Tag: writing about writing

The Downside To Being An ‘AI First’ Aspiring Author

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I use AI as my manuscript consultant, since I can’t apparently get anyone to either listen to me or take me seriously. But at the same time, I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure that the actual writing is mine.

But that isn’t enough to not make me insecure when people read, say, the first chapter of the novel and say how great and wonderful it is. I worry that everyone is going to think my writing hasn’t improved, I’ve just been using AI.

So, like I said, I’m going to really work as hard as possible to make the actual writing of the novel my own work. But also, as I keep saying, I kind of use AI like an enhanced spell checker.

I’m a horrible speller and I probably wouldn’t ever have had any writing gigs without the ability to lean into the advantages of a spell checker.

‘Just Write A Short Story’ (Ugh)

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I was talking to a relative recently and, they, obviously fed up with my talking about a novel without any discernable product said, “why not just write a short story.”

No more discouraging words can be said to me in the English language, I fear.

I would rather fail writing a novel in a monumentally spectacular manner than waste my time on a piddly short story. I probably would spend six months to a year on a short story anyway and that’s six months to a year I could spend working on a novel.

But I get it, if you just hear me talking about writing a novel for years and year and nothing comes of it, it makes a lot of sense to just get frustrated and tell me to write a short story.

Fuck that. I have said from the beginning that I just want to see how far I can get with this process. And if I don’t succeed with this novel (which would mean first writing something good enough to query then being a published author) then I try again with something else.

Well, Wouldn’t You Know It

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Just as I was celebrating being at the mid-point of the second draft of the scifi dramedy novel I’m working on, I rebooted my chat windows with the AIs I’m using and the panned much of the novel because the hero is “too passive.”

So.

I’ve decided to go through the entirety of the novel to see how I can improve the agency of my hero as much as possible. I’ve totally revamped the beginning of the novel because of that.

But I’m hoping that I can save at least much of the first act. The first half of the second act “the fun and games” part of the novel, may not be as lucky.

Which, of course, is going to slow me down a great deal. But if the over all effect is that the novel is better, then huzzah.

Just About At The Midpoint Of The Second Draft Of This Scifi Dramedy Novel I’m Writing

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I’m cruising towards the midpoint of the scifi dramedy novel I’m writing. And, I have to admit, the speed I’ve had doing all of this comes in no small part to being “AI First.”

I’m doing a lot — A LOT — of work, but I am amplifying and enhancing all that hard work with AI. I continue to do most, if not all, of the actual writing, but on a structural basis AI has really helped.

And that doesn’t even begin to account for the fact that I’m going to make one last pass on the second draft to make sure absolutely as much as possible of the actual written text of the novel is mine and now AI.

I’m already feeling a little insecure from everyone who’s read the first chapter saying how great it is. Usually, people either don’t tell me what they think or say it sucks. But, like I said, I am actually doing all the heavy lifting and AI is more like an enhance spell checker than anything else.

I think very soon, once Christmas is actually here, I’m probably going to be in neutral for a few days then bounce back into writing again. But I really am going to have to work hard in the second half of the novel — the second half is not nearly as actually written out as the first.

So that is going to slow me down.

I still hope to wrap the beta draft of the novel up by spring 2026, and, yet, even if I do that, because of post-production issues, it could be Sept 1st, 2026 before I actually start to query.

That will suck, but, lulz. I just want to see how far I can get in the querying process.

The Perfect Is The Enemy Of The Good

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I continue to get pretty good feed back about the novel after having given the first chapter to some people to read. I’m probably going to futz with the beginning of the novel some more, but I’m pleased that people seem to like what they’ve seen.

My plan is to really flesh out the novel over the course of the next few months then make on more pass through it to make sure there’s no lingering evidence that I used AI. I’m really, really worried that my laziness in the past will show up and people will dismiss the whole endeavor as “written by AI” when I’ve done A LOT OF HARD WORK.

Whenever I get too worried about using AI, I just think of how I use it as a spell checker. I’m still doing a lot of hard work, but using AI smooths out some of the edges and helps take things to the next level on a structural basis.

At Least AI Listens To Me When It Comes To This Scifi Dramedy Novel I’m Writing

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

As I keep ranting about, absolutely no one listens to me or takes me seriously at this point in my life. As such, it’s difficult to get snooty literary types to help me with my novel, even if I’m willing to pay them! (I can’t afford this anymore, but they sure did dismiss me when I could.)

So, I turn to AI to do what humans refuse to do: help me out with this scifi dramedy novel I’m working on.

And, in general, it’s really, really helped me a great deal. It’s sped the process of writing and developing the novel up a great deal. To the point that it’s at least possible that I might, just might, wrap a beta draft of the novel up by my birthday in February.

That is still to be determined, though. I’m a little nervous that despite all my hard work, I won’t be in a position to query this novel until around Sept 1st, 2026. But, who knows.

As I was saying, the novel and AI.

I get that some people are really skittish about using AI to help with creative endeavors, but as I’ve said before, the way I use AI very similar to how I’ve used spell check my entire life.

Pluribus Has Me Thinking

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I had a very vivid dream during a nap this evening about how I might be able to write a story similar to Pluribus. It’s based on a novel idea I’ve had for some time, but I’m so fucking annoyed on a structural basis about Pluribus that I might return to it at some point in the near future.

But, of course, I’m not getting any younger.

So it all may be a lulz. I may have one solid novel in me and that’s it before I’m just too old to do anything. Sigh.

Being An ‘AI First’ Writer: Of Spell Checks & AI

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I gave the first chapter of a proposed second draft of the scifi dramedy novel I’m working on to some people and so far, so good. And, yet, I do find myself a bit unnerved about the idea that people will say any improvement in my writing is solely because of AI.

This is a bit unfair because I see how I use AI to work on this novel the same way I see a spell checker. I’m a horrible speller and it’s only because of the advancements in spell check technology that I have ever managed to get any sort of writing gig in the past.

So, lulz?

But everyone and everything is horrible, so I’m sure if I manage to sell this novel there will be people who will just roll their eyes and say, “AI wrote it.”

This is definitely NOT true. I have written this novel, done a lot of hard work. But I will admit that I have used it to improve my writing on a structural basis. I have done as much as I can to keep it my own writing on a tactical basis.

And that doesn’t even begin to address that I’m going to go through one last time once I finish this draft and make sure there are no signs at all of me using AI as a crutch.

I really want this novel to live or die on my own native writing ability. Only time will tell on that front, I guess.

I Fear The ‘Woke Cancel Culture Mob’ May Dislike This Scifi Dramedy I’m Working On (Ugh)

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The next novel I write after this scifi dramedy is going to be as absolutely safe as possible. No sex workers, no strippers, no anything to bother the “woke cancel culture mob.”

But, having said that, I really do like this novel I’m working on right now. It’s really interesting and really gets into the nitty-gritty of what it would be like to have Replicant-like people in society.

So, I’m hoping the snooty woke people who will object to the sex worker elements of this novel will hold their nose and give me something of a pass. I hope. But this novel is compelling and all the sex in it has a point, if nothing else.

Yet, like I said, the next novel I write is going to be a lot more wholesome. I’m tired of writing something interesting, only to have it dismissed as “trashy” because literary types take themselves too seriously.

Time To Regather

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

So. After cruising through the first act of the second draft of the novel, I’ve come to something of a standstill for the moment. I’m probably going to have to do a lot of new writing and reimagining of the “fun and games” part of the novel and that’s going to slow me down significantly.

I think I’m going to just chill out for a few days and contemplate my next move.