Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) Blog Post: Now About That AI! #IWSGbloghop

 

Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop
#IWSGbloghop

What is the Insecure Writer's Support Group?
Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database, articles and tips, a monthly blog posting, a Facebook and Instagram group, Twitter, and a monthly newsletter. 
To find out more, click this link:  Insecure Writer’s Support Group

The purpose of the group is 
* to share and encourage. 
* Writers can express doubts and concerns 
without fear of appearing foolish or weak. 
* Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. 
*It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! 
You're invited to become a member of this supportive group. 
Click here to sign-up and/or to visit the bloggers this week.

Happy IWSG Day!
Happy Women's History Month!

Celebrating Women's History Month
every year in March

Thank you to our awesome co-hosts for the March 6 posting of the IWSG are Kristina Kelly, Miffie Seideman, Jean Davis, and Liza @ Middle Passages!


QUESTION FOR MARCH 6

Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?

Yes, I have used Grammarly for years, and I like the editor that comes with MS Word, but I don't rely on them completely. Human eyes, especially eyes that belong to a new person, catch a lot of errors, even the errors by Grammarly!

I never thought these programs were AI until I submitted my book to Amazon KDP and discovered the content is considered AI-assisted. AI-generated means the content of the book was written by AI. Yesterday I noticed the question offers degrees of using AI in the book. Minimum to All of the book.

I just updated the content in my print book for writing life stories and designed a new book cover. Needless to say, I felt insecure figuring
Your Words, Your Life Story

out the formatting for the KDP book. Thank goodness for the KDP template and the cover calculator. I haven't looked at the book through the KDP preview viewer. Fingers crossed all is well.

I must confess I wrote the book description and used AI to improve it. But when Professor AI returned the results, I almost laughed. It didn't sound like I had written it, not my voice, but I did use one phrase from the AI description. 

I have tried creating images for book covers using Bing's co-pilot AI. It takes a lot of "playing" with it to even get close to what I want. I believe a lot of practice is needed to develop the skill to be happy with what Professor AI suggests.

Whether to use AI for creative writing is up to the individual. From all reports about AI, it is not going away. We can choose if we want to learn how to use it or not. We are entering a new era, just like how the Model A changed the lifestyle of the folks in the early 20th century or how the microwave changed my way of cooking meals! 

It will be interesting to revisit this question in 5 years and see how writers have handled AI. Ya'all come back then. What are your thoughts about using AI as a tool in your author's toolbox? Please leave a comment below. Thank you.

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Read an eBook Week at Smashwords!!



Do you know Smashwords is celebrating Read an eBook Week? March 3-9. My publisher 
BWL Publishing, is participating in the sale. All of the BWL authors' books are half off! My indie-published books are on sale too!! Yes, all of my books are 50% off this week! Grab some great beach reads for the summer.

Are you participating in the sale? You're welcome to drop your link in the comments section.
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Recipes 'n Reads Series
Guest author Rosemary Morris
You're invited to welcome classic historical romance author Rosemary Morris to our Recipes 'n Reads series which is scheduled every third Wednesday of the month. Rosemary writes "characters who are of their time, not men, women and children dressed in costume who behave like 21st-century people."  

On March 20, Rosemary, an English author, will share one of her favorite recipes, Spinach, Peas, and Paneer (Curd Cheese) Curry, and the reason why she chose this particular one. Plus I'll feature one of her books, Far Beyond Rubies. 

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Click here to visit more Insecure Writers Support Group  
members participating in this month's IWSG Blog Hop! 
Scroll down the page to find all the bloggers sites.

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16 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Technically, most of what people refer to as AI is not AI. Grammarly is a program, not AI. Once we have true AI...well, we've all seen The Terminator.

J.Q. Rose said...

That's interesting. What I wonder is why Amazon is collecting this information? How will they use it? Thanks, Alex.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Like Alex, I don't consider Grammerly Al, though it might develop into that. It will be interesting to see how we incorporate Al responsibly to help us with tasks other than writing our story. And I can't help wondering if the paid version of Al is more useful than the free one.

J.Q. Rose said...

I agree. There's a whole new world of opportunity when using AI in our marketing, book description, blog posts, etc. It's just learning how to use it properly as a tool. We don't want to let AI using us! LOL

Pat Garcia said...

Hi,
I had to laugh because Grammarly does make mistakes. So it is always advisable to have human eyes look over what you have done while using Grammarly.

Have a lovely month of March.

Shalom shalom,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

Jean Davis said...

As you said, it will be very interesting to see where we all stand on this five years from now. Right now, I'll stick with taking my pick of Grammarly's suggestions and leave it at that. Nothing beats human eyes though.

Sandra Cox said...

Good on you for playing with A1. Your cover looks great, by the way. How did you discover the content was considered A1 created? That's intriguing.
Hope your day is going great, cuz.

Nancy Gideon said...

Any time you refer your original work to an editor (be it human or "other"), it's your responsibility to go over it carefully to make sure the essence of your intent and voice is still intact. I've used editorial programs to help out, but I end up spending more time "teaching" them my voice than I would have editing the book myself or having a learned friend do it.

Loni Townsend said...

Yeah, AI's voice (or lack thereof) is what got me when I tried out ChatGPT. It's not for me, but I'll take the comma help from ProWritingAid!

Fundy Blue said...

Hi, JQ! It was interesting to read your post and its comments. It's eyeopening that Amazon flagged your writing as AI-assisted. AI is coming for sure! Enjoy IWSG Day!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I noticed that question on Amazon. Hopefully none of my authors use Grammarly. My concern is they will start saying no to any AI produced content.

Helena Fairfax said...

Hi JQ, I've tried AI to write blog posts, but the samples from ChatGPT were bland and boring, and not my 'voice'. I find it a bit concerning that ChatGPT might be reading my posts and offering some of my words/style to someone else. But I suppose anyone could copy my posts once they're published.
I don't know how teachers and university lecturers these days can make sure their students haven't just used AI to do their homework. We're entering into a new world.

J.Q. Rose said...

@Pat--Thanks for stopping in. Happy March to you too!

@Jean--I like Grammarly too, but it is annoying seeing all my errors underlined in red!

@Sandra--hey, cuz, glad you like the cover. I love that title font. When I submitted a book to AMZ in 2023, I encountered questions about AI for the first time. I think they explained the difference between AI-generated (like using it to write the content of the book) and AI-assisted (I think that was the word) like helping with spelling, etc. At least that's how I interpreted it. When I submitted the Your Words, Your Life Story this week, I noticed they have changed the way they ask the questions.

J.Q. Rose said...

@Nancy--I have tried AI in many ways, but I usually end up editing and re-writing, so it's a big waste of my time. I haven't mastered how to have AI create a piece with what I need.

@Loni--I need comma help too!!!

@Fundy Blue--Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment.

@Helena--I'm afraid AI is here to stay and we'll need to learn all about it. I'm sure we'll find perks when using it. Thanks for stopping in.

emaginette said...

AI may have a long way to go, but I'm pretty sure it will get there. We shouldn't assume anything. ;-)

Samantha Bryant said...

I suppose Grammarly is technically AI, but I don't think that's what most people mean when they talk about. The debate centers around larger scale stuff like ChatGPT. It'll be interesting to see how it all settles out over the next few years. @samanthabwriter from
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