If you are like me, you want to know as much as possible about a subject before jumping to conclusions or making decisions. I detest half-answers or uncertainty. However, life is a mystery in certain ways, and we don’t always have all the information when we need it. It is part of what makes life worth living, in a way, full of challenges and mystery, usually when you least expect it; call it the lessons of life, sort of.
Uncertainty brings with it not only lack of information, but sometimes, half-truths, bad timing, and sometimes even fear of the unknown. How do you find courage in the midst of all that? How do you navigate through uncertainty in a sea of half-truths, unanswered questions, and lack of information when you want answers fast? Uncertainty drags the soul towards fear. Courage is found through hope, and hope through prayer. Prayer is the best tool when uncertainty lingers in your life and the dawn seems to take longer that you had hoped. Finding courage in the midst of uncertainty is just a prayer away.
As writers developing a story, we have questions in the back of our mind. Questions about our characters, situations, details in the story… and much more. Many times, these questions define a character, personality, and its story within the main story. As writers we are not afraid to ask or answer those questions. As people, many times we avoid the questions and answers in our own story. Ever wanted to know the answer to a question you did not want to ask? Sometimes, the truth might hurt more than the question. Sometimes, the question you never asked is the answer you don’t want to know. Life is full of questions and answers; some questions are better left unanswered.
I think that writers can be pragmatic, but also drama queens set free in their own worlds. Not only do we deal with our character’s emotions but also our own as we write these characters throughout the story. Sometimes, it becomes overwhelming, other times, cathartic. In my experience, I have found that sometimes a roadblock in writing goes deeper than the pen I am holding. That pause, that resistance, comes from an emotion that I might not want to acknowledge, usually indirectly. What might seem at the beginning a distraction or even a mild case of writer’s block, is no other than an emotion that does not want to be recognized for what it is, whether a painful memory, a weakness, or a more deep-rooted emotion. It resists the pen however it was triggered. Sure, a writer can always go around it and find an excuse for the pen; however, it won’t be the last time.
Dealing with our feelings as we write will eventually release the words that have been held hostage, and result in a better flow of the story. Many times, acknowledging that the emotion is present might be enough. Sometimes, characters become mirrors; most of the time, they are just beings from the imagination being brought to life by a passionate pen. Other times, the ink takes a bit longer to dry.
This post is about my feelings on AI (artificial intelligence) and the future of writing and publishing. First, I should disclose that I am biased, and also old-school. I am more like the character Will Smith plays in I-Robot. Of course, when new inventions have been introduced in the history of humankind, there has been distrust, inquisition, questions, trepidation, and so much more. Much has been said about AI, especially, during the past year, and by now most of you must be familiar with some applications in technology, including writing. My concern is with the future of writing and the quality of content, as well as the increase on an already saturated market full of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Must all be doom and gloom? Of course not. The same was said about print on demand and independent publishing, and here we are today. Saturation? Yes. I am sure that there are many benefits to AI, probably across and extended to all endeavors. Going back to the topic of quality and quantity, AI will be a best friend to those who want to make a quick buck while saturating the writing market with stories/content written at a fast pace and without care or soul.
That being said, so many questions arise, at least on my mind.
Will the publishing giants favor their own mass-produced stories?
Will freelance writers compete with AI on speed and delivery or will they embrace it?
Will they be paid less for their originality? What are the parameters for originality when it comes down to AI? Is it possible for AI to commit plagiarism?
Will readers appreciate a book written in what will become the “classical way” or will they become consumers of fast stories that might cater to their need for “more and quickly, please.”
Will the quality of stories suffer, or will it challenge writers? Will readers even notice?
Will AI become a favorite tool of writers or an archenemy?
Will it help with writer’s block or make it worse?
Will writers who care for quality and not quantity feel threatened by AI?
Will human writing even exist in the future or will “Robotina” kill the writer?
Of course, it is too early to tell, and I don’t have a crystal ball on my desk. As for this old-school writer, I believe that words evoke feelings, and that might or might not matter in a not-so-distant future.
I am writing this blogpost from the point of view of the evolution of the writer as opposed to how a character evolves in the story. Throughout the story all characters evolve, change, as experiences and challenges are introduced by the writer. The interaction of the characters and the different situations the god-pen writes for them makes this evolution possible. Where there is no change there is no story, it comes naturally. In a series, this process is more evident and so much more engrained in a character, not only because of the many situations a character goes throughout a series, but also because there is the fictional pass of time. Most likely, the character is very different from the first book until the end of the series. This is also where the writer’s evolution takes place.
From that first concept of a character until the end of a story or series, the writer has been learning, feeling, and even listening to the needs of the characters. Sometimes, a character will fight a writer’s pen, and the writer’s best decision for this character will entail listening to it, and analyzing the particular issues that are present. At that moment, not only the writer has changed, but the original intention as well. As characters mature and go along in the story, so does the view and “feeling” the writer has of them and for them. A writer that doesn’t “feel” a character has not listened to it. A stubborn pen is worse than a stubborn character.
At the end of a story/series, a relationship, a connection has been attained but also, there has been a mutual understanding, a symbiotic evolution.
Thirteen years or so ago I decided to follow a long-lost dream, publishing my first book. Around the same time, I started blogging about my journey as an independent writer, as well as capturing and renewing the dilapidated soul of an old farmhouse while moving to another state. While the transition took some time, my intention remained the same. My intention was at that time, to not only share the journey but to inspire other fellow writers and readers, and to share what I had learn over the years.
Time does go by quickly, and in retrospect, I think that I accomplished what I set out to do and more; however, the journey continues, and with it the desire to inspire others through a few written lines on this blog, and my novels. This journey brought into perspective sweet challenges, tons of education and effort, as well as understanding myself as a writer, and on that last one, I am still doing so. On the home front, the soul of an old farmhouse has been restored, and now it must be refined. The writer feels the same way. For the DIY lover, this blog is a friendly place as well. I have made my best effort to maintain it simple and honest, not fussy or too “crafted.”
During this journey, I published five novels, and I am currently writing the 6th. The pace has been dictated by the story, and I have tried to be the best steward of words I could be. It hasn’t been easy, but I hope that throughout the years, if you have visited this blog, that you have found at least a bit of what you were hoping to find in it. Many of you have been around for as long or longer than I have, and it has truly been a pleasure to not only share this tiny dot of cyberspace but to read many of your blogs and comments as well. It has been my delight, and I hope that I have reciprocated in some way.
So now what? I am at peace with the pen, my pen that is. I don’t know what the future might hold, but I hope that I can continue to share this journey, and if along the way I am able to inspire a soul, then, I have been of service. For now, part of my work is done, but it is not the end of the road.
Call it writer’s block, a dry spell, or anything else, it happens to many writers. It is the dreaded ailment of the pen, the disheartenment of a writer’s soul, without notice, unexpectedly and untimely. It is that break in the connection with the story, like a broken bridge that is hard to repair. Whatever prompts the disruption is unique to the writer, as it is the healing process, the timing when writer and story will be in communion once more.
Writer’s block might feel as falling out of love with the story, or not finding the right angle to continue writing. It might come in the form of disillusion with the story or even the craft, a broken heart of sorts that refuses to pump ink. Waiting and longing for the magic moment only seems to make this disease of the inkwell more acute and prolonged. Ironically, its only cure seems to be time. Drip, drip, drip … the ink flows again.
When we started to fix this old farmhouse, we decided to frame part of an original wall as a picture, a reminder of where we had been. I placed a flower box under it, and I was very happy with it until a few weeks ago. Every time I passed by it, I felt a bit annoyed and definitely not at ease but had no idea why. Suddenly, I disliked the flower box. It puzzled me. It wasn’t until I looked at it and asked myself what about it bothered me that I made the connection. The flowers that I added to the box reminded me of an image I had seen over and over everywhere I looked during the past two years – the coronavirus spiked ball shape. I knew I had to replace them right away, so I discarded the ill-looking flowers and placed a different greenery with a happier vibe.
Before
Now.
This was a good example of how media can influence one’s perception and emotional response to people, concepts, things; even the same things one liked before. As writers, we are in the quest of using words and imagery to create a story that translate into emotions and perception for the reader. The words we select, not only tell the story, but live beyond it.
Signs are everywhere, that is, if we take the time to see and listen. Have you ever heard someone say, “Signs of the times?” It refers to characteristics of a particular era or present time, or even alluding to certain events that are expected to happen, such as “end times” or other. Signs could also be warnings given to us from above before something is about to happen or we are about to make the wrong decision. Different from clues, which take us forward, from one to the next and so on, in order to reveal something or truth, signs serve more as a beacon, a warning just on time.
I have had signs before something is about to happen. For example, on one occasion, I gave a ride to a coworker who was sabotaging me at work, unbeknownst to me. A small glass blown angel that I had hanging from my backing-up mirror, suddenly broke in pieces and fell just as this person sat in the car. I could not explain why and how it happened because it was well secured with a sturdy chain, and the chain remained intact, not broken. Although I found the incident unusual at that time, I ignored it. It was a warning from above, which I understood later on.
In writing, sometimes we use signs and clues when creating a story. Mystery thrillers are a good example. However, one should separate one from the other. Clues take you to a destination, signs warn you about it. Many people refer to these as one and the same, but I view these as different in purpose. I made use of clues in my novel Moonlit Valley, as the main character Rose Carrigan follows a path that reveals the truth. I made use of signs also, such as a warning given to her by Black Hawk, one of her protectors. Signs and clues are sparingly used throughout my novels, which deal with the topics of the Divine and the supernatural. As a writer, I try not to center the story solely on clues and signs. I think these should enhance the story not become it.
Now, if we could only see a butterfly on top of the bird, we could make up a story.
Sometimes, there is a wall between the reader and a classic novel, and it results on the abandonment of it. On occasion, I have felt disconnected with the story. I have found that it is not the story per se, but a combination of elements: the time when it was written, the culture, and the (old) language that was used during the time. Many times, I have come across a word that I don’t recognize, and I have paused reading to look it up. In a way, it interrupts the flow of the story when reading and becomes a distraction. One can get the gist of it and continue reading, but for some reason something feels missing.
In order to do justice to that classic novel one has to become an archeologist of words. It must be treated as an adventure, a special read, unearthing a world that one does not know well or at all. Viewing it from the point of view of the writer’s times, the period in which it was written, the social/political conditions of the time, the writer’s life, and other considerations of that period, is something that helps the reader appreciate the story more, and understand it as well, finding common ground with it, and giving it a chance to reveal itself, and reconnect with it.
I find that doing light research about the author and the times prior to reading, helps and enhances the reading experience. Before tossing that classic novel aside, try this; maybe it will help in viewing it with different eyes.
Inkspeare 