Follow-Up Comments re AI

In Today's Journal

* Quote of the Day
* Follow-Up Comments re AI
* Of Interest
* The Numbers

Quote of the Day

"As an ace operative for TJ Blackwell and Blackwell Ops, Jack Temple’s favorite bit of self-deception is, 'Hey, I’m not the carpenter, and I don’t pick which nails to hit. I’m only the hammer.'” from the description for Blackwell Ops 33: Temple's Way (a nod to the item in Of Interest)

Follow-Up Comments re AI

From Peter A.

"I just this minute noticed pixabay removed their AI content selection from the top right menu. I was afraid they had removed the selection to turn off AI content entirely. I subsequently discovered the AI setting has been moved to the All Images / Orientation / Size / Color part of the menu selection. It can be set to "Authentic Only." Thank goodness for that." Peter A.

"I agree. I use Unsplash almost exclusively, and I only download images for which Unsplash prompts me to give the artists (whom they name) credit, which I always do in the backmatter of each novel." HS

From Manisha

"Spotify lets you know who the artist is….AI generated art in any form does not. It’s a huge scary sad difference." Manisha

"Good point. Still, if publishing worked like Spotify does, it would be like someone else publishing your novel and paying you one cent per sale... but at least they would let readers know you were the author." HS

And from Dan Baldwin

"Bugs Bunny often says, 'Ain’t I a stinkah?' To steal a phrase from my role model, in terms of creative writing AI is a stinkah.

"I drop the following into my blog and FB now and then:

"The author is a live human being. I do not include content generated by AI (Artificial Intelligence) software of any kind.

This sentence appears at the end of my weekly blog posts and in the front matter of my novels and non-fiction work with my name on the cover. It’s there because I want to distinguish my work from the work produced by AI generated (so-called) creative writing.

"'AI creative writing' is neither writing, nor creative. It’s an order for a delivery in the same sense of ordering a pizza delivery: 'I need thin crust, peperoni and olives, and extra cheese.' Punch in 'I need a western involving a cowboy, a school teacher, a villain and a horse and in the style of Elmore Leonard.'

"I object to AI creative because it is not creative, it’s not writing, and it’s taking credit for using someone else’s words and style.

"AI has been recommended as a research tool for creative writers. If you need a description of a Wild West saloon in the 1880s, just type in a request for such a scene. The argument goes that once you have the AI description you have your research and you can then do your own writing.

"To me that’s a cop out. I suspect writers will think, 'Why, heck, Bubbah, that’s a pretty good piece o’ work. I’ll just use that.' This will be especially true for wannabe writers who want to see their names on a cover, but don’t want to do the work.

"Additionally, this so-called research can become a crutch for real writers and can, I predict, contribute to ultimate failure.

"My experience with AI generated work in non-fiction reinforces my position. I have a number of ghostwriting clients who believe that AI is the be-all and end-all of writing their life story, personal struggle, or how-to book. I have had clients dictate their story to AI in the same way they would tell it to a writer. AI spits it back out in the King’s English and voila! There’s your book.

"Except. Except AI generation generates a lot of errors. 'Santa Clause' becomes 'Santa Clarita.' The date of June 15 becomes 'June Cleaver.' A reference to Pearl Harbor becomes 'Perky Arbor.' I am not exaggerating.

"This means someone must go through the work to correct the errors before the words and phrases and sentences can be turned over to a writer. Why, you ask, should the work be turned over to a writer? I am glad you asked. Because the AI generated words and phrases and sentences are all dreck.

"Reading AI-generated work is like swimming in molasses. I’ve had clients present their AI documents with, 'It’s really dry and I need you to really punch it up.'

So, the AI generated book still requires a writer to fix the errors and rewrite the writing and then 'punch up' something that wouldn’t need punching up if it had been punched in by a legitimate writer.

"In terms of writing, especially creative writing, AI actually gets in the way. My recommendation? AI is a 'stinkah.' Shove it out of your way and get back to what you do best: writing."

Thanks everyone. Tomorrow, the Bradbury Challenge report and another guest post on the impact of generative AI on creative writers and artists.

Talk with you again then..

Of Interest

Dr. Mardy's Quotes of the Week: “Self-Deception"

The Numbers

The Journal…………………………… 840

Writing of Blackwell Ops 37: Temple-Schiff

Day 1…… 2012 words. To date…… 2012
Day 2…… 2487 words. To date…… 4499
Day 3…… 4597 words. To date…… 9096
Day 4…… 2790 words. To date…… 11886
Day 5…… 3430 words. To date…… 15316
Day 6…… 3353 words. To date…… 18669

Fiction for February………………….. 24149
Fiction for 2025………………………. 145504
Nonfiction for February…………….... 7200
Nonfiction for 2025…………………… 39180
2025 consumable words…………….. 178174

Average Fiction WPD (February)…….. 3019

2025 Novels to Date…………………….. 3
2025 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2025 Short Stories to Date……………… 3
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………..... 107
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 10
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 274
Short story collections……………………. 29

Disclaimer: Whatever you believe, unreasoning fear and the myths that outlining, revising, and rewriting will make your work better are lies. They will always slow your progress as a writer or stop you cold. I will never teach the myths on this blog.

Writing fiction should never be something that stresses you out. It should be fun. On this blog I teach Writing Into the Dark and adherence to Heinlein’s Rules. Because of WITD and because I endeavor to follow those Rules I am a prolific professional fiction writer. You can be too.