Tag: novel

I’m Pleased With The State Of The Scifi Dramedy I’m Writing

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Things are going at a nice little clip with this scifi dramedy I’m writing. I’m hoping that I can write at least three scenes a day. If I did that, that would help a lot to ensure that I can wrap this novel up in time to query around Sept 1st.

I still have not done basic things like read books on querying or read Annie Bot, my novel’s comp novel. But, lulz.

One thing I’m a little nervous about is that despite my best efforts to edit out as much “AI speak” as possible, that somehow, if this novel was put into a AI detection software that it would say that I had used AI to actually write the novel.

While I admit that I’m an “AI First” novelist, I see my use of AI as more like modern, advanced spell checking than an excuse to not actually write the damn novel. I have done so much work!

But everything and everyone is horrible and I’m sure I’ll be fucked one way or another.

I Worry This Scifi Dramedy Is Too Spicy

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I don’t know what to tell you, folks. I’m writing about a sexbot and I worry there’s too much…sex…in the novel. And, yet, I don’t know. Maybe I’m overthinking things, looking things too much through the lens of a movie.

The point is to tell a good story and if I can tell a good story while depicting a lot of spicy content, all the better.

But I’m WELL AWARE that the “woke cancel culture mob” will likely hate this novel for various personal and fictional reasons. I can’t help who I am. And I can’t help that I came up with a pretty good idea for a novel that just happened to lend itself to lots of spicy scenes.

My biggest problem right now is how fucking moody I am when it comes to writing. I spend way too much time daydreaming rather than writing. Though I have to admit that using Claude LLM and Gemini LLM as my manuscript consultants has really helped a lot.

And I know because everything is horrible that any whiff of an idea that I used AI to help write this novel will cause a lot of people to dismiss the whole endeavor as “AI slop.”

It’s not. I swear.

I’ve done all the heavy lifting, with some assistance from AI.

I’m So Moody When It Comes To Writing

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I fear that my idyllic time when it comes to being able to write is about to wrap up soon. I’ve been very grateful for the time this wonder time has existed. My only annoyance with myself is that I’m just so fucking moody.

Like, I should be working on my novel right now but I am punting that until tomorrow morning. I just don’t feel like doing any fiction writing at the moment.

I hate the idea that I’m, in general, drifting towards my goal with the fact that I’m probably going to see a dramatic change in my life sooner rather than later. Anyway, as I’ve said, I’m pleased with what I have produced with this novel just in general.

But, like I said, I wish I could focus and write more quickly. As it stands, however, I can’t even force myself to do any reading. Ugh. I’m so embarrassed.

Well, If Nothing Else, This Scifi Dramedy I’m Working On Is…Interesting

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

There are some really interesting quirks to this scifi dramedy I’m working on. I’m feeling pretty good, in general, about how this novel is going. To the point that I’m just going to be happy that the novel is finished.

Any success I might have beyond that will be the cherry on top.

This newest version of the novel I’m working on, in particular, is spicy and interesting. I’ve leaned into some of the more surreal possibilities presented by the premise of the novel.

Anyway, I am still on track to wrap this novel up in such a way that I can begin to query it around Sept 1st. But it’s possible I may be forced to punt that into January.

And, what’s more, I have another novel rolling around in my mind that I will probably begin serious development on the moment I wrap up this scifi dramedy. The next novel is going to be a lot more wholesome (to a certain degree.)

Making My Way Through The Second Half Of This Scifi Dramedy I’m Working On

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I’m now easing myself into the second chapter of the second half of the novel I’ve been working on for some time now. Things are, in general, going pretty well. My biggest issue is how much I’m going to have to totally rewrite the scenes as I get to them.

The story continues to drift away from what I originally had, so as such I’ve found myself having to rewrite a little bit more — maybe a lot more — than expected.

One issue that has come up some is there are some “spicy” elements to to this novel that LLMs balk at. As I keep saying, I’m doing all the heavy lifting, using AI as sort of a modern day spellcheckr, but it can be a little bit annoying to feel like the AIs I’m using are “judging” me for having sexxy content.

It’s not that bad. I really haven’t had that many problems as of yet. A few little quirks.

I definitely have found that Claude LLM is a much better manuscript consultant than Gemini LLM. Though, I will note, Gemini LLM is very quirky and has a lot of personality because of some of the quirky things that have been saved to my “Personal Intelligence” feature.

Now In The Second Half Of This Scifi Dramedy I’ve Been Working On

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The hope is, that once I finish this draft of this novel I’ve been working on for some time now that the NEXT time I go through it will be a breeze. I will just lightly edit it here and there to make absolutely sure that it’s in my own voice and people can’t accuse me “having AI write it.”

My fear, of course, is that I’ll read it the next time and see all these opportunities to make it better and that will slow me down significantly.

But as of right now, I’m feeling pretty good about this novel.

Though, it is of note that absolutely no on but me believes in any of this. I had an alarming conversation with a relative about the movie Ex Machina and….they pretty much said anyone who thought such things up must be some sort of twisted sicko.

I tried to tell her that, “Well….” but it did not register. Which makes me wonder what this person will say once this novel is finished and I MIGHT want her to read it. I find that doubtful now, though. No point.

I’m really going to struggle to find people to serve as Beta Readers I fear. And I’m growing really nervous about what kind of reception I should expect from the mostly liberal white women who make up literary agents. I’m kind of a kook and when they do due diligence on me…they might not like what they find.

And that doesn’t event begin to address the woke cancel culture mob generally not liking any sort of sex written by a smelly male, especially a smelly middle-aged male like me.

Anyway.

Right now, my biggest problem is I have too much information for the characters to process. Too many big events have happened in quick succession and I need to figure out a way to slow things down, to process information over the course of a few scenes, not just one.

But we’ll see, I guess.

My Biggest Worries About My Novel At The Moment

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

  1. Too Much AI
    I am very self-conscious about there being any AI used to actually write anything in this novel. My hope is, through the editing process, I can eliminate any “AI speak” that may have slipped through the development process. I have worked so hard on this novel, I would be devastated if it was unpublishable because I had used AI too much to actually write it. (Which I haven’t.)
  2. It’s Too Spicy
    There is a lot of sex in this novel. And I’m worried that the very nature, the very premise, of the novel will be seen as “too trashy” for the liberal white women I imagine make up most literary agents. But who knows. The novel is shaping up to be pretty good, all things considered.
  3. I’m Too Big A Kook
    I’m really worried that whenever I get into the querying process and literary agents are doing “due diligence” on me that they will read this blog, or my social media presence and be extremely spooked that I’m just too big of a weirdo to sell a novel. But we’ll see, I guess. Stranger things and all that.

Feeling Insecure About My Novel’s ‘Comp,’ Annie Bot

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The core difference between my novel and Annie Bot is mine is told from the POV of the “owner” of the android. Similar premises, in a sense, but told from the exact opposite POV.

Now, I decided to tell my novel this way because, well, lulz, the woke cancel culture mob demands that men only write from a male POV and as such, lulz, I have to write it the way I am.

Of course, given GenZ’s general “no sex please” sentiment that is ANOTHER issue that I have to worry about. My novel has a lot of spicy content in it for various and obvious reasons.

But I worry that 1) Annie Bot is better written than my novel and 2) the woke cancel culture mob will poo-poo my attempt to write a dramedy about a man’s relationship to an android he subscribes to.

And, yet, I really like what I’ve come up with. It is, all things considered, pretty good. It’s quite an entertaining yarn, if I do say so myself.

Turbulence Ahead

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I’m beginning to believe that the long dreaded turbulence I’ve expected for my personal life is going to happen soon. It could totally throw the context of me working on this novel out of whack.

And, yet, I’ve been grateful for how long I’ve had the idyllic situation.

At this point, I just want to finish a novel that I’m proud of. Any thing else that might happen will be icing on the cake, as it were.

I still haven’t read Annie Bot. I still haven’t read any of the books I have on querying. I just can’t bring myself to do such things just yet.

I think once I actually finish the novel — no matter how trashy it might ultimately be — that is when I will really start to take querying more seriously. Right now, it’s still something of an abstract.

Edging Ever Closer To The Midpoint Of The Latest Version Of The Scifi Dramedy

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

As I keep saying, I’m cruising towards the midpoint of the scifi dramedy novel I’m working on. Things are very much in flux and I hope to nail things down good enough that once I make another go at reading the novel I won’t have to re-write so much, if hardly any.

The next go through will simply be to absolutely double-check that there isn’t too much “AI talk” in the copy. I want it to be as much in my own, human voice as humanly possible.

It will be interesting to see how long it takes me to get through the second half of the novel once get into it. The second half of this novel has been, in previous versions, not nearly as well written out.

But, we’ll see.

I probably will get to the midpoint by….maybe next week sometime?