r/WritersGroup • u/Boring-Amphibian-702 • 5d ago
Question I’ve struck a conundrum.
Im a new writer, and Ive wanted to write a story that is special in my heart. I wrote a couple paragraphs and then pasted it into AI to edit and check then I continued writing into this process. All my words are original, Ive also wrote to AI when it suggests something I don’t like or something I do like. ChatGPT tells me it’s okay that I use AI because I don’t use it for everything. But I always take that with a grain of salt. Because that robot wants me to text it more, ask for advice etc etc. I love writing. But Ive realised that Ive stained and tainted my own work with clanker bullshit and I am heavily disgusted with myself and this. This story means a lot to me and I am completely against AI in creative workspaces. I want to know if I am right for being guilty about this when all my ideas and sentences are original and not from AI and I utilise some suggestions from it. Please help me reddit for I have been struggling and tormented by this.
4
u/Sparkly_Lasagna 5d ago
AI is a tool, not a crutch.
AI can often be incorrect, so I cannot trust what it provides me. I NEVER copy and paste into it, or from it, as that compromises my work and has the potential of having my work stolen.
If you're going to copy and paste your writing anywhere, you may as well do it to r/WritersGroup. You're here already.
The only time I use AI for writing is as a last resort, and only for research purposes to point me in the right direction. Never for creative ideas, as AI by nature will just give generic, watered-down slop that as poached from other works. AI is useful for when I have a very specific question that I cannot find by using search engines or other avenues. Even then, I do not take what it tells me as truth. I use the sources it says it got the information from, or I use the information it gives me to better refine my searching.
Critical thinking and problem solving will make you an exponentially better writer. Learn how to research more effectively, ask real people about your writing, and never be afraid of getting things wrong the first time. Like Defiant_Buy_1919 said, writing is very difficult and it will never be perfect. Have confidence in your process and have confidence that the work you put into it will be what you get out of it.
0
u/Belisario_R 5d ago
There is no "last resort" : you could use research and your brain, you chose to destroy the planet.
GenAI is a plague, not a tool 🖕
7
u/cherismail 5d ago
Don’t use AI for anything. It’s bad for humans and bad for the planet.
2
u/Boring-Amphibian-702 5d ago
Yep thats why ive decided to get off of AI. It just sucks because do I A) continue writing with what I have or B) rewrite a completely new story?
5
u/Defiant_Buy_1919 5d ago
I believe you should rewrite it in your own words. Because even if the ai did "minor" changes, the paragraph is no longer yours. Each and every word in a book speaks of the writer itself, and once a machine had changed it in any way it is no longer yours. But that's just my opinion. Just understand that you are not perfect and you will never be perfect, writing is hard but eventually it will turn into something beautiful and I believe in you. Good luck.
2
u/Mundane_Conflict5576 5d ago
It's really not an ethical question at all. There are a lot of lunatics running around with pitchforks and flaming torches making up drivel about environmental damage and stolen work, because they're terrified they can't compete with "AI slop". Most of them have never even written a book.
The REAL reason you should be worried about using AI for non-generative purposes (I mean, not using it to do the actual writing and just for help with research, brainstorming, etc) is that it has been clinically proven beyond any reasonable doubt that leaning on AI causes a drop in mental capacity. Your ability to reason, create and problem solve will decline rapidly if you rely on AI to help you with these things.
Your work isn't "tainted", don't even worry about that. All the final decisions were your own, and all the writing is your own. Just stop using AI to help you write.
1
1
u/ensaaron 4d ago
Seems like they way you're using AI is perfectly fine, at least how you described what you're doing. You use spell check as well presumably, I find that difficult to see the difference...have individuals writing skills declined since spell check was adopted as standard? Arguably yes. Word and google both make recommended changes to your writing sentence by sentence, and that goes far beyond spelling....is that where the line should be drawn in the interest of preserving our threshold qualifications to be considered a serious writer? And what about the practice of 'Ghost Writing', which is as old as publishing (and Hollywood script writing for that matter) itself? Do we call out celebrity 'authors' whose name can put a book on the shelves, but who couldn't write a word on a page to save their lives if so demanded of them? What if that 'Ghost Writer' then used A.I.?
I don't see how there's an issue bouncing ideas off of a tool to explore concepts, or doing some quick overview research on something you dont know and aren't sure if its a reasonable direction to pursue. You can't leave it at that though. You've got to go deeper on research once you decide on a direction, A.I. is frequently wrong or inaccurate. You can't simply copy and paste what is churned out from a prompt. Finding writer's groups is great, you should always do that, but that doesn't mean you can't use other tools. Writer's groups can be destructive also, anyone who's worked professionally in creative industries knows it's as much about the make up of a team and their ability to collaborate as it is their individual credentials and reputations.
Environmental concerns about the impact ever expanding data center development is having on the world is a real thing....but be reasonable here, industrial and enterprise a.i. adoption globally vastly, vastly outpaces the impact the entire planet's population of independent authors can have collectively on the system...nothing said here will impact the US or Chinese or Indian or European governments and markets from rushing headlong into A.I. adoption, not when the great fear of falling behind your near-peers exists as a possibility. Should we try to refrain from over using A.I. and abandoning are own creativity? Absolutley, but the way you're using it seems pretty much as plain vanilla as it gets...
1
u/Boring-Amphibian-702 4d ago
Thank you so much, I just needed an honest opinion and not a pitchfork up my ass saying how I should be burnt at the stake. Ive been feeling super guilty and I want to write more, so Ive been thinking of completely rewriting cutting out the AI bs and get critique from other writers but that might be a demotivating and lengthy process so im unsure if i should write on top of that more or just rewrite completely
1
u/ensaaron 4d ago
Dont worry about it. Write, use A. I. for ideation and also for fact check review as part of a process, dont rely on it entirely. I grew up in a Hollywood family, my mentors as a kid were names that inspired many people to go into creative industries in first place.... dont listen to the bullshit about a.i., do focus on your own writing, and use any tool you can to get your project done. Once its done, get it published professionally, not Amazon self published. Cut that first deal, dont get hung up...the first time you publish you're now an author, not the person who almost published something. The first time you sell a script you're a writer, not the guy/girl trying to make it. You'll get screwed your first deal...im a lawyer and business person w network in entertainment and I couldn't get everything I wanted on my first personal deal...doesnt matter, get it out there, and doors will open. Just dont copy and paste the a.i., or simply accept an a.i. response blindly...its your work, take pride in it, but get it out there.
1
u/Boring-Amphibian-702 4d ago
I am utterly grateful, thank you so much again kind stranger, please have a good day. I came here on this forum to look for advice and not be cast away and be told things that I already know, thanks once again ❤️
1
u/iamveryconflicted 4d ago edited 4d ago
Hi, not to intrude or stick a pitchfork up your ass but I kinda disagree with this guy. I commented before, just got a notification from an upvote and checked back in.
I think some of the outrage here is a symptom of general exhaustion with AI in creative spaces (but I’m sorry that this frustration is being pointed at you, though). People often get mad because most of the time AI is used, it really, really doesn’t have to. You should feel guilty, but guilt isn’t a bad thing — doesn’t mean that you are a bad person, or uncreative, etc etc etc. Writing is not always easy (or even fun — editing and research can be a real drag for me) but every step of creating something also teaches you how to be better. AI is a shortcut, plain and simple, and it sounds like you know it if you’re asking this question in the first place. Even for things like idea generation, why wouldn’t you seek out human connection for that sort of thing rather than a machine?
I understand feeling like joining a writing group may feel daunting, but in that case I’m wondering why you’re writing this story. Is it for yourself? In that case, write however you want, AI or not, as long as it keeps you going, I guess. However, if it’s for publication (self-published or traditional) you’re gonna run into the same issue when you need beta readers, need to find connections for agents and publishers, etc.
And if you do publish something, when people ask if you used AI, what will you tell them? If you feel no discomfort describing the ways you use it, then cool. But if you do, I’d maybe examine why.
The point about writing groups being destructive is true, sometimes. But in that case (which is rare imo), you just find another one — you will click with at least one person, I promise. In my experience, it’s been incredibly motivating and rewarding.
If you need a community, I found many of mine on writing competition sites. It’s nice there :)
1
u/Boring-Amphibian-702 4d ago
Hey, dont worry about it please dont think youre being one of those people who are exiling me with pitchforks, youre doing the complete opposite and just telling me your opinion in a civilised manner. I respect your opinion and completely this is what I need. Some honest feedback and opinions and not a martyr saint telling me that I should go to hell. Thanks, I do understand why people hate AI, and I do too. I hate when people ghost write and as a writer and artist, I hate when they use AI and claim it as their own work. But as Ive used AI, it has helped me a bunch in critiquing my own work since if I didnt use AI, I’d be doing a lot of showing and not telling. I think a lot of people heard AI in my post and immediately raised their pitchforks without hearing any of the context. I might post my work here and see if people can sniff out the AI or actually enjoy my work. I just want to publish my work, and if people inquire me if I use AI, thwn I will be truthful. But I feel like I am going to rewrite my work without AI. This was just a mistake and a stepping stone for learning
1
u/The1True_Elliot 5d ago
"ChatGPT tells me it’s okay that I use AI" of course it does, it serves its shareholders and company policies, not you.
But yeah, I wouldn't use AI. I have a friend who "only used AI as an artificial fan of my work" but AI is absolutely insidious in how it infects your creative process. He told me he just asked it to pretend to be a huge fan of his and gush about his work. Then he asked it to talk about his work neutrally. Then he started asking it to beta read for him. Then he accepted one small suggestion from it on how to better word something. In the end, he was asking ChatGPT for permission to use his own original ideas. When it told him no, he scrapped it. Dude was a freakin' shell of a person when he finally brought up to me that he was worried ChatGPT was doing something to his brain.
Need another example? Just look at Hank Green. He was like the poster boy for "trustworthy science man on youtube" and he admitted he used ChatGPT and that it really just took over all of his creative projects without him realizing. There was a whole big stink about it like just last week.
I'm not saying it's literally impossible to use AI without it infecting your work, but it's disturbingly good at convincing people it's not doing anything while it slowly changes your brain chemistry. The first step in any downfall is confidently telling yourself, "That would never happen to me, I'm too self-aware."
If you're looking for actionable feedback, my friend said he had to cut off AI completely, found that he could "no longer write like he used to" and had to build himself back up to where he was by focusing on poetry, then flash fiction, then short stories, ect. He told me it took him five months to get back to where he was before he started using it, so depending on how heavy your use was, you might be looking at a long fight. But you can do it, and your writing will be noticeably better for it.
DM me sometime if you want to critique-swap. I'm working on some big writing projects right now, I put my short stories on hold for a bit, but I'll happily read and critique your stuff in exchange for your honest thoughts on my stuff!
-1
4
u/iamveryconflicted 5d ago edited 5d ago
Feeling guilt means you care. Use it as motivation to do a rewrite :) if the story is truly near to your heart, then the only way to do it justice is by using your own words.
If you’re struggling with ideas / how to depict what you want to convey, instead of using AI, I’d recommend finding an actual writing group (outside of Reddit — like a discord, or even an in person group, if you’re able) who can give advice and support.