After strategic expansion to improve narrative flow, I’m close to completing the first act of my sci-fi dramedy novel. The quality feels query-ready, though I’m experiencing some anxiety about the timeline and competitive landscape.
I feel urgency to finish quickly, driven by multiple concerns. The novel’s premise is fairly accessible, which makes me worry someone might execute a similar concept first. That said, multiple works can successfully explore the same territory—the execution matters more than the idea.
Part of me still wishes this could be a screenplay instead, but I’ve accepted that’s not the path forward. (Unless the technological singularity grants me anti-aging technology and a 500-year lifespan, but I’m not counting on it.)
I maintain my “AI First” approach to development while keeping a clear boundary: AI helps me develop and refine the structure, but I write every word of the actual prose myself. This distinction matters to me. I’d rather produce flawed human writing than polished AI-generated text. The novel’s quality needs to reflect my craft, not an algorithm’s output.
For story development, though? AI assistance has been invaluable.
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