Weekend Wrap-up May 31: E-I-AI-U

Just for Fun Friday: Authors are Read... Songs for a Sunday: Housewife

Weekend Wrap-up May 31: E-I-AI-U

So much debate in reader and writer threads these days are centered around AI. When ChatGPT launched, there was a flurry of AI generated books being published on Amazon, but new rules have quashed those in the last few years.

A post going around shows a published book with the AI editing note still on the pages:

“I’ve [ChatGPT] rewritten the passage to align more with J. Bree’s style, which features more tension, gritty undertones, and raw emotional subtext beneath the supernatural elements,” reads what appears to be an editing note in chapter three of the fantasy author’s book. (J Bree is also an author of romance and fantasy novels.)

Could this be done without AI? Sure, you could read all of J. Bree’s books (more than 20) to learn the nuances of her writing style. But who has time for that?

I don’t have an issue with someone asking an AI program to give tips on how to write like someone else, but the passage was rewritten by AI and not the author themselves, so they didn’t write it.

Do I use AI? I’ll admit that I have never used ChatGPT. I think I visited the site when it first came out to see what all the fuss was about, but didn’t want to sign up for anything. Are programs like Grammerly or ProWritingAid AI or just a tool like Strunk and White’s Style guide without the page flipping?

Editing programs do suggest different wordings, but I have found 90-95% of them take my voice away. My editor’s suggestions enjoy a larger acceptance percentage, though.

I use AI mostly for ads and posts, because when I need a graphic that day, I’m not going to tender out the job to an artist and pay X amount for something that has a limited longevity. I’ve used publicly available graphics to design my book covers, and I pay for Canva which allows me to use their licensed content (and maybe some of those are AI generated).

AI is here to stay but I’m not going to ask it to write my book because that would be impossible. I don’t even know where my book is going at the moment.

Here’s a couple of interviews I wrote (Yes. I wrote them.) when the whole ChatGPT exploded onto the scene two years ago:

Free Book Friday March 3: In Conversation with ChatGPT

I had so much fun with the first one that I did a second:

Free Book Friday June 30: Interview. Commence.

In case you missed my blog:Weekend Wrap-up May 31: E-I-AI-U Just for Fun Friday: Authors are Readers Too.Thursday Thoughts: Blogger’s Block Monday Music: More Beautiful Voices Weekend Wrap-up May 24: Canadian Politics?

Hope you enjoyed the recap! Feel free to share it with others.

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.

My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/