I'll admit that I'm old compared to many of the Gen Zers that aren't my oldest. In the eyes of the young, even my "quarter of a century" year old is actually old in their eyes. I won't debate that. No need. They have their generation and I have mine.

But mine? Mine was one that connected analog with DNS and now fiber. Mine was about a Radio Shack TRS-80 that I could program to smile back at me using DOS. I learned how to type on an Apple in one classroom and how to save a file on a floppy disk with on a PC in another with Word built in. And I must mention that all of this was after a typewriter that could fix mistakes by erasing them on paper, AND develop into a word processor. 

Yup! I've lived it all except AI. That's a dirty word for Gen X who was raised on the Terminator movies. We are cautious, because we know that with every progress, there comes a price.

But as I contemplate, I realize AI is all around us. And right down to a lot of the stories we get hooked into on reading sites through the phone. I'm actually NOT one of those authors that keep the "story going" with repeats of the same crap that never changes--OR? Dare I say? Doesn't write it myself! I'd never let a computer do that for me.

I craft my own stories from my own mind--not from a computer. But I am guilty of AI Every. Stinking. Time. I see a spelling mistake on Word. Every. Stinking. Time. I add a character to my database on ChickNovel. And? Every time I want to find out from either Grammarly OR ProwritingAid if I reused the same words too many times in one chapter because I refuse to make readers gloss over even a single word I write.

But, and I'm going to go to a quote that I haven't used in a while, but, that show STILL strikes a cord with me, "Here's the thing." (Monk) We aren't debating this about AI. We are debating an author who embraces AI so much so that they don't edit the story for content. 

And why? I'm going to spell it out right here and now. We hate it because it's cheating. It's a ploy. It's click bait to get us to still remain vested in the story--PLOT HOLES and all!

And honestly? I'm trying to figure out why I do this myself. Why do I still read something that is so riddled with holes that it can make a slice of Swiss cheese whole!

Here's my honest truth in all of this. I truly believe the first 20 chapters are geared towards pulling you in. And once they have you, there's no edits. It's all about the AI generation of a chapter. It's never about developing a character or finding a solution. Plots from previous scenes are abandoned for click-bate.

I get it. I totally do that we've come to this. The thing that hurts my heart the most is that no child moving forward that is born will get anything about our rich history as a culture. As PEOPLE. We will just get a hard keystroke now.

Also? I want to thank all of the hard-working authors out there that would never do this to a reader. I want to thank every writer--whether it's Anime or a reporter or an author that still has a shred of morality that burns bright for this business. 

We all have a calling. And it isn't about dopamine. It is about being raw with our readers!

I haven't done this in YEARS but this blog post calls to me to do so with my signature ending.

Stay Fabulous!

Amanda