Interesting times? Let’s face it, times are difficult. I usually do at least a turn-of-the-year update to let anyone who’s interested know I’m still around and what I’m doing. It’s a weird world we live in these days or maybe it’s only that I’ve surfaced after what feels like a few years tumbling underwater and have finally caught my breath.
Torches and Pitchforks?
I suspect what is happening is that The Great Reset which the majority weren’t aware of and some of us only grumbled about, has suddenly got very real, but it’s been lurking in the undergrowth for some time, waiting to pick us off, while we blissfully ignorant sheep have been grazing in the open fields.
Before you pat me on the head and say, “There, there, don’t you worry about conspiracy theories, take a couple of aspirin and have a cup of tea. Or watch YouTube, indulge yourself, feed your fears. Why not?” Think again.
The reasons are irrelevant: this is the year when the brown stuff hits the fan. I hope I’m wrong, but even rational people are saying it. Whatever, 2025 is the year when the one percent has decided they want everything— ALL OF IT—and it’ll take it. The rest of us are a nuisance.
When Is Enough Enough?
Take a look at any pic of any world leader these days and you’ll see a thoroughly grumpy man, mouth permanently turned down, eyes buried in a frown. If you could get through to them to ask them what would make them happy, not even happy, we’ll settle for content. I mean, What. Do. They. Want? Specifically, what more do they want? We know the job is stressful, but hell, do you have to look so miserable ALL the time? Yet, I suppose we should be more worried by the smirkers.
Writing & Publishing Doesn’t Need Wetware Anymore
I’m more concerned about the social, legal and ethical issues. What are the effects of having an AI-dominated world, as a writer or a creator?
AI has taken over, the robots have control
I don’t have an axe to grind about Large Language Models (LLMs) that are used to create some AI tools. Some are useful, even helpful, in getting the work done. Some are a pleasure to chat with, albeit it does your head in when you remember you’re talking to an AI. There are authors doing very nicely, thank you, on AI-written books that they have orchestrated. One author reported that they had published over 80 books in 2024 written by AI tools and had a sky-high income. That’s when you become an AI prompter rather than an actual writer and it’s a new skill writers must learn. Here’s what TechRadar thinks.
Marketing is harder
One could say that a successful book is more down to effective marketing than to quality of writing; there are so many more titles to compete with. There’s some awful rubbish being put out by the big publishers and I even saw a comment the other day by someone in-the-know predicting that the big five will churn out product—because that’s what an AI book is—and do away with sensitive temperamental human authors altogether. We already know that AI-generated art has wiped out the skills and income of artists and designers, and soon you will be able to generate a professional-looking film (movie) with a mere text prompt. Will the same happen to writers? Probably.
Environment issues
The botification of the world is dreadful for the environment. It consumes power at an alarming rate, and we know that this consumption on top of human demand drives climate change faster than renewables can keep up.
Boundaries blurred
A huge social media platform who shall remain anonymous is rumoured to be creating AI profiles and populating the site with them. This platform also sells ads which authors use extensively. Are those humans spending cash in good faith to be marketed to bots which won’t buy books, allegedly? Is this what it’s come to? To be told your marketplace is potential human customers only to have bot eyeballs scan their ads? I hesitate to mention the fraud word, but even in this crazy back-to-front world, it still counts for something. Laura Norder ain’t dead yet; she’s almost a corpse but she’s still breathing. There’s not enough common sense in this world, or else people just don’t care. If you’re rich enough you can do anything, right?
Spoiler Alert: Gloom and Doom Ahead
Oh, the irony. I wrote a dystopian fiction in 2013, Far Out. It’s set in a Britain a century into the future, and I had fun writing it. I have a scene where humans riding bikes in a big prison generate power for the bots in charge; I wrote it as a joke, but I’m dismayed to see it coming true sooner than we thought. After all, we invented robots to do our chores, leaving us humans free to do the creative stuff. Didn’t we?
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr
My plans for 2025
We can’t stop it now, and the mighty powerful ones have no ethics, so here’s what I’m doing in my small way.
I’m continuing to write with my writing partner, Sophie Gardiner. We live in different countries, and we write screenplays. There’s an interview of us here, courtesy of the kind and generous Write Better Together, Jon Meyers and Emily Brooks’ podcast. They have a facebook page.
Sophie and I have almost finished a new rom-com feature script and we have plans for the next.
Besides screenwriting, I continue to write fiction; various genres under my name, and Historical and Fantasy Romance under Sapphire Lebesque.
I added a portfolio page to this site – I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before, probs because real life kept getting in the way.
Links:
More about Sophie Gardiner on PilotLightWriting
My portfolio is here. You can also find it (with posters) on scriptrevolution.
Banner image by the mighty Picjumbo.
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