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Businesses increasingly use AI to draft and edit content – blog posts, case studies, training outlines, policy documents, contracts, presentations and more. I heard about a life-writing company that uses AI to ghost books based on an interview transcript, and only brings in a human to edit and sense-check the final draft. Many may deplore this direction, but it’s rapidly becoming new work for writers. Rather than create from scratch, people take AI drafts and ‘make them human’. This requires a slightly different skillset to that required of a traditional content writer. At least businesses understand AI content alone won’t cut it. In fact, the request is often just that: ‘make this sound like it’s not AI’. Everyone’s using it, but no one wants to be caught doing it. So how do you ‘humanise’ AI content? Get rid of the obvious telltale AI icks Nothing wrong with an em dash in its place, but the likes of ChatGPT use them to excess. Other telltale signs include the gratuitous use of emojis and a number of cheesy almost cliche constructions. For example: ‘The result? Increased sales, and a delighted client.’ Another would be the overused ‘Not X but Y’ pattern. As in: ‘This isn’t just More

Recently a long-time fan wrote me, saying she kept some of my words for ready reference. She came across a particular essay that really resonated with her, and she asked that I repeat it, because what applied years ago, still applies today. It’s pretty evergreen, I think. “The world is hurting, and it doesn’t know how to stop hurting.   That’s why you ensconce yourself in your writing space and find your happy place. Not only because you need it for your peace of mind, but because others still need good stories for escape, for enjoyment, for self-help, for stimulation. Create your happy place. Make yourself want to go there. Then disappear in your stories. Show the world that negativity is not going to win.” Sure, it’s easy to say chin up and all that, but we have bad days. Sometimes it’s politics. Sometimes it’s family. Sometimes it’s the fact life didn’t turn out quite as we’d hoped. Writing is what I use to level the day. Writing is what I use to disappear from the horrors. Writing is what I use to feel better about myself. Develop the habit. Writing is worth way more to you than simple publication. More

As a journalist, the most common question I receive is about the source of my story ideas. Sometimes, newspapers assign me work which saves me the brainpower of having to come up with ideas. In the unfortunate case that I must come up with my own stories (most of the time), there’s a few tricks like crowdsourcing in various corners of the internet, getting yourself on media lists, and going back to previous sources. However, the best advice I can offer, cliched as it is, is to keep your ears open. We take for granted that interesting things happen in our vicinity throughout our daily lives. In my case, a light bulb goes on in my head at those moments. It’s an instinct I’ve honed over time. Call it a spidey sense of sorts. Four Tips on Honing This Skill: Notice the interesting things going on around you. I was driving down a highway and noticed a motel totally out of character with its neighboring properties on Arlington’s hotel row. Several months later I thought about that hotel when I needed a local article. In another example, I visited a synagogue in Richmond and saw pictures of two congregants in More

In a recent editorial I lightly mentioned that a lot of my family do not read my books, and another writer replied to that. She wondered if it was upsetting to me. My honest answer? I try not to dwell on it. If I did, I would get my feelings hurt. But a writer has to accept reality. 1. Not everyone reads your kind of writing. One of my sons promises every now and then he’ll read the books. I don’t hold my breath because he prefers reading nonfiction, specifically how-to and historical. My work can’t be further away from those genres. 2. Not everyone reads. . . period. It’s sad, but a lot of people don’t believe reading to be important. They stay busy and wouldn’t take the time to read anything, whether it’s your book or not. Reading reminds them of the forced reading from school. 3. Readers read more than your work. They have their favorites, and you may not be one of them. Another son loves several other authors, and while he reads my work, he is several books behind, because other books caught his attention. 4. Phones have stolen reading time. I was told by More

I came in today from talking to our dock guy, we call him. The man who helps us maintain our small dock, and who is building us a small pier to fish off off. He asked me a question that most people do, to include people who know me well. “Have you worked on a book lately?” Even after 22 novels, people seem to think my work is a part-time hobby deal. If they don’t see me at a signing, or if they see me out in public, they wonder if I have thought about doing another book, when in fact, I’m never NOT writing or editing or publishing a book. It’s sort of my job. The average person, however, doesn’t see that as a fulltime job. How can it be? How hard can it be to write a story and put it up on Amazon? But that’s okay. Want to know why that’s okay? Because they think it’s cool that I write books. If they think I write good stories easily, so be it. If they think I write them in a month, so be it. They are reading them. I quit trying to explain much about the process, More

Alternative social platforms like Threads, BlueSky, and MySpace are drawing users who want safer, more regulated online worlds. PEN International and Stephen King have switched. Should you? Here’s how authors can expand their reach to alternative social media. Why Switch? I explored alternative social platforms when people became too curious about my personal life online. Other users are switching to follow trends, friends, and influencers. Alternative social media accounts (like Threads or BlueSky) allow multi-platform reach to where people might look past your posts. If your content stays limited to Facebook, BlueSky users are unlikely to search for you across platforms. Create an account on several websites, and more readers can find you. A young-adult novel might promote better on YouTube and Discord over Facebook, where users are older. An LGBTQI+ article might miss its audience on Twitter/X where many of the intended audience left X/Twitter due to hate speech. Know your audience, your genre, and the genre’s readership. What’s the Right Site? Follow your readership. Ask them for social media suggestions. Authors will notice where most of their readership or interests go. Search for your genres or interests on each social media website—attitudes and differences stand out. Social media accounts can be hidden or deactivated More

As freelance writers, we know to include a bio with our queries or pitches—one that provides links to published pieces and that aligns with the type of submissions a magazine is looking for. There is something else we need to consider adding to our bios or pitches—”Almosts.” Almosts are what I refer to as submissions (mainly those to literary magazines) that have not made the final cut in a contest, nomination, or other but have earned an honorable mention or a place on a magazine’s shortlist or longlist. These additions to your bio, website, or resume can prove invaluable in getting future literary assignments or having your completed submission noticed, especially for beginning writers. A shortlist is at the top of the hierarchy of Almosts. Once initial reviewers have determined which entries are to be deleted from the competition altogether, an editor or team of reviewers decides which remaining entries are eligible for placement on a shortlist. A shortlist is a list of next-in-lines should the winner (or one of the winners in the case of more than one) drop out or be eliminated. An entrant’s chronological place on a shortlist is, in turn, determined by its importance or suitability. More

Someone pitched me an article this week, and while the idea sounded decent, I declined based upon his online presence…or lack of one. He told me he could send his CV and a list of articles he has done, but they were not online. He had a handful of articles with links. The problem arose when it came to demonstrating who he was. His photo looked like a blurred thirty-year-old passport photo. His only presence was on LinkedIn and even then only had 42 connections. His page graphic was a stock photograph, having nothing to do with who he was or what he did. Very very generic. These days, that looks very very scammy. I tried to explain to him that when my readers read his writing, it reflects on me in having chosen him. When they click on his link and reach a questionable presence, that reflects on me. Keep in mind that writing an article is more than just about the topic matter. It’s about the reputation of the writer and the reputation of the publication. The following are the considerations of an article being selected: 1) Is the article well written? 2) Is the topic pertinent to More

Ethical AI uses machine-learning for data analysis and research—rather than using generative artificial intelligence to replace the human artist, writer, or creative. While generative AI “creates” content from sometimes plagiarised input, general artificial intelligence can ease the burdens of research. Here’s how artificial intelligence can be put to (good) use. Visualization I’ve heard from many authors who visualized their characters using games like The Sims Character Creation tools. Artificial intelligence can create a simple visual or “mock-up” as a way to personally visualize an idea. As someone visually inclined, if I wanted to see my lead character—balding, 50s, comfortable wear—I could use OpenAI or Pixlr to ease my writing process. AI could also create a mock-up image of the character’s workplace. As long as you don’t push towards commercial use (or claim something created with artificial intelligence is yours), AI can help authors see their creations easier. Generative AI versus Artificial Intelligence Dall-E, Adobe Firefly, and ChatGPT can produce audio, images, text, and video using machine learning—however artists like Scott Sava discourage artificial intelligence replacing human artistic effort. Artists and writers risk being replaced when clients choose generative AI over actual creativity. Machine-learning data—like a song that sounds exactly like Michael Jackson, or a poem that could have been Sylvia More

I follow a lot of groups, usually remaining silent, reading, taking note, hoping to find some nugget to use myself. . . or to use as a learning tool in a future FundsforWriters newsletter. As you probably know from your own experience, it’s amazing what people write for the world to see that leaves scars on their reputation. They believe because they are in a group that none of their readers will read what they are saying about publishing or being a writer. For example: How can they make a buck with sales quicker, easier, better? Amazon sucks. (They forget that readers like Amazon.) Where can they find a quality editor for cheap? (Editors love reading that, I’m sure.) What’s the cheapest/easiest/best way to format/design a cover/edit without hiring someone? I love this one. Do you make any money with anything but Amazon? I’m not familiar with many bookstores or libraries who like ordering their books through Amazon. But then, if you don’t expect your book to be in bookstores or libraries… A week ago, I watched a discussion about using AI. Some were using it. (Again the thing with making a buck quicker, easier, better.) They were using AI not just More