Technology Changes. The Art of Storytelling Doesn't.

I saw a post last week saying writers shouldn’t use AI, and I agree with a few points.

1.) Authors should not use AI covers.
2.) Authors shouldn’t pass off AI writing as their own original book.

But what about other aspects of the writing world like social media and vision boards?

Times change. Technology evolves, and if not changing with it means being left behind, no thank you. Authors have a hard enough time staying relevant in the ever-changing world of drunk algorithms. One more tool in our toolbox is welcome. Here’s the thing: I’m a Generation Jones.

I’m old enough to remember:
• Air-raid drills
• Analog watches
• Rotary phones
• Manual typewriters
• Ditto machines/spirit duplicators/mimeographs
• Encyclopedias
• Three television channels
• Abacuses

But I’m young enough to have adapted to:
• Pocket calculators
• Photocopiers
• Personal computers
• Fax machines
• Video games
• Desktop publishing
• Word processors
• The internet
• Email
• Smartphones
• Social media
• AI

My mother was a computer programmer, so I’ve been around them since I was nine or ten. And way back in the late eighties, I began my career in the entertainment software industry with Sir-tech Software. The company I worked for developed fantasy role-playing games for the Amiga 500, 1000, and 2000, Commodore64, IBM, and Apple II computers. When we wanted to develop for Mac, Steve Jobs argued they were only business machines. Then, like the smart businessman he was, he changed his mind, seeing the profitability in servicing the games market. Sir-tech Software, publishers of Wizardry, became a game developer for Mac because times change.

Today, companies use AI to write their copy, and while I don’t like it, I understand. It’s a quick fix in a fast-moving world. Is it quality copy? No, not unless you feed AI the correct details, and most people don’t know how to give AI the context and direction it needs. Will it do in a pinch? Maybe.

The Indie Author Perspective

Authors suffer far too many expenses and time constraints on an indie author’s plate to disregard a tool that can help them stand out.

I’ve heard the argument that AI takes money out of artists’ pockets, but there’s a hitch. Do you use Canva? Bookbrush? Something similar?

Canva and Bookbrush can only do so much, and often, the selection of photos available on these paid platforms isn’t great, unless you are a romance author. Other genres are underserved, and it’s worse if you have the free version. And don’t you think Canva and Bookbrush take work away from graphic artists? Of course, they do. Should we blackball the platforms? Absolutely not!

But neither will do for my book covers. They are designed by a brilliant artist. Nicole Balliingal is a professional with decades of experience in graphic design, advertising, and marketing. She’s also a painter, sculptress, and does the best caricatures I’ve ever seen. She’s a talented gal.

Here’s something to think about: Hasn’t social media encroached on the spaces of advertising agencies, marketing consultancies, and PR agencies? Of course, it has.

Do you use Grammarly? ProWritingAid? Grammar and spellcheck in Word? That’s AI, but you didn’t put an editor out of work—or did you?

In a perfect world, a writer’s focus would be on writing, editing, posting occasional updates, attending book signings, and chatting with peers and readers. But we don’t exist in that utopia. If only…

I think it’s wise for people to learn how to use technology properly for their benefit. Better education around the topic is what’s needed.

The wonderful thing about AI is that I can give it a scene from one of my books and ask it to produce the image the detail evokes. It gets to work and creates an image from my words. Wow! That’s powerful when it looks the same as my imagination saw it. It also says I wrote the scene well. Example below:

Meandering footprints marred the snowy path leading to a quaint granite chapel in St. Michael’s Cemetery. Remnants of last summer’s creeping ivy clung across the stone, resembling cracks in the morning gloom. Perched on the steeple, a crow took flight, swooping tombstones before settling on a marble monument—its keen eyes on activity in the graveyard.

Above the murmurs of hushed voices, the harsh clanging echo of metal striking frozen earth shattered the tranquility of dawn.

The Collective, a group of six men and seven women, clustered around the wielder of a spade, watching his progress. His every breath billowed white puffs into the frigid air. With a ragged inhale, he sighed as his hard work paid off and he broke through hallowed ground.
Torn Veil, Marnie Reilly Mysteries Book 2

As mentioned, I was born before the internet, color television, cable TV, mobile phones, ATMs, and personal computers. I learned to type on a manual typewriter. I’ve spent my entire life adapting to new technology, and I see AI as another tool—not a replacement for human creativity.

I embrace technology because it’s what I grew up with. Would the world be better if the internet hadn’t become a household tool? Pretty sure it would. Human connection would still be important. We would have more face-to-face conversations or telephone chats instead of texting and emailing.

Come to think of it, where would we be without the telephone or electricity? Once upon a time, electricity caused a supernatural panic, and phones were instruments of the devil. See what I’m saying?

What AI can do is help me create a visual of Wild Creek Ranch for Facebook or a snowy street scene in Creekwood for Instagram. It can also help with research if given proper instructions.

In summary, I still sit down with a blank page and do the hard work. I wrestle with plot holes, character arcs, dialogue, pacing, and revisions. AI doesn’t do that for me. It never will. If using a new tool gives me more time to write the next book, I’ll embrace it.

The Changing Seasons at Creekwood Town Square

AI created these images and the blog header from descriptions I provided. It brings my fictional world to life, and I’m inspired by the visual adaptation of my words.