings my tales to life for the reader.

To learn how you use these points of view – Observer, Participant, and Experiencer – take a selection of your fiction and highlight each in a different color. The pattern you see will let you see how you interweave the points of view throughout your work, and if you see too much or one or not enough of another, you can try adjusting your proportion the next time you write. You can also take a selection from a writer you admire, highlight their Observer-Participant-Experiencer pattern, and see how they do it.

Yeah, First, Second, and Third Person are important tools, but Observer, Participant, and Experiencer points of view will help you imagine like a writer when you build a story, and that may well make them the most vital fiction-writing tools of all.

DEPARTMENT OF SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION

Forthcoming Writers’ Workshop with Apex Publications

On March 10 at 6 pm EST, I’ll be conducting a workshop on Managing Pace and Tension in Fiction. It’ll be 90 minutes long and it’s limited to 25 participants. You can register at the following link:

https://www.apexbookcompany.com/products/managing-pace-and-tension-in-fiction

My Next Horror Novel is Up for Preorder

My next novel for Flame Tree Press is A Hunter Called Night. It’ll be out May 9, 2023, and it’s available to pre-order now!

A sinister being called Night and her panther-like Harriers stalk their quarry, a man known only as Arron. Arron seeks refuge within an office building, a place Night cannot go, for it’s part of the civilized world, and she’s a creature of the Wild. To flush Arron out, she creates Blight, a reality-warping field that slowly transforms the building and its occupants in horrible and deadly ways. But unknown to Night, while she waits for the Blight to do its work, a group of survivors from a previous attempt to capture Arron are coming for her. The hunter is now the hunted.

Order Links

Flame Tree: https://www.flametreepublishing.com/a-hunter-called-night-isbn-9781787586345.html

Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Hunter-Called-Night-Tim-Waggoner/dp/1787586316/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1668832377&sr=1-1

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Hunter-Called-Night-Tim-Waggoner-ebook/dp/B0BN6T1GTN/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1670004562&sr=1-3

Barnes and Noble Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-hunter-called-night-tim-waggoner/1142487192?ean=9781787586314

NOOK: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-hunter-called-night-tim-waggoner/1142487192?ean=9781787586352

Scheduled Appearances

Scarelastic Book Fair. Scarlet Lane Brewing. McCordsville, Indiana: February 28.

Authorcon 2. Williamsburg, Virgina: March 31-April 2.

Stokercon. Pittsburgh: June 15-18.

Where to Find Me Online

Want to follow me on social media? Here’s where you can find me:

Website: www.timwaggoner.com

Twitter: @timwaggoner

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tim.waggoner.9

Instagram: tim.waggoner.scribe

Blog: http://writinginthedarktw.blogspot.com/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZEz6_ALPrV3tdC0V3peKNw

Saturday, January 7, 2023

AI "Authors"

In 1984, I was a college student working on my BS in secondary education. The education department brought in a speaker – whose name I can’t recall – to talk to us about the future of education. One of his main points was that education should be focused on the current needs of people. He postulated that in the future, such core skills as writing and mathematics might no longer be necessary. After the talk, several of my friends were skeptical (and more than a little pissed off) at the idea that what they considered vital subjects might not be taught in the future.

“Most of us don’t know how to hunt, or ride a horse, or make butter, or thousands of other skills that used to be important,” I told them. “Why is it so hard to imagine future education might focus on the skills needed by future people?”

(I didn’t say it that well, I’m sure, but that was gist.)

Well, it’s 2023, and that future is now, or almost-now.

I’ve been aware of the discussion of artificial intelligence programs that can generate art or writing based on a prompt in only a few seconds. While the art programs draw on established images (in other words, plagiarize), the writing ones draw on so many different samples, it’s more like they’re influenced by them than directly plagiarizing them. CHATrpg is the writing AI I’ve heard the most about, and today I ran across the following article on the web:

“CHATgpt, Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of Writing” by Glenn Geher, Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/darwins-subterranean-world/202301/chatgpt-artificial-intelligence-and-the-future-of-writing

Here’s a link to CHATgpt so you can check it out if want.

CHATgpt: https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/

I’ve seen warnings that these AI programs will sound the death knell for original art produced by humans – and maybe sooner than we think.

Curious, I set up an account at Openai and entered a couple prompts into CHATgpt. Following are the two samples that resulted, one fiction, one nonfiction. It took only seconds for each sample to be generated. Because Glenn Geher’s fiancé asked CHATrpt to write an article in his writing style as a test of the program, I thought I’d try the same.

PROMPT: WRITE A 1000 WORD HORROR STORY IN THE STYLE OF TIM WAGGONER

As the sun set on the small town of Millfield, a sense of unease settled over the streets. The usually bustling main street was empty, save for a few brave souls hurrying home before darkness fell. No one wanted to be caught outside after what had happened the previous night.

It had started with the usual things - strange noises in the night, shadows moving in the corners of the eye. But then people began disappearing. At first, it was just a few homeless people and drifters passing through. But as the days went on, even long-time residents of Millfield began to vanish.

The town council held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation. Some suggested hiring a group of mercenaries to hunt down whatever was responsible, while others proposed calling in the national guard. In the end, they decided to bring in a lone investigator - a man by the name of Jack.

Jack arrived in Millfield the next day, a tall, broad-shouldered man with piercing green eyes and a no-nonsense attitude. He listened patiently as the town council told him about the disappearances, and then set off to begin his investigation.

As he walked the streets of Millfield, Jack couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. He could feel eyes on him, even when he turned to confront them, there was nothing there. It was as if the very air was alive with malevolent intent.

He spent the next few days talking to the remaining residents, trying to piece together what had happened. Most of them were too terrified to be of much help, but one old man told him a story that sent a shiver down his spine.

The old man claimed that a group of people had stumbled upon an ancient burial ground on the outskirts of town. They had disturbed the graves, waking something ancient and terrible. It was a creature of the night, with glowing red eyes and teeth like knives. It had taken the grave-robbers and anyone else who had gotten too close.

Jack knew he had to see this burial ground for himself. He set out that night, his gun loaded and at the ready. As he approached the graveyard, he could feel the presence of something ancient and powerful. He could hear the faint sound of chanting in the distance, as if a group of people were performing some sort of ritual.

He cautiously made his way through the graves, trying to stay as quiet as possible. He could see the glow of firelight up ahead, and he knew he was getting close. As he approached the source of the light, he saw a group of people standing around a large stone slab.

On the slab was a body, its skin drained of blood and its eyes staring blankly at the sky. The people were chanting in some ancient language, their faces twisted with malice. Jack realized with horror that they were performing some kind of dark ritual to bring the creature back to life.

He didn't hesitate. He raised his gun and fired, taking out as many of the cultists as he could. The rest scattered, running off into the night. Jack approached the stone slab, his heart racing. He knew he had to destroy the creature before it could be resurrected.

As he reached out to touch the body, he was suddenly grabbed from behind. He struggled and fought, but it was no use - he was no match for the strength of the creature. It dragged him away, into the darkness.

The last thing Jack saw before everything went black was the creature's glowing red eyes, and the triumphant smile on its face.

The town of Millfield was never the same after that night. People whispered of the creature that walked the streets, taking

This is where the program stopped generating text, but the story is almost finished.

I sincerely hope this sample wasn’t written in my style! It’s simple summary with no dialogue, character interaction, vivid description, or emotional core. Its plot is a bland adventure that could’ve appeared in the pulps of the early twentieth century. The sample does employ some basic techniques of horror fiction, though, and as I said earlier, it was generated in only a few seconds, so that was impressive. I wouldn’t accept this from one of my creative writing students, however.

PROMPT: WRITE A 750 WORD ARTICLE ON WRITING HORROR IN THE STYLE OF TIM WAGGONER

Writing horror fiction can be a thrilling and rewarding experience, especially when done in the style of Tim Waggoner. Waggoner is known for his ability to blend elements of horror, fantasy, and science fiction into his stories, creating a unique and unsettling atmosphere that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. If you're interested in writing horror fiction in the style of Tim Waggoner, here are a few tips to get you started:

1) Start with an unsettling premise: One of the key elements of a successful horror story is the ability to set a creepy and unsettling tone from the very beginning. Waggoner is particularly skilled at this, often starting his stories with a premise that is already unsettling or unusual. For example, in his story "The Night Marchers," Waggoner begins by introducing a group of people who are being hunted by ghostly figures that only appear at night. This immediately sets a tense and eerie mood that continues throughout the story.

2) Use descriptive language to create a sense of fear: Waggoner is known for his use of vivid and descriptive language, which he uses to great effect in his horror fiction. By using descriptive language to paint a picture of the creepy and unsettling events taking place in your story, you can create a sense of fear and tension that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

3) Use the supernatural to create a sense of the unknown: Another key element of Waggoner's horror fiction is the use of the supernatural. By introducing elements of the supernatural into your story, you can create a sense of the unknown that is both scary and intriguing. In Waggoner's story "The Night Marchers," for example, the ghostly figures that are haunting the characters are both frightening and mysterious, adding to the overall sense of horror.

4) Don't be afraid to go dark: Waggoner is known for his willingness to go to dark and disturbing places in his horror fiction, and this is something that can really set your story apart. Don't be afraid to explore the darker corners of your imagination and push the boundaries of what is considered "normal" in horror fiction.

5) Remember to balance horror with other elements: While horror is the main focus of Waggoner's stories, he also incorporates elements of fantasy and science fiction into his work. By including these other elements, Waggoner is able to create a more well-rounded and interesting story that keeps readers engaged. Consider incorporating elements of other genres into your horror fiction to add depth and complexity to your story.

Overall, writing horror fiction in the style of Tim Waggoner requires a blend of unsettling premises, descriptive language, the supernatural, and a willingness to go to dark places. By following these tips and focusing on crafting a well-rounded and engaging story, you can create horror fiction that is as thrilling and unsettling as the works of Tim Waggoner.

I meant for the program to write an article IN my writing style, not use my writing as an extended example of how to write horror. I almost deleted the sample and tried again, but I decided to leave it since it shows how important entering the right prompt into the program is. I’ve never written a story called “The Night Marchers,” so I don’t know where the hell that came from, but if this was a paper for a lit class – or a short article someone posted on the web – a teacher or reader might think this was a good article/essay.

On one hand, the information is generic horror how-to advice, but a number of the phrases are reminiscent of language reviewers have use to describe my work, which was unsettling to see – especially since, as I said earlier, this sample took only seconds to generate.

So will these AI programs spell doom for human writers and artists? I sure hope not (but as a human writer, I would say that, wouldn’t I?). I do know these programs will only continue to become more sophisticated as time passes, which means the writing and art they produce will continue to improve. Maybe creative artists will go the way of buggy-whip makers when the automobile was invented. Or maybe we’ll do what painters of realism did when photography was invented and develop new styles of painting.

Will writers use AI to create books for them? Sure. It’s already happened: https://bookriot.com/ai-used-to-published-childrens-book/#:~:text=Ammaar%20Reshi%2C%20a%20product%20design,began%20selling%20it%20on%20Amazon.

I know one thing: I’ve made my stories by hand my entire life, with word processing programs and the Internet (for research) my only technological aids. And I’m going to continue writing my own words my own way until I die. So what can we do to compete with AI “artists”? My suggestion right now is to develop your own individual style as much as possible, to make art you feel passionate about, and to invest your work with as much humanity as you can. Your vision, your voice is what will make your work stand out from the rest, whether that other work is created by humans or AI’s. People who use AI to generate their art will produce bland, generic work, the equivalent of bad fast food. Hopefully, there will be at least some people in the future who will prefer a more substantial meal, one that feeds both mind and soul.

Hey, an old writer can dream, can’t he?