Writers in the Storm

by Piper Bayard

Artificial Intelligence. AI. With all of its many uses, some writers have embraced AI’s capabilities to hone their manuscripts. Others shun the programs altogether. Meanwhile, grifters are making a fortune with “scam books.” It all leaves me wondering:

• Is AI a writer’s best friend?
• How much AI use is too much?
• What does the law have to say about it?
• Will AI be the end of authors?

It’s just a fact that AI has become an integral part of writing in today’s world. Corporate employees use it to take notes during meetings. Students use it to perfect and sometimes altogether write their compositions. With a few prompts, gamers use AI to produce detailed profiles of characters and objects.

A friend of mine at the CIA even uses it to clean up her emails, as in, she writes what she really wants to say to her colleagues and then gives her AI the prompt, “Make this polite, firm, and professional.” It transforms, “What the hell are you thinking . . . ?” to “Perhaps we should consider . . . ?” That sort of AI usage is all well and good for the general public, except the students’ cheating, of course, but at what point does AI use become unethical for professional writers?

 A Little Test

In an effort to explore the topic, I conducted a little experiment on X a while back. I asked the X-verse population whether it matters to them if authors use AI in the writing and production of a book. I asked if they would like a notation of some kind on books to indicate whether the content was at all generated by AI.

Fifty-seven readers and authors responded. To a person, the readers said it does matter to them, and they would like a symbol to designate books that are free of AI content. A couple of authors, however, supported the use of AI for editing. One even argued with me that it is impossible to write a book in this modern world without using AI, pointing out that Spell Check is a crude form of Artificial Intelligence. The divide surprised me and left me with yet more questions about the ethical use of technology in writing.

Authors’ New Best Friend?

In the December 8, 2023 edition of Literary Hub, Debbi Urbanski tells about her AI journey, in which she asked Large Language Models (“LLMs”) questions, gave them prompts, and evaluated what they turned out. She says that most of the writing was bad, but that eventually, with the right prompts, some of it was good. Urbanski even used a bit of the product in her own work.  She encourages a collaboration between AI and authors to produce better books, and she cites to several AI/Author collaboration excerpts to show how chatting with Baby Skynet can actually produce a superior product.

Also, in a February 21, 2023 Reuters article, Brett Schickler openly admits to using AI to produce a 30-page, illustrated children’s book in a single day and putting it up for sale on Amazon. He says he plans to use AI to write and sell many more of these books.

Amazon’s position on this? In the process of publishing a book on KDP, the program asks if any part of the book was created by Artificial Intelligence. An author simply answers yes or no. To the best of my knowledge, Amazon does not follow up on this to find out if people are lying.

And what is creative product? AI programs like ChatGPT are only as good as the prompts they are given. Some authors will put in terrible prompts and get terrible results. Other authors will enter more sophisticated prompts and, like Ms. Urbanski, end up with useful text. Are the prompts, themselves, enough “creative product” for the author to claim the resulting text as their own?

Scam Books

That said, according to an article which appeared on The Authors Guild’s website on March 15, 2024, AI is fueling an entire scam book industry. The scammers are most prone to targeting new releases, publishing “companion” books in the form of summaries, workbooks, and guides. Many of these appear for sale on the site within 24 hours of a book release.

According to Fair Use law, companion books which provide substantial analysis and commentary without copying an abundance of the original work are within the law. However, the AI-generated companion books have little or no analysis or original content. While it is certainly arguable that they infringe on copyright, authors must prove that fact at their own expense. I don’t know how much you folks are making with your writing, but I know I certainly don’t have a “Copyright Infringement Lawsuit” column in my monthly budget.

Unfortunately, some scammers are so bold that authors cannot ignore the infringements, and there are currently several lawsuits that authors and screenwriters have brought against companies that were using AI to scrape their books and create AI-generated books based on the content they harvested. Some authors have added language to their websites and books forbidding the use of their work product for AI training. It is not yet determined how effective this language will be in an infringement case.

Some Help from Amazon

At least one author had a bit of success when AI infringed on her copyrights. According to an NPR article on March 13, 2024, author Kara Swisher published her memoir, Burn Book, only to have AI-created fake biographies of her popping up on Amazon. She immediately sent a note to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. Amazon took the fake biographies down. However, for those of us who are not on such close terms with Andy Jassy, scam books, including the companion books, fake biographies, plagiarized books, etc., continue to be a major problem on Amazon and other publishing platforms.

What Do The Courts Say?

Actual law regarding the use of AI in publishing is quite new and still shaking out. Meanwhile, AI tech companies are reveling in the Wild West of legal uncertainty. It will take years before the lines are clear, and then, no doubt, some other new technological development will be challenging them.

Many of the current legal questions regarding AI writing center around the concept of “authorship.” The US Copyright Office only recognizes copyright in works “created by a human being.” AI product is dependent on prompts given by humans. Therefore, does a human being “create” the work of an AI program?

In 2022, Dr. Stephen Thaler was denied copyright by the US Copyright Office when he tried to register a visual artwork created “autonomously” by an AI program called the Creativity Machine. He sued, and the US district court upheld the denial of copyright, saying that “human authorship is an essential part of a valid copyright claim.” At this point, according to the Congressional Research Service, the Copyright Office is unlikely to grant copyright for text produced from feeding prompts into AI.

This raises yet more questions. Can authors even legitimately claim copyright if they partner with AI in their writing? How much is too much?

As for the legality of scraping copyrighted work to train AI, the jury is still out, with many authors and their attorneys waiting to find out if big tech can appropriate their work for this use. Have a seat and put your feet up. It could be a while.

Are We Training Our Replacements?

In using authors’ works to train AI, some authors say tech companies are literally using us to train our own replacements. Many authors seem certain it will never happen, and that AI will never be good enough. For example, AI translations of books get pronouns wrong, particularly when translating from Chinese. AI text is often stilted and unnatural, and it rarely flows like it does from a human, making the current AI books too obvious.

Some authors argue that we will never be replaced by AI because the books are just plain bad. It’s possible, but then, we have all seen 50 shades of literary abomination occasionally top the leading bestseller lists. AI text is only as good as the prompts given to the programs, and people are getting better and better at their prompts. At this point, LLMs can, indeed, be used to write entire books, and dumping AI fiction into Amazon has become quite a cottage industry.

Speaking from my personal experience, I do see cause for concern. As the writing partner of a 50-yr veteran of military and intelligence field operations for the past fifteen years, I have daily watched AI become more sophisticated in social media. Back when I first made accounts and announced my writing partner was a broadly-experienced participant in the Shadow World, China, Russia, Iran, South Korea, and others flooded our website with hits, comments, and even threats. At the time, it was mostly actual humans, but there were some AI accounts even then. They were clumsy and easy to spot.

Change Over Time

Over the years, China and others have used the information harvested from the electronics in our homes and businesses, as well as hired language trainers, to create more sophisticated AI social media programs. At this point, I would say a substantial percentage of the social media propaganda accounts are actually AI. They have become so polished that what was once laughably obvious now makes me pause to consider, and I’m not always certain what I am looking at anymore. They really are that good. I personally believe it is only a matter of time until the same is true of AI-generated books.

IMHO

For myself, I do not use AI to create any of my written content or visual art, and I put this symbol on my books to indicate that. Feel free to copy it and use it if you like. Perhaps it’s because I’m tired of learning new technology. Perhaps it’s because I’m extremely literal in my perception of what constitutes writing that is “created by human beings.” The fact is that we all have our positions on this topic, and we must all fight our way through the shifting sands of technology, copyright, and publishing.

What is your position on the use of AI in copyrighted works by authors? Do you use AI in your writing? If you do, how much do you use it? What seems fair and right to you? Thank you for sharing your human-created answers.

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About Piper

Piper Bayard and Jay Holmes of Bayard & Holmes are the authors of espionage tomes and international spy thrillers. Please visit Piper and Jay at their site, BayardandHolmes.com. For notices of their upcoming releases, subscribe to the Bayard & Holmes Covert Briefing. You can also contact Bayard & Holmes at their Contact page, on Twitter at @piperbayard, on Facebook at Piper Bayard, or at their email, BayardandHolmes@protonmail.com.

Though crafted with advice and specific tips for writers, SPYCRAFT: Essentials is for anyone who wants to learn more about the inner workings of the Shadow World.

“For any author, this is the new bible for crafting stories of espionage.”

~ James Rollins, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Demon Crown

All post photos purchased from DepositPhotos by the author.

Belanger, Ashley. (2024, March 11). “Nvidia Sued Over AI Training Data as Copyright Clashes Continue.” ARS Technica. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/03/novelists-sue-nvidia-to-stop-spread-of-ai-models-trained-on-copyrighted-books/.

Bensinger, Greg. (2023, February 21). “Focus: ChatGPT launches boom in AI-written e-books on Amazon.” Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/technology/chatgpt-launches-boom-ai-written-e-books-amazon-2023-02-21/.

Limbong, Andrew. (2024, March 13). “Authors Push Back on the Growing Number of AI ‘Scam’ Books on Amazon.” NPR Morning Edition. https://www.npr.org/2024/03/13/1237888126/growing-number-ai-scam-books-amazon.

Staff. (2024, March 15). “AI is Driving a New Surge of Sham ‘Books’ on Amazon.” The Authors Guild. https://authorsguild.org/news/ai-driving-new-surge-of-sham-books-on-amazon/.

Staff. (2023, September 20). “The Authors Guild, John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, David Baldacci, George R.R. Martin, and 13 Other Authors File Class-Action Suit Against OpenAI.” The Authors Guild. https://authorsguild.org/news/ag-and-authors-file-class-action-suit-against-openai/.

Urbanski, Debbie. (2023, December 8). “Why Novelists Should Embrace Artificial Intelligence.” Literary Hub. https://lithub.com/why-novelists-should-embrace-artificial-intelligence/.

Zirpoli, Christopher T. (2023, September 29). “Generative Artificial Intelligence and Copyright Law.” Congressional Research Service. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/LSB/LSB10922.

By Sarah “Sally” Hamer

Humans are judgmental creatures. We look at ourselves in a mirror on the way out of the door and make a decision as to whether we look good enough to go outside. We might fluff our hair or touch up lipstick or straighten a collar, but we’re still judging. Is it good enough?

• Good enough for what?
• For whom?
• For what occasion?
• Who sets those darned rules, anyhow?

How we judge ourselves comes from our culture and our upbringing for the most part.

Humans are hard-wired to live together in groups, small or large, and the groups around us are intimately engaged in what they will accept in our behavior and appearance. In some cultures and time periods, for instance, a man is not allowed to have facial hair. But other cultures and time periods not only expect that facial hair but will judge a man for not having enough. Whatever enough is. We obey those social rules at the risk of being ostracized and laughed at and, in some cases, even thrown out of the group.

So, what does this have to do with writing?

It works in exactly the same way.

We are our own toughest critics. After all, we create something deeply personal and give it to the world to tear apart. Writing is an intimate process, and we have so many chances to distrust ourselves. We know that EVERYTHING we write will be judged by somebody, so we judge it first. And, for some people, it never goes any further.

After all, it’s supposed to be perfect, right? But we set impossibly high standards for our work, comparing it to everything we’ve ever read. We write, then edit, then write and re-edit, and can find it very difficult to be satisfied. In fact, the quest for perfection can be so paralyzing that the manuscript never goes out of the door.

If that’s not bad enough, we’re judged by everyone who reads anything we write. People have opinions, formed by their experiences and ideas. Different people like different things—in fact, if we all liked just one book, there would only be that one book. So, each of us has likes and dislikes that sway our reading decisions. What kind of books do you like? I’m into happy endings and dragons. It’s not a good story without dragons, right? But what about the people who would never purchase a dragon book? They’re certainly entitled to their own opinion and to buy—and read—what they want.

But too often it turns into judgment. If I like those dragons, do I have the right to tell you that you are wrong if you don’t like them?

Finding the right fit.

Part of the problem also is that commercial fiction has an entire wall of pigeonholes that books are supposed to fit in. Finding the right pigeonhole can be an entire class of doubt on its own. Most of us do research on what we think is acceptable to the audience we want to read it. If we’re writing a romance novel, for instance, there are established and pretty darned specific rules. It’s probably not as carved in stone as it used to be when I first started writing decades ago. But back then, even the best-written book in the world wouldn’t be published by the “big” houses, if it didn’t mean the accepted criteria.

Other genres can be just as restricted: a mystery almost always has a dead body and a puzzle to solve. Suspense stories allow the villain to be known, even to the protagonist, but it’s a cat-and-mouse chase from beginning to end. Major fantasy sagas almost always have a mysterious character who leads an innocent unknown hero/ine into an adventure. And the list goes on and on.

So, we judge our writing.

• Will it fit in the established pigeonhole?
• Does it need to?
• What if we just want to write what we want to write?

Honestly, it depends on the WHY of writing. Why are you writing? Often when I’m talking to a new writer—or even a more experienced one who hasn’t accomplished what they want—I find that some of us are writing for all the wrong reasons. And, even worse, sometimes we’re selling our soul.

Writing to publish is completely different from writing for oneself.

What reason are you writing? Is it to publish? (I remember when Snoopy from the Peanuts comics wrote his book on his typewriter on top of his doghouse and sent it off with a letter to the publisher – “Just send the check when you get this.” Would it be that easy!)

Publishing requires a subset of skills that not all writers have or are willing to acquire. It takes marketing skills, writing to a target audience, social media presence, and a whole bunch of other things that some people just aren’t up for.

The question I often get from that “newbie” is, “If I write a book, I’ll make lots of money, right?” Wrong. Well, it’s possible. Of course it is. There are many people who do just that. But it’s such a small percentage of writers that it may not be worth all the work that goes into it.

So, ask yourself:

• WHY do you write?
• Is your judgment of your WHY based on a set of standards you may not wish to meet?
• Or, do you write because you want to learn how?
• Does it come from your heart?
• Are you learning what type of a writer you want to be as you write?
• Do you believe in yourself?

Because, bottom line, there is hope. Set your goals. Understand what you’re trying to accomplish.

Give yourself a chance to find your inner voice. Then, you’ll never have to worry about what someone else—or your own internal critic—thinks.

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About Sally

Sarah (Sally) Hamer, B.S., MLA, is a lover of books, a teacher of writers, and a believer in a good story. Most of all, she is eternally fascinated by people and how they 'tick'. She’s passionate about helping people tell their own stories, whether through fiction or through memoir. Writing in many genres - mystery, science fiction, fantasy, romance, medieval history, non-fiction – she has won awards at both local and national levels, including two Golden Heart finals.

A teacher of memoir, beginning and advanced creative fiction writing, and screenwriting at Louisiana State University in Shreveport for over twenty years, she also teaches online for Margie Lawson at www.margielawson.com and hosts symposiums at www.mindpotential.org. Find her at info@mindpotential.org.

Tip Image by Vilius Kukanauskas from Pixabay

by Angela Ackerman

No matter who your protagonist is—a formidable galactic emperor, a morally complex teenager, or the retiree down the street with too many cats—readers must find something fundamentally relatable about them, something that resonates with their own human experience. This causes them to feel bonded to the character in a way they didn’t expect, and we need that to happen to get them invested in the story.

Tapping into our reader’s psyche to pull on their emotions is essential. Often writers focus on likeability, giving a character admirable traits, a passion, or noble mission that the reader can get behind. But the secret sauce is something more subtle yet nuanced: emotional common ground.

Tell me, do these experiences seem familiar?

• Not knowing what to do
• Making a mistake
• Regretting a choice
• Trying and failing
• Wanting to quit
• Needing to hide disappointment
• Being unsure as to how to ask for help
• Recognizing a truth too late
• Knowingly doing the wrong thing
• Pretending to be okay
• Feeling taken advantage of
• Having no good options

These are emotionally challenging moments common to us all, ones that stick with us due to the discomfort and vulnerability they cause. When we feel exposed, it’s human nature to keep those feelings to ourselves. As a result, they often become hidden experiences—things we go through that stir deep emotions but are rarely shared or discussed.

Hidden experiences are interesting because while we can feel utterly alone when they happen, if we realize someone else is going through the same thing, our first response is to feel empathy and possibly a desire to help. In fiction, hidden experiences can be a goldmine. If a character goes through something that makes them feel say, threatened, exposed, or inadequate, readers will instantly recognize it. Even better, a kinship forms because they know what it’s like to be in that character’s emotional shoes.

Where to Use Hidden Experiences

While it’s not exactly enjoyable to face life’s challenges—especially when we don’t handle them as well as we’d hope—the silver lining is that we can use those experiences to our advantage in fiction. Giving readers a front row seat to a character’s vulnerability, insecurities, and struggles is a powerful way to foster empathy and make them invested in what happens next. To get the best mileage from a hidden experience, we should think about points in a story where reinforcing common ground makes the most sense. A few ideas… 

Moral Dilemmas

Navigating conflicting morals or values is never simple or easy. When a character wrestles with a moral problem, they instinctively turn inward, reasoning through their options. This process will draw the reader in, especially as they recognize that whatever the character decides, it will say something about who they are. A solution is never perfect, either, meaning a consequence or cost, which is also relatable. Whenever something important is at stake—like a person’s identity—readers can’t help but think about what they would do in the same situation and be reminded of similar moral struggles they’ve faced in their own life.

Relationship Friction

Humans are social creatures, and we invest in certain relationships. Try as we might to pretend otherwise, we do care what certain people think, and we want to belong. This is why characters experiencing difficulties in a relationship—a partner constantly putting work first, parents who love conditionally, a daughter who is growing more and more distant—pull on a reader’s heartstrings. It’s easy to relate to the desire to erase tension, a gnawing sense of unfairness, or how it feels to have a relationship-based need going unmet.

Temptation

What makes a moral dilemma or tough choice even more difficult? The presence of temptation—to take the easy road, offload a problem onto someone else, give into a bad habit, or be untruthful about what’s transpiring. Temptation is a great hidden experience to use because all readers have been lured by its song. Everyone has felt the pull to justify their actions even knowing they are wrong. They also very likely have experienced the cost of giving in to temptation, so while they will root for a character to resist, they will be somewhat sympathetic if it goes the other way, too.

Connect Hidden Experiences to the Fabric of Your Story

Life can be painful, so we all have a lot of real-world hidden experiences on our bingo card. But this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be choosy about which ones we write into the story. Sure, readers can relate to a protagonist’s shame and guilt at being caught in a lie, but if their choice to do so has no real bearing on the story or character’s arc, it won’t land right with readers. For hidden experiences to juice your story with meaning, think about where the plot needs to go, the lessons your character needs to learn, and what common internal suffering will be the perfect fit to make the character’s situation more relatable and poignant to readers.

Don’t Hold Back

Some of you might find it hard to poke your character’s soft spots, but I promise you, the payoff is huge. Not only are you building in powerful points of connection between characters and your audience, but you also ensure they become deeply invested in the story’s resolution. Readers want to see good things happen for the people they care about, especially those who have endured familiar trials and struggles. 

Have you ever read about a character’s hidden experience and felt instant empathy? Tell me about it!

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About Angela

Angela Ackerman is a story coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, and its many sequels. Available in nine languages, her guides are sourced by US universities, recommended by agents and editors, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, and psychologists around the world. To date, this book collection has sold over a million copies.

Angela is also the co-founder of the popular site Writers Helping Writers®, as well as One Stop for Writers®, a portal to game-changing tools and resources that enable writers to craft powerful fiction. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Top Image by hoahoa111 from Pixabay