Anton! This was fantastic. You're so right, the algorithms aren't just digital. That really made me sit back and think. Thank you, too. You gave me something really deep to think about
Yes Linda! Yes, yes yes. As you said, “It’s that there’s a surface profundity to it. It’s trying to be deep, but it’s not.”
This is the new tell (not em dashes, rhetorical sentence structure, or the ubiquitous series of three items). AI writing is weird and obvious the more you see it because it mixes metaphors in a ways only a non-sentient robot would do.
AI cannot describe the warmth of the sun because it can never feel the sun. AI writing is a poorly drawn caricature of the human condition. Thank you for continuing to write from the lens of a deeply feeling human being despite the siren song of AI.
I know one thing. We cannot stop people reading AI writing. We can not stop people using AI to write and generate income. It is out there, too easy, too alluring, too quick and that’s the world we live in. Try not to focus on it too much or stress about money. I have always known even before AI that making writing pay your way in the world is near impossible. It’s very rare. I always had a job to pay the bills and just wrote for the sake of it, for pleasure, for connection. I did publish a couple of books but didn’t expect that either. By chance my writing was discovered and I get royalties twice a year, but that’s rare again.
Need to answer one question and one question only with writing - WHY do you write? Competing with AI will be fertile and unnecessary, but oh it is so tempting. It’s designed to be that way just like everything else social media, IG, influencers, etc. etc. AI got to writers finally and it is tragic, but we can’t change it. The answer - focus on your writing and enjoy the community you do have, for other life stuff I would recommend a job to pay the bills 🥰
"I write because I can't not write." Exactly, Linda!
When someone publishes a short poem or story of mine, I am through the roof with happiness. Literally jumping up and down, breathless (well, OK that happened only twice so far, but my heart always races with pleasure).
So far, never been paid, but since I decided I'd never write creatively for dollars, that's part of the thrill of seeing someone else appreciate my words ;-)
My background before I retired was as a physicist working in the satellite industry for 30 years, followed by 7 years as a minister.
When I decided to major in physics in college, my friends told me I made a mistake. I should do electrical engineering. Physics is hard, and you won't make any more money than an engineer.
When I wanted to become a minister, they said, if there is anything else you can do, do that. Because ministry is hard, and you won't make very money at it.
Now I am writing my first novel, and I read on Substack: Writing is hard, and beware of AI, it will eat your lunch.
Lol. I guess I am doomed to live my life the hard way.... AND LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT.
I really don’t like the narrative that artists should not expect to make money from their art. It contributes to the culture of artist’s original works not being valued which I believe is 1 reason (not the only) that some turn to AI to make a pretty good living. We need to value what artists do for ourselves and our community. We should expect to be paid like any other profession does and not undercut each other because we are making for “the love of it”.
This also implies that people not in creative fields don't do what they do for the love of it! So they are financially compensated!?
I enjoyed this article that addresses some of the “no one makes it pro” in the arts culture.
As a writer myself, I'm struggling with AI. I'm finding that tasks are starting to take me longer to do because of the repeated editing I'm asking AI to do... like writing an email for instance. I'd rather use it for subject line generation than writing the copy altogether. And I'm so tired of the way it generates everything in 3s. As a copywriter, I know there's power in groups of 3, but AI seems to be overusing it. BTW, I gave ChatGPT 5.1 your first prompt and this is what it gave me for the opening of an essay:
Some mornings, I wake up with a heaviness I can’t quite name — a quiet ache beneath my ribs that whispers, “What if things never get better?” It’s frustrating, even frightening, to feel swallowed by a grayness I can’t shake… as if the light I usually trust has dimmed behind clouds I didn’t see coming. But as I sit with these feelings — the sadness, the anger, the fear — I’m beginning to sense that they aren’t here to punish me. They’re here to guide me. They’re asking me to pause, breathe, and find the courage to rise again, even when the path forward feels uncertain. And so this essay is my attempt to trace that journey: the messy, honest, deeply human process of finding hope while standing in the shadows.
Even here, I can point out the groups of 3 it likes to use: "the sadness, the anger, the fear" "they're asking me to pause, breathe, and find the courage..." "The messy, honest, deeply human process..."
It’s frustrating, and I feel a bit of betrayal every time I see someone I like using it in their writing, or readers genuinely responding to it. I love your voice & posts, and appreciate hearing your take on this!
I hear you Colleen. For me, when I know people are using AI, it makes me a little sad that they'd outsource creativity. And thank you for the compliment :)
Your post so captured my experience with AI. As my personal writing skills have gradually improved, I find myself completely eclipsed by AI. Thanks for your thoughts. Depressing as they are.
I use AI to generate images as references for my drawings. And as idea starters for more consulting posts. As a tool, it's great. Replacing my feelings in more personal writing doesn't work.
I just published my first book and on the inside cover page added "No AI was used in the writing of this book." I felt it important to note that. No AI for the cover art either (I paid a designer who used my own photos and the cover turned out spectacularly) and zero AI for any other aspect of the book. I will always be proud of that, regardless how large AI eventually becomes in our lives.
That is a wonderful idea to publish a disclaimer! I hope it becomes common for readers to be informed that way--giving the opportunity to refuse to support AI. Well done!
I love that this is becoming more popular to do. In my community of indie writers I designed a badge that declares the text and art to be human made (in three different versions and ways). The badge is available for free for anyone who wants to use it. I won’t put a link here because that feels too much like self promotion, but you can find it on ko-fi if you search my name.
I wonder if there can be some industry standard, akin to when Hollywood films say "No animals were harmed in the making of this film". Once there is a standard, books can be labeled with that standard (not on the covers of course - no more stickers on covers! lol)
My opinion, worth what you paid for it, is that AI is the latest "easy get rich quick" button. If you are my age, you have seen at least ten of these, things like the day trader craze of the late 90s. I've known guys that worked for me, that jumped on each of those. Each time, the guys doing it called me a fool for not joining them. Each time they made lots of money... Until the bottom dropped out, then they lost it all, plus their starting capital. Maybe I am a fool, maybe I am a Luddite. But I retired at 59.5, bought a farm, continue to write, and have something north of a million in investment accounts. None of it on the easy button. But none of it lost to failed get rich quick schemes.
Yeah, I've never jumped on any of the schemes, either. For me, retirement likely isn't a thing though. Worked hard, saved a lot, lost it all to divorce. But at least my words are my own and that's not nothing. :)
OMG. This is SO scary. and I do, with all my heart, hope you're right about it being "surface-y." It's simply using its words, using YOUR idea as a prompt. I'd say, with rather forced cheer, use your own words to describe despair as a forest....Great Idea! Go!
A year ago I was honest and open about my AI usage. My acceptance that it was a tool, and like any tool, it could be used for good or bad. I got slammed and shouted down to the point where I have stopped any writing.
I wasn't using AI to make people think I was a writer...I wasn't using it to make money. I was using AI because I have stories to tell and my ADHD makes it all but impossible to focus on anything for any length of time.
I should have just lied, or at the very least kept my mouth shut and to fuck with what anyone else thinks. At least I wrote two books for myself, even if no one can ever read them. They are mine and I feel good about what I created, regardless of the tools used.
My ex has been posting on Substack, using AI. I know firsthand how badly he writes but he has good ideas. So maybe it's good in that sense. I'm sorry to hear this shut you down Hyboreal. Maybe we need to be more merciful with each other and not so afraid of AI even if it is threatening us now.
I understand that. It is the same for those whose language is not English. Just say written in conjunction with whatever the bot was. That is being honest.
“It’s that there’s a surface profundity to it. It’s trying to be deep, but it’s not.” That's what I felt when I read your second AI example. I wanted to read more to see where this was going because it felt like it wanted to go somewhere deeper but maybe couldn't get there. Which is a terrible way to say, I read with interest but had reservations.
So far, I can't say "You know AI when you read it," and that concerns me. But I read a carefully cultivated list of authors. So perhaps that has spared me. Still…. I'm on alert. And beginning to feel tired by having to be on alert.
The fact the AI is here or is used by many is not in itself an argument to use it. The examples you gave from AI prompts are flat and soulless. Using AI is rehashing other people's creativity. Also, you may lose your own voice by leaning on AI.
I find AI invasive, pervasive and seductive. I go out of my way NOT to use AI. On Substack with 27 million users there is not a human in customer support, only AI, so have to here for tech support. And they are not very good.
How do you develop writing skills if you outsource important parts of your writing? One could argue, if you use AI, this it is NOT you writing, at least not fully. It is in fact, as you write, stolen from other people's writing. So there is ethics in this too. Would you want your writing to be stolen and used by other people without paying? We all know the answer to that one!
I am going for ressonance over reaction. We all want to be read. Not all of us are willing to give over any creativity to a machine. You may gain subscribers if you use AI, but can you be proud of that when you use AI? What if AI is the reason and not you? How would that sit with you? And would you be able to tell?
Using AI undermines your security and your data if you use it on your own phone and computer. By using AI - and the upcoming services where AI can book a musical for you and send an invite to all your friends. Sounds easy, right? But it means compromising your privacy and your data. When you allow AI in, you are giving AI control. It is that simple.
So the question isn't what writers must learn from AI. The question is: Do you want to give away control of your life to a machine?
I'm not sure what to say. Another great piece of course. I am not sure I could tell the difference just by reading. Of course I would love to say I can spot it on the first sentance but I can't. and yet I consider myself a writer. It is there. People will use it. Some will profit hugely. Life. Life wasn't meant to be easy. I couldnt sleep at night if I passed off Ai for my own work. I'm trying to be a writer, not a copy editor or whatever. Of course I would like huge success with ny novel. But someone asked would I write if no one read it. Yes I would. Writing is how I think.
Linda, this really grabbed my attention. I feel sad that AI posts are being pushed to the top of the visibility charts and raking in money. Views can be so hard to come by. They are the gold of this work. But your recognition of the distinction in metaphor and emotion is really helpful. Thank you for your honesty and sharing this observation.
Anton! This was fantastic. You're so right, the algorithms aren't just digital. That really made me sit back and think. Thank you, too. You gave me something really deep to think about
Very insightful. Thanks for writing this. I wrote a draft on my take on AI last month and may put in my 2 cents soon.
Please do!
Fascinating..I'll advise my Mistress to try AI
lol David. Unfortunately, I do not have a mistress
I do…
Yes Linda! Yes, yes yes. As you said, “It’s that there’s a surface profundity to it. It’s trying to be deep, but it’s not.”
This is the new tell (not em dashes, rhetorical sentence structure, or the ubiquitous series of three items). AI writing is weird and obvious the more you see it because it mixes metaphors in a ways only a non-sentient robot would do.
AI cannot describe the warmth of the sun because it can never feel the sun. AI writing is a poorly drawn caricature of the human condition. Thank you for continuing to write from the lens of a deeply feeling human being despite the siren song of AI.
Dang, I love the sentence AI writing is a poorly drawn caricature of the human condition
A sentence that AI could have never written 😆
lmao. truth!!
I know one thing. We cannot stop people reading AI writing. We can not stop people using AI to write and generate income. It is out there, too easy, too alluring, too quick and that’s the world we live in. Try not to focus on it too much or stress about money. I have always known even before AI that making writing pay your way in the world is near impossible. It’s very rare. I always had a job to pay the bills and just wrote for the sake of it, for pleasure, for connection. I did publish a couple of books but didn’t expect that either. By chance my writing was discovered and I get royalties twice a year, but that’s rare again.
Need to answer one question and one question only with writing - WHY do you write? Competing with AI will be fertile and unnecessary, but oh it is so tempting. It’s designed to be that way just like everything else social media, IG, influencers, etc. etc. AI got to writers finally and it is tragic, but we can’t change it. The answer - focus on your writing and enjoy the community you do have, for other life stuff I would recommend a job to pay the bills 🥰
I do have a job to pay the bills. It's writing. lol. I write because I can't not write. Might sound crazy, but it's true.
That’s fantastic. Not crazy at all. That’s the main reason writers write 🙏
"I write because I can't not write." Exactly, Linda!
When someone publishes a short poem or story of mine, I am through the roof with happiness. Literally jumping up and down, breathless (well, OK that happened only twice so far, but my heart always races with pleasure).
So far, never been paid, but since I decided I'd never write creatively for dollars, that's part of the thrill of seeing someone else appreciate my words ;-)
My background before I retired was as a physicist working in the satellite industry for 30 years, followed by 7 years as a minister.
When I decided to major in physics in college, my friends told me I made a mistake. I should do electrical engineering. Physics is hard, and you won't make any more money than an engineer.
When I wanted to become a minister, they said, if there is anything else you can do, do that. Because ministry is hard, and you won't make very money at it.
Now I am writing my first novel, and I read on Substack: Writing is hard, and beware of AI, it will eat your lunch.
Lol. I guess I am doomed to live my life the hard way.... AND LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT.
Ditto!
I really don’t like the narrative that artists should not expect to make money from their art. It contributes to the culture of artist’s original works not being valued which I believe is 1 reason (not the only) that some turn to AI to make a pretty good living. We need to value what artists do for ourselves and our community. We should expect to be paid like any other profession does and not undercut each other because we are making for “the love of it”.
This also implies that people not in creative fields don't do what they do for the love of it! So they are financially compensated!?
I enjoyed this article that addresses some of the “no one makes it pro” in the arts culture.
https://open.substack.com/pub/amiemcnee/p/the-day-elizabeth-gilbert-broke-my?r=3i4nj1&utm_medium=ios
As a writer myself, I'm struggling with AI. I'm finding that tasks are starting to take me longer to do because of the repeated editing I'm asking AI to do... like writing an email for instance. I'd rather use it for subject line generation than writing the copy altogether. And I'm so tired of the way it generates everything in 3s. As a copywriter, I know there's power in groups of 3, but AI seems to be overusing it. BTW, I gave ChatGPT 5.1 your first prompt and this is what it gave me for the opening of an essay:
Some mornings, I wake up with a heaviness I can’t quite name — a quiet ache beneath my ribs that whispers, “What if things never get better?” It’s frustrating, even frightening, to feel swallowed by a grayness I can’t shake… as if the light I usually trust has dimmed behind clouds I didn’t see coming. But as I sit with these feelings — the sadness, the anger, the fear — I’m beginning to sense that they aren’t here to punish me. They’re here to guide me. They’re asking me to pause, breathe, and find the courage to rise again, even when the path forward feels uncertain. And so this essay is my attempt to trace that journey: the messy, honest, deeply human process of finding hope while standing in the shadows.
Even here, I can point out the groups of 3 it likes to use: "the sadness, the anger, the fear" "they're asking me to pause, breathe, and find the courage..." "The messy, honest, deeply human process..."
Sheesh! Enough already!
Gloria this was the best laugh I've had all day.
I agree. Ugh!!
The drivel, the slop, the bad analogies...
Even without the AI detector used by our college, I can tell I'm reading an AI paper with these groups of three.
One student had nineteen sets of these in his three and a half page essay.
I needed aspirin, tylenol, and alcohol to grade the thing.
It’s frustrating, and I feel a bit of betrayal every time I see someone I like using it in their writing, or readers genuinely responding to it. I love your voice & posts, and appreciate hearing your take on this!
I hear you Colleen. For me, when I know people are using AI, it makes me a little sad that they'd outsource creativity. And thank you for the compliment :)
Your post so captured my experience with AI. As my personal writing skills have gradually improved, I find myself completely eclipsed by AI. Thanks for your thoughts. Depressing as they are.
Your last sentence made me laugh Ted. God what a world we've built
I use AI to generate images as references for my drawings. And as idea starters for more consulting posts. As a tool, it's great. Replacing my feelings in more personal writing doesn't work.
I just published my first book and on the inside cover page added "No AI was used in the writing of this book." I felt it important to note that. No AI for the cover art either (I paid a designer who used my own photos and the cover turned out spectacularly) and zero AI for any other aspect of the book. I will always be proud of that, regardless how large AI eventually becomes in our lives.
I just published a book too, none of it AI generated, but I didn't think to add that line. Good idea!
That is a wonderful idea to publish a disclaimer! I hope it becomes common for readers to be informed that way--giving the opportunity to refuse to support AI. Well done!
I love that you added that. I think more writers will start doing the same
I love that this is becoming more popular to do. In my community of indie writers I designed a badge that declares the text and art to be human made (in three different versions and ways). The badge is available for free for anyone who wants to use it. I won’t put a link here because that feels too much like self promotion, but you can find it on ko-fi if you search my name.
Thank you, Sandra, I will remember that for my next book (or 2nd edition of my first one <sigh>). 💚
Congrats on the book!
Thank you Paula!
I wonder if there can be some industry standard, akin to when Hollywood films say "No animals were harmed in the making of this film". Once there is a standard, books can be labeled with that standard (not on the covers of course - no more stickers on covers! lol)
My opinion, worth what you paid for it, is that AI is the latest "easy get rich quick" button. If you are my age, you have seen at least ten of these, things like the day trader craze of the late 90s. I've known guys that worked for me, that jumped on each of those. Each time, the guys doing it called me a fool for not joining them. Each time they made lots of money... Until the bottom dropped out, then they lost it all, plus their starting capital. Maybe I am a fool, maybe I am a Luddite. But I retired at 59.5, bought a farm, continue to write, and have something north of a million in investment accounts. None of it on the easy button. But none of it lost to failed get rich quick schemes.
Yeah, I've never jumped on any of the schemes, either. For me, retirement likely isn't a thing though. Worked hard, saved a lot, lost it all to divorce. But at least my words are my own and that's not nothing. :)
I wanna buy a big place and make it a home for old writers! We will drink coffee together, edit each other’s work and argue about grammar.
I’m in
Spouses allowed? She’ll try to organize things, I should warn you.
OMG. This is SO scary. and I do, with all my heart, hope you're right about it being "surface-y." It's simply using its words, using YOUR idea as a prompt. I'd say, with rather forced cheer, use your own words to describe despair as a forest....Great Idea! Go!
It is really surface-y. Most people don't recognize it right away but after a while they do. And then it's hard to unsee
A year ago I was honest and open about my AI usage. My acceptance that it was a tool, and like any tool, it could be used for good or bad. I got slammed and shouted down to the point where I have stopped any writing.
I wasn't using AI to make people think I was a writer...I wasn't using it to make money. I was using AI because I have stories to tell and my ADHD makes it all but impossible to focus on anything for any length of time.
I should have just lied, or at the very least kept my mouth shut and to fuck with what anyone else thinks. At least I wrote two books for myself, even if no one can ever read them. They are mine and I feel good about what I created, regardless of the tools used.
My ex has been posting on Substack, using AI. I know firsthand how badly he writes but he has good ideas. So maybe it's good in that sense. I'm sorry to hear this shut you down Hyboreal. Maybe we need to be more merciful with each other and not so afraid of AI even if it is threatening us now.
I understand that. It is the same for those whose language is not English. Just say written in conjunction with whatever the bot was. That is being honest.
“It’s that there’s a surface profundity to it. It’s trying to be deep, but it’s not.” That's what I felt when I read your second AI example. I wanted to read more to see where this was going because it felt like it wanted to go somewhere deeper but maybe couldn't get there. Which is a terrible way to say, I read with interest but had reservations.
So far, I can't say "You know AI when you read it," and that concerns me. But I read a carefully cultivated list of authors. So perhaps that has spared me. Still…. I'm on alert. And beginning to feel tired by having to be on alert.
Omg Nicole, your last sentence. Yeah. Tired of having to be on the alert all the time. Hard to know what's real or even who is real anymore
Hi Linda
The fact the AI is here or is used by many is not in itself an argument to use it. The examples you gave from AI prompts are flat and soulless. Using AI is rehashing other people's creativity. Also, you may lose your own voice by leaning on AI.
I find AI invasive, pervasive and seductive. I go out of my way NOT to use AI. On Substack with 27 million users there is not a human in customer support, only AI, so have to here for tech support. And they are not very good.
How do you develop writing skills if you outsource important parts of your writing? One could argue, if you use AI, this it is NOT you writing, at least not fully. It is in fact, as you write, stolen from other people's writing. So there is ethics in this too. Would you want your writing to be stolen and used by other people without paying? We all know the answer to that one!
I am going for ressonance over reaction. We all want to be read. Not all of us are willing to give over any creativity to a machine. You may gain subscribers if you use AI, but can you be proud of that when you use AI? What if AI is the reason and not you? How would that sit with you? And would you be able to tell?
Using AI undermines your security and your data if you use it on your own phone and computer. By using AI - and the upcoming services where AI can book a musical for you and send an invite to all your friends. Sounds easy, right? But it means compromising your privacy and your data. When you allow AI in, you are giving AI control. It is that simple.
So the question isn't what writers must learn from AI. The question is: Do you want to give away control of your life to a machine?
You sound like you think I'm considering using AI. lol. Not a chance. I'd rather wait tables. My writing is all my own, just so you know
I'm not sure what to say. Another great piece of course. I am not sure I could tell the difference just by reading. Of course I would love to say I can spot it on the first sentance but I can't. and yet I consider myself a writer. It is there. People will use it. Some will profit hugely. Life. Life wasn't meant to be easy. I couldnt sleep at night if I passed off Ai for my own work. I'm trying to be a writer, not a copy editor or whatever. Of course I would like huge success with ny novel. But someone asked would I write if no one read it. Yes I would. Writing is how I think.
I hear you Dave. I'd rather not write than use AI. I understand lots of people have their reasons. But dang, sometimes. Hard to watch some days
Linda, this really grabbed my attention. I feel sad that AI posts are being pushed to the top of the visibility charts and raking in money. Views can be so hard to come by. They are the gold of this work. But your recognition of the distinction in metaphor and emotion is really helpful. Thank you for your honesty and sharing this observation.
Thank you, Jane. Makes me sad to see AI pushed to the top too