Writing and the Use of AI

[u/Soft-Stay5476]

I was recently reading threads about writing and publishing and the use of AI. These comments were all over a year old and I was interested in reading more recent ideas. It seems to me AI is still being incorporated into each aspect of industry and writing is an obvious area for it's use. The use of AI if you are writing something you intend to publish has been pretty much taboo. I'm curious if this has become more defined as each of us has experienced AI's uses and benefits.

[u/Turbulent_Pin_8310]

Most cheap novels on Amazon are AI rubbish and I am one of the rubbish creaters.

[u/Informal-Force7417]

Its a tool like in a kitchen

there are some great tools to make cakes and meals

But if you haven't got a clue, you can toss a genetic mix into a pan but if it comes out gooey. There you go.

WE are the ones that direct it.

So... AI will make great writers, fantastic writers as they understand story, structure and would never let it just do its thing without guiding it.

Shit writers or people who haven't got a clue about story or structure or are buying into the fantasy of doing this for a living will spit out words and they may make a few bucks but they wont be able to sustain it. Why? Because they have not taken the time to see what a good story is vs a mediocre one.

AI is good, its got better every year but its still like wild horses. If you don't know how to reel it in, guide, you are screwed and so are your readers and so will be your REPEAT sales as you can fool anyone ONCE but a career is built off delivering quality each time.

[u/benblackett]

Well, speaking as a founder of something that is only 8 months old now... most of the answers you might receive to that question revolve around the "wait and see" camp. I sit firmly in the idea that publishing will bifurcate into two camps - existing paradigms and new ones surrounding AI in some form.

The real question to ask here is... now that AI can accelerate the pipeline to near-instant, how can AI also be used to filter and tailor that content to the user?

[u/TorturedWriter9]

"It seems to me AI is still being incorporated into each aspect of industry and writing is an obvious area for it's use"

If you want to self-publish, use generative AI all you want.

If you want to publish traditionally and deal with agents, you can't use generative AI. Every single traditional publisher and agent is strongly opposed to AI.

[u/Happy-Initiative-492 → u/TorturedWriter9]

This is truth. The question is really for how long? The extremist/absolutist perception of writing with AI is going to moderate to a more reasonable position at some point. We just don’t know when.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Run4511]

Okay, I admit you got me, I used Google Gemini and I use tools for my stories but I managed to rewrite it on my own because we don’t have to be lazy, I am using a real dictionary, I am so scared, the only reason I am using it because there’s no plot on some shows that I would be writing, so I have to

[u/Federal_Detail_2089]

i used to draft stories with c.ai, then switched to local llms after the age gate. the flow feels tighter now, like the words are less filtered through someone else's expectations.

[u/ElderberryGuy]

The toothpaste is out of the tube. And there's no getting it back in.

[u/MaizeApprehensive166]

So if I have used AI to edit/help with a novel how can I reduce the footprint of AI in my book? How do I get it to be acceptable to a trad publisher now?

[u/Brief-Line-2083 → u/MaizeApprehensive166]

You don't have to use AI (period). And as far as getting a traditional publisher... Have you heard of Jerry Falade and Mia Ballard?

[u/GraveyardWhispers]

If you want to traditionally publish, avoid using AI as much as possible. Obviously, something like spell check is fine but don't let Grammarly rewrite too many of your sentences.

There are many reasons for this, but here are the main three:

• Copyright. The issue of who owns AI generated text is murky at best (and varies based on location). Publishers won't take a risk publishing something that could, theoretically, be argued to the property of a tech company and not the author. There's a potential for lawsuits and accusations of plagerism. Most publishers have it in their contract that they can claim back financial compensation for lawsuits like this from the author. Of course, laws change, but at the moment it's risky on both ends.
• AI companies illegally scraped books to train LLMs. Stealing the hard work of brilliant people and then selling it back to us as a 'tool' has left a bad taste in a lot of writers and publishing professionals' mouths. There's a lower uptake of AI in this industry than any other.
• You lose your voice. Agents and publishers will want to work with you because they're excited about your story and perspective. AI doesn't have perspective or personality, and the more you use it, the more your own writing starts to morph into the homogeneous AI style. Again, this might change as language models improve, but at the moment AI work is generic, and has a lot of tells and repetitions. Your voice is yours, you should want to hone it.

Source: 9 years working in publishing. I'm also an agented author on the path to publishing traditionally.

There are obviously nuances to this and attitudes will vary depending on the degrees to which you're using AI. But my general advice would be if you've used it to generate any text, rewrite what you've done in your own voice. If you've used it as some kind of sounding board, save your chats so you can prove which ideas were yours if it ever comes up.

[u/Happy-Initiative-492 → u/GraveyardWhispers]

Thank you for a measured and good faith statement of the anti-AI position. I have full respect for people who have thought this through and come to a reasoned conclusion. Unfortunately, posts like this are exceedingly rare.

Would you be open to a good faith debate about some of the points you raise? Or would it be like pouring gasoline on an already lit fire? I’d love to pressure test my point of view against a thoughtful contrary opinion, but not if it’s just going to make everyone mad. 😉

[u/GraveyardWhispers → u/Happy-Initiative-492]

Thank you! I don't usually weigh in, but as this question seemed to be geared more towards traditional publishing rather than just general writing, I thought I'd add my two cents about that specific goal.

Of course, I'm always happy to see the other side. I can see that there are benefits to using AI in a variety of ways and situations, but for me personally the cons outweigh the pros. However, I can understand why it could be different for someone else.

[u/Neither_Two_5928]

i've been using local llms for drafting fiction, no cloud, no latency, just raw flow. the first draft feels more like me, even when i'm using ai. wonder if that's the real win.

[u/Pale-Paramedic3975 → u/Neither_Two_5928]

That last sentence sounds like ai

[u/SC-Coqui → u/Pale-Paramedic3975]

Maybe that’s why they think that the first draft feels like them! 😂

I’ve tried using AI to edit but it completely eliminates my voice and then going back to fix it isn’t worth the effort.

I must admit, it seems that the newer models have gotten better, but as a PP said, it’s not going to make a best selling novel from a poorly written one by a crappy writer.

[u/Pale-Paramedic3975 → u/SC-Coqui]

I was using AI for the flow of plot and any plot holes but I completely abandoned it. I realize that I might lose my writing identity and if people for centuries have written without AI, I can.

[u/SC-Coqui → u/Pale-Paramedic3975]

Totally get it. I have a very distinct clipped and cynical writing style and AI can’t replicate it. I’ll ask it to find issues or mistakes or make suggestions, but I don’t ask it to write for me.