Social Media and A.I. - This is not rocket science!

I really had a great laugh last week as so many people were immediately jumping on social media to complain extensively about the amount of "fake information" out there and how it is ruining everything. Now, let me say before I go too far, yes, there are people out there who, if you tell them it is snowing outside and you take them out to walk in the snow naked, they will still deny it. I am not going to even address these people.

What I do want to say, is that spotting A.I. is beyond obvious. Maybe it is my 35 years in education that has made this so apparent to me, but honestly, spotting fake stuff on the internet is not hard.

As someone who teaches research skills, one of the first things you always do is "verify your source." Who wrote it? What are their credentials? Yada, yada, yada... Look, I get it. Algorithms follow us everywhere. I look up a Disney Cruise I wish I was on, and suddenly I am flooded by advertising. Still, I know when I see a fake and I see something real. Spelling errors, weird comments and so forth.

Let me give you some examples. I have been flooded by these "stupid" posts on social media. One is about a neighbor who was upset with this individual for who knows what. Needless to say, the neighbor supposedly took out revenge and damaged their car. Now, here is the funny part. On one post it is eggs. On another it is water supposedly showing up during a freeze. There was another one but I can't remember right now as I wait for my coffee to finish brewing. But here is how it is fake. SAME CAR. SAME HOUSE. SAME POST. DIFFERENT DAMAGE.

Use a brain here people...

A second popped up about our ex-head coach for the Seahawks. I saw one post, and then a stack after it saying he had already been signed as a head coach somewhere. People were just reposting the same false information.

What are we missing here? Brain cells. Thinking.

This is not new. People have followed gossip for as long as people have lived in communities. People will make decisions, repost information and so forth, without verifying the information. Personally, I am even conscious if it is a post from a trusted source that has now become a secondary source. Was this real? Was this fake? 

Take the time to look. 

Even as submissions come into my email, I can see who used ChatGPT to write their query letter. That WILL BE an automatic rejection. In all honesty, if you have to rely on someone else to do your work, what will be the quality of your writing. You are openly admitting to the world you do not know what you are doing. 

The reality is, the only reason social media and A.I. is a problem is that people are not using their brains. When I listen to anyone stand up and say they have accurate information, I VERIFY IT. 

Maybe we all need to do this.

Coffee is ready and I am now ready to start my day

Can I Quit My Day Job?

I get a lot of authors who truly believe with their first book, they will quit their day job. Ahhh, I love that optimism, but now it is time to bring you back to reality.

Yes, there are authors out there who write full time and that is it... BUT... what are their situations:

Many have a spouse who has always been able to make enough money for the two of them.

Many have no kids growing up or are in college.

Many have already retired and this is just a money making hobby.

AND YES... there are "some" who were able to make it big with that first book, but these are rare. Can you be one of those people? Sure. But the odds are equal to that as winning a lottery. You have to be in the right place and the right time with the right project.

As you think about being a professional writer, know that you are going to be adding this to your already busy schedule. That is OK. Don't feel like you are not successful. 

Just remember what you started writing for. You loved it!

Don't Jump All Over The Place

I feel like I have talked about this in the past, but I think it might be time to bring it up again. As a new author, stick with one genre for a while, or at least have 2-3 stories in the same genre(s) before you start pitching. I get, for some of you, writing in several genres is just a way to figure out what works best for you. For others, you might think that this is a way of showing that you have a diverse background in writing and can pretty much do anything. While both of these sound great, there is a bigger issue when you start submitting. It is time to start thinking like an agent or an editor for a moment. 

Let's say you have just received a project from a new author. The story has some merits and you are really thinking about making "the call." This is not one of those stories that you know, signing this person can allow you to retire and never have to work again. This is just a good story that has some potential. You are not looking for a one-hit-wonder but someone who will have a career with you (so that you can eventually retire to the Bahamas). What you need is an author who can create a brand to their name with their style of writing. If you liked book 1, you will love book 2 and 3.

And here is where the problem shows up. This person has a "killer" romantic suspense (sorry, tired), but their other stories are: 1) a fantasy novel about dragons and werewolves; 2) an erotica; and a 3) YA.

You are screwed!

If an editor wants to sign you to a three book contract, that means three of the same genre, style and voice. Not three books in different divisions of their publishing line.

"But Scott," you scream, "Other big name authors do this."

First of all, these are "big name" authors who can do what they want. Secondly, they all established themselves first in one genre AND THEN branched out. 

The key here is to learn a genre well. Write that genre well. Build your brand. Get a readership... and then branch out. 

Just Because Someone Else Did Doesn't Mean You Should

We've all seen it and heard it. I see it every now and then show up on social media. I see it at conferences. I see it when people are advertising for their up-and-coming workshop. "Do this and it works 100% of the time!" We've probably had critique partners tell us this too! "I did this in my book" or "I saw [X Author] use this in their book. You should too!"

WAIT!!!!

Sure, those techniques may have worked for that person, but like everything in the world, every situation is different. Your story. Your writing career. Your voice dictates what you should do with your writing. 

The problem with so many authors is they simply don't think! Simple word but for so many, it is the hardest thing to do. In today's technology driven society, it is even worse. We have this belief that there will be a single webpage out there that tells us the secret to exactly what we are looking for. 

Wrong!

Let me explain it this way. I have seen English curriculum in junior high, high school and college that have assignments such as "Write a compare and contrast paper" and then, students struggle to find the right topic. This is backwards. When true writers approach an assignment, the topic and thesis drives the structure of the paper. Consider:

• Laertes is a stronger character than Hamlet - Cause and Effect.
• Ophelia dies not because of Hamlet, but because of Laertes and Polonius - Argumentative AND Cause and Effect.

If someone suggest something for your story, it is OK to listen. It is OK to consider it, but THINK! Is this the best approach for you? Maybe you can use a snippet of the idea. Maybe you can use this approach later but right now, use it as a stepping stone to a better solution.

Quit just putting things in your story because someone else told you to do so.l