Image Credits:-
Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. AI images avoided. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes.
Every writer has wishes. We work hard to try to bring some at least to fruition. But there are other, bigger wishes going on now and most are centred around Artificial Intelligence (AI). Nobody wants creativity destroyed by it. Many are wary of what it can be capable of.
And I worry it could replace human editors, which I think would be a huge mistake as the biggest failing of AI I’ve seen so far is it cannot pick up on context. That’s something I am pleased about but what worries me is those who are thinking of using this to replace human editors will either not see this problem or don’t care about it. To me, that will mean a drop in quality, which is no way to bring in the readers.
I’ve recently signed up to the Human-Authored campaign, which is led (in the UK) by the Society of Authors, though they are working with the American The Authors’ Guild on this. For any book published since 2020, you can register your book with them and can then put their logo on your website. (Must confess I’ve yet to do this on mine but do plan to do it).
I’ve registered my Tripping The Flash Fantastic and am planning to register my Seeing The Other Side when that comes out. I think it matters readers can tell between human produced fiction (and non-fiction) and that created by AI. Then they will know they have a choice.
Incidentally, if you are not a member of the Society of Authors, you can apply to join it via the Human-Authored website – link here.
On to happier writing wishes though….
What Most Writers Would Wish For
A never ending source of ideas. Good news. There are various ways to feed your imagination to help trigger those ideas. Reading widely is just one. Books of prompts and the random generators are useful too.
More time in which to write. Bad news. It is difficult, to say the least, to increase the amount of time you have for writing. What helps, I think, is to plan out what you can write and when. I have certain days when I cannot write much. I use those for smaller writing tasks and/or writing related admin so, later in the week when I do have more time, I can get on with more creative work.
Plenty of nice stationery. Great news. There is always space for a notebook and pen (or several) on the average writer’s desk and you will be a huge hit with family and friends as they will know what to get you for birthdays, Christmas etc. These things are also brilliant for writing events, workshops etc. No need to worry about whether your battery or internet connection will fail. I’ve found transcribing handwritten work up later is a useful first edit as I spot where I’ve repeated myself and just don’t bother typing that up, of course.
Reviews – especially good ones! Bad news. All you can do here is write the best work you can and, every so often, encourage followers to leave you a review. Not everyone will like your book. That goes with the territory. Not everyone will leave a review. But some will and that can be used in your marketing. If you feel getting reviews is an uphill struggle, every writer on the planet will sympathise. When I write on my Facebook timeline about this, I point out that, other than buying the books you write, leaving a review is the next best thing any reader can do for an author.
To do well in writing competitions. Good news. There are more story competitions around (but do check out the backgrounds to ensure they are proper ones). There are more opportunities. All you can do here is give it your best shot. I’ve had work published elsewhere which did nothing at all in competitions so bear in mind it isn’t wasted effort here. You can rework your stories when you know they haven’t won and see if you can send them out again elsewhere. Good news again. The discipline of writing to required deadlines and word counts will help all of your writing, no matter what you write.
Publication, of course. There isn’t really an of course here. It’s fine to write for your own pleasure. It is how most of us start. I did. It was only after I’d been writing for a while, I thought I would see if I could get my work published. Good news – there are more options. You can self publish. You can publish via the independent presses (print on demand has made such a difference to their viability). You can be published via letters and fillers as well as short stories. There are novel competitions which can lead to publication. This is why I am a long term subscriber to Writing Magazine. The market news is always interesting and they run their own competitions. They also set a theme for writers to tackle and they pick two winners, one for prose, the other for poetry, who they then publish in a future edition. So all worth considering.
Advice – The Right Kind at the Right Time. Great news. As well as the Society of Authors, there is the Alliance of Independent Authors who are wonderfully supportive. The Society of Authors helped me avoid the trap of a vanity press many years ago and I know I can turn to them should I need a contract checking out etc. Their journal is useful too. But it is knowing where to turn to for advice that can be tricky for those new to the industry.
Support – especially from other writers. Great news. There are a wide range of writing groups out there, some of which meet in person, others have online meetings, and still others combine the two. There are writing organisations. I’m a member of the Association of Christian Writers, for example. There are plenty of genre specific ones too, especially for crime and romance writers. A quick Google search will throw up results here, as will a search on Facebook for writing groups.
More understanding from the public about the hard work behind writing. Good luck with this one. Most people are sympathetic. Others have no idea. You just sit at your desk and write, don’t you? Well, yes but…. It pays to accept this is the way of it and the best support comes from other writers who do know what it is to craft something from nothing, edit it, edit it again, get the work out there, have umpteen rejections and so on.
More support for the creative industries generally. This should be a no brainer. The government’s own website suggests they generate £124 billion annually for the UK. So supporting authors, say, so their works aren’t stolen by AI should also be a no brainer, yes?
Conclusion
The writing life is a rollercoaster and that’s fine. There are great joys from it – making friends with other writers is the chief one for me. There are the downsides. There are the scammers who get in on almost every industry you can think of if they believe they can fleece someone and they are here too.
You do have to write for the love of it. You cannot know if your work will be successful or not. It is the love of writing which will help keep you going.
Related Posts:-
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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