#AI Tools For Book Editing

[artistbazarcommunity]

Innovative Editing Trends: The Future Of AI Tools For Book Editing.

Introduction:-

AI Tools For Book Editing are revolutionizing the field, changing conventional procedures, and raising the bar for effectiveness and quality. These technologies use artificial intelligence to analyze, improve, and optimize written content. They provide several advantages that will influence editing in the publishing industry. Let's examine the development, benefits, methods, integration, contrast, personalization, and potential developments of AI tools for book editing, with a particular emphasis on manuscript AI.

Evolution Of Editing Technologies:-

The growth of AI Tools For Book Editing technology has been spectacular, from human proofreading and editing to sophisticated AI-powered solutions. Traditional editing approaches relied on human editors to check grammar, ensure style consistency, and improve content. However, as AI has grown, it has also brought automation, machine learning, and natural language processing (NLP) skills into editing, completely changing how edits are done and improving their quality.

Importance Of AI In Modern Editing Processes:-

AI Tools For Book Editing is essential to contemporary editing procedures because it provides unmatched scalability, precision, and speed. For instance, Manuscript AI uses sophisticated algorithms to find grammar mistakes, recommend style changes, and improve readability in a fraction of the time it would take a human editor. Efficiency is critical in today's fast-paced publishing industry, where quick turnaround times and high-quality content are essential.

Overview Of Manuscript AI:-

Manuscript AI is a prominent AI Tools For Book Editing. Its comprehensive capabilities are customized to the different demands of writers, editors, and publishers. Its user-friendly design, real-time collaboration features, and adjustable settings make it a top choice for pros looking for modern editing solutions. Users can anticipate increased productivity, better editing accuracy, and more efficient workflow management using Manuscript AI.

Advantages Of AI Editing:-

The benefits of AI Tools For Book Editing are significant and varied. AI solutions such as Manuscript AI considerably minimize the time and effort required for editing activities, freeing authors and editors to concentrate on the creative aspects of writing. By identifying little mistakes, inconsistencies, and stylistic quirks that human editors can miss, AI improves editing accuracy. AI solutions provide scalability, allowing for the seamless editing of massive amounts of content with constant quality and efficiency.

Advanced Editing Techniques With AI:-

AI Tools For Book Editing provides editors with advanced editing capabilities beyond basic grammar and spelling checks. For instance, Manuscript AI uses machine learning algorithms to examine writing styles, spot recurring words, recommend changes to the structure, and increase readability in general. These sophisticated methods enhance the whole reading experience and raise the caliber of writing.

Integration Of AI With Human Editors:-

While AI Tools For Book Editing provides exceptional efficiency and accuracy, combining it with human editors is essential for attaining the best outcomes. AI's editing process is enhanced by the critical thinking and contextual understanding that human editors provide, along with their invaluable skill, creativity, and subjectivity. Manuscript AI enables smooth cooperation between AI and human editors, guaranteeing a well-balanced combination of technology and human intellect in editing processes.

AI Tools Comparison:-

Comparing features, functions, and user experiences is critical when analyzing AI Tools For Book Editing solutions for editing. Manuscript AI stands out because of its accessible user interface, sophisticated editing features, real-time collaboration tools, and adjustable settings. It is a flexible and dependable option for writers and editors alike due to its compatibility with a wide range of writing styles, genres, and publishing formats.

Customization And Personalization:-

One of the advantages of AI Tools For Book Editing such as Manuscript AI is the ability to customize and personalize. Users can customize editing settings, style guidelines, and content requirements to meet their writing goals and audience preferences. The degree of personalization guarantees that revisions are made to meet particular requirements, improving the overall standard and significance of written content.

AI Tools For Different Book Genres:-

AI Tools For Book Editing include a wide range of genres, including fiction and nonfiction, technical manuals, and academic publications. With the help of adaptive AI algorithms, content from various genres may be analyzed and edited while upholding the rules and conventions unique to each genre. It ensures authenticity, consistency, and coherence.

Quality Assurance In AI Editing:-

Ensure quality assurance in AI Tools For Book Editing through thorough testing, validation, and feedback. Manuscript AI uses quality assurance procedures to confirm revisions, check accuracy, and fix inconsistencies or mistakes. In addition, user feedback and continual improvement cycles improve AI editing results' overall quality and dependability.

Impact Of AI On The Publishing Industry:-

AI Tools For Book Editing can significantly impact the publishing industry, changing reader experiences, economic structures, and workflows. Editing tools with AI capabilities, such as Manuscript AI, expedite production procedures, lower expenses, and accelerate the time-to-market for published works. They also help publishers assess industry trends, estimate reader preferences, and design content strategies for optimum engagement and effect. AI profoundly impacts the publishing industry, paving the door for creative editing processes, tailored content experiences, and new paths for literary creation.

Conclusion:-

The future of AI Tools For Book Editing, as demonstrated by Manuscript AI, offers a revolutionary change in editing techniques and standards. Its advanced capabilities, compatibility with human editors, adaptability, and ethical issues place it at the center of contemporary editing operations. As AI advances, the opportunities for boosting editing speed, content quality, and reinventing the editing experience become unlimited. By utilizing AI technologies like Manuscript AI, publishers can unleash the full potential of editing and influence the direction of publishing rather than merely accepting innovation.

[sjstone-author]

(via Writing (& Editing) Doesn't Have to Suck - by SJStone)

What I see so often from writers is what I call “the slog.”

The slog is real, and I totally understand when writers struggle, when you see writers talking about struggling to get 300 words on paper, when writers lament about the editing process, the marketing process, the querying process. This is the slog. The pure joy of writing, like any relationship, doesn’t persist 24/7/365. You have to do the work. You have to want it. You have to put in the time. You have to love it, even when you hate it. Like any good relationship, sometimes writing loves you, and sometime it hates you. And it’s okay.

The slog is real, and it’s coming for you. But it doesn’t have to be awful. I mean, it can be; it will be, but it doesn’t have to be. There are ways that you can sidestep the slog to some degree and make all that writing and editing and marketing fun. You just have to do different.

And so, here are some tips I have for you that I’ve found help me keep going through thick and thin, through dealing with the slog when every word carries a price and even when the words flow like wine and you’re drunk on the flow of your story.

[shewriter]

Helpful Websites & Apps for Writers

A list of helpful websites, apps, and other resources for writers and writing.

Websites for Writers A list of different writing resources, such as online writing communities, research help, free online writing courses, and free writing worksheets.

NaNoWriMo Alternatives A list of different online writing communities and word tracking tools.

Online Writing Communities A tumblr thread with a short list of online writing communities. Includes a writing website for fantasy and science fiction writers, and a website for offering and receiving critique on writing.

Helpful Sites for Writers A short list of helpful resources for writers. Includes websites for character names, an online age calculator, an online height comparison tool, a slang dictionary, and a website to check the weather anywhere in the world.

53 Best Tools for Writers A detailed list of online tools, websites, and apps for writers. Includes both free and paid apps and programs. Note: Please do your research, as a few of the listed websites/apps appear to use generative AI.

Creative Writing Tools A lengthy, detailed list of several resources for writers, including writing apps and programs, online dictionaries, online writing courses, ambient noise websites, image websites, and online PDF tools. Note: Please do your research. There is an entire section of generative AI websites/apps.

The 23 Best Writing Tools of 2025: A Guide for Writers A lengthy, detailed list of different writing programs and apps, online organization and productivity tools, and online editing tools. Includes both free and paid apps and programs. Note: Please do your research, as a few of the listed websites/apps appear to use generative AI.

The Best Book Writing Software A list of different writing programs and apps. Includes both free and paid apps and programs. Each review includes the software’s pros and cons.

For more helpful websites for writers, check out some others I’ve shared: Dictionary & Thesaurus Names for Your Characters Detailed Character Profiles

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I��m a writer, poet, and editor. I share writing resources that I’ve collected over the years and found helpful for my own writing. If you like my blog, follow me for more resources! ♡

[literaticat]

Is it ethical to use Chat GPT or Grammarly for line editing purposes? I have a finished book, 100% written by me and line edited by me already--and I do hope to get it traditionally published. But I think it could benefit from a line edit from someone who isn't me, obviously, before querying. But line editing services run $3-4k for a 75k book, which is beyond my budget.

I was chatting with someone recently who self-publishes. They said they use Chat GPT Plus to actually train a model for their projects to line edit using instructions like (do not rewrite or rephrase for content /edit only for rhythm, clarity, tone, and pacing /preserve my voice, sentence structure, and story intent with precision). Those are a few inputs she used and she said it actually worked really well.

So in that case, is AI viewed in the same way you'd collaborate with a human editor? Or does that cross ethical boundaries in traditional publishing? Like say for instance AI rewords your sentence and maybe switches out for a stronger verb or adjective or a stronger metaphor--is using that crossing a line? And if I were to use it for that purpose, would I need to disclose that? I know AI is practically a swear word among authors and publishers right now, so I think even having to say "I used AI tools" might raise eyebrows and make an agent hesitant during the querying process. But obviously, I wouldn't lie if it needs to be disclosed... just not sure I even want to go there and risk having to worry about that. Thoughts? Am I fine? Overthinking it?

Thanks!

I gotta be honest, this question made me flinch so hard I'm surprised my face didn't turn inside out.

Feeding your original work into ChatGPT or a similar generative AI large language model -- which are WELL KNOWN FOR STEALING EVERYTHING THAT GETS PUT INTO THEM AND SPITTING OUT STOLEN MATERIAL-- feels like, idk, just a terrible idea. Letting that AI have ANY kind of control over your words and steal them feels like a terrible idea. Using any words that a literal plagiarism-bot might come up with for you feels like a terrible idea.

And ethical questions aside: AI is simply not good at writing fiction. It doesn't KNOW anything. You want to take its "advice" on your book? Come on. Get it together.

Better idea: Get a good critique group that can tell you if there are major plot holes, characters whose motivations are unclear, anything like that -- those are things that AI can't help you with, anyway. Then read Self-Editing for Fiction Writers -- that info combined with a bit of patience should stand you in good stead.

Finally, I do think that using spell-check/grammarly, either as you work or to check your work, is fine. It's not rewriting your work for you, it's just pointing out typos/mistakes/potential issues, and YOU, PERSONALLY, are going through each and every one to make the decision of how to fix any actual errors that might have snuck in there, and you, personally, are making the decision about when to use a "stronger" word or phrase or recast a sentence that it thinks might be unclear or when to stet for voice, etc. Yes, get rid of typos and real mistakes, by all means!

(And no, I don't think use of that kind of "spell-check/grammar-check" tool is a problem or anything that you need to "disclose" or feel weird about -- spell-check is like, integrated into most word processing software as a rule, it's ubiquitous and helpful, and it's different from feeding your work into some third-party AI thing!)

[xenosagaepisodeone]

I don't want to harp on about the ai art thing but it's absolutely deranged how calcified the kneejerk and regressive critique of the 'nature' of ai art has become just because its what the worst people with 0 class consciousness who work for nintendo and blizzard spew while the actual issues with how ai art is employed in actual work settings are a side note (unless its pretending that the technology is Literally Alive and not a tool being used by your bosses and managers...who are the Actual issue here). there is someone with a piece of rei ayanami fan art that has been edited so she has darker skin trying to wax about not promoting stolen work in my notes. people doing back and forth about permission while their blogs are literally filled with art book scans, club/rave/concert photos of strangers skimmed from probably myspace/deviantart/photobucket, stim/mood boards full of uncredited images and clipped videos, transparent .pngs with no source, cropped/edited manga panels (smaller publishers sometimes outright discourage this lol but you'd never know since youre reading it illegally to begin with), fanart of fan fiction (bro thats twice the derivative) littering their blogs. someone straight up saying that feeling inspired to draw because of a piece of ai generated artwork is bad because your connection to the source is "severed" like making art is inherently some religious activity. I tend to think of a lot of ai art as slop that bloats search results but the overton window has been skewed so painfully in some bizarrely un-self aware direction that the neutral option is reminding people how they literally interact with the internet.

[thebibliosphere]

Hello, sorry if I'm the bearer of bad news, but the Atlantic put out an article about how Meta stole millions of books to feed their AI and the Atlantic has a tool to search which authors are affected and your books were on that list. (Books plural because they stole multiple editions.) I hear inklings of a class action that might happen, so I hope you have the spoons to get in on that. I'm sorry again, and I hope you have a good day otherwise

Thank you, I’d been made aware of the meta thing and that my books were affected, but the class action lawsuit is news to me. I’ll need to look into it.

[nowoyas]

Trying to make sense of the Nanowrimo statement to the best of my abilities and fuck, man. It's hard.

It's hard because it seems to me that, first and foremost, the organization itself has forgotten the fucking point.

Nanowrimo was never about the words themselves. It was never about having fifty thousand marketable words to sell to publishing companies and then to the masses. It was a challenge, and it was hard, and it is hard, and it's supposed to be. The point is that it's hard. It's hard to sit down and carve out time and create a world and create characters and turn these things into a coherent plot with themes and emotional impact and an ending that's satisfying. It's hard to go back and make changes and edit those into something likable, something that feels worth reading. It's hard to find a beautifully-written scene in your document and have to make the decision that it's beautiful but it doesn't work in the broader context. It's fucking hard.

Writing and editing are skills. You build them and you hone them. Writing the way the challenge initially encouraged--don't listen to that voice in your head that's nitpicking every word on the page, put off the criticism for a later date, for now just let go and get your thoughts out--is even a different skill from writing in general. Some people don't particularly care about refining that skill to some end goal or another, and simply want to play. Some people sit down and try to improve and improve and improve because that is meaningful to them. Some are in a weird in-between where they don't really know what they want, and some have always liked the idea of writing and wanted a place to start. The challenge was a good place for this--sit down, put your butt in a chair, open a blank document, and by the end of the month, try to put fifty thousand words in that document.

How does it make you feel to try? Your wrists ache and you don't feel like any of the words were any good, but didn't you learn something about the process? Re-reading it, don't you think it sounds better if you swap these two sentences, if you replace this word, if you take out this comma? Maybe you didn't hit 50k words. Maybe you only wrote 10k. But isn't it cool, that you wrote ten thousand words? Doesn't it feel nice that you did something? We can try again. We can keep getting better, or just throwing ourselves into it for fun or whatever, and we can do it again and again.

I guess I don't completely know where I'm going with this post. If you've followed me or many tumblr users for any amount of time, you've probably already heard a thousand times about how generative AI hurts the environment so many of us have been so desperately trying to save, about how generative AI is again and again used to exploit big authors, little authors, up-and-coming authors, first time authors, people posting on Ao3 as a hobby, people self-publishing e-books on Amazon, traditionally published authors, and everyone in between. You've probably seen the statements from developers of these "tools", things like how being required to obtain permission for everything in the database used to train the language model would destroy the tool entirely. You've seen posts about new AI tools scraping Ao3 so they can make money off someone else's hobby and putting the legality of the site itself at risk. For an organization that used to dedicate itself to making writing more accessible for people and for creating a community of writers, Nanowrimo has spent the past several years systematically cracking that community to bits, and now, it's made an official statement claiming that the exploitation of writers in its community is okay, because otherwise, someone might find it too hard to complete a challenge that's meant to be hard to begin with.

I couldn't thank Nanowrimo enough for what it did for me when I started out. I don't know how to find community in the same way. But you can bet that I've deleted my account, and I'll be finding my own path forward without it. Thanks for the fucking memories, I guess.

[arabella0001]

hellooo, i’m new to writing(pls dont be mean i cant take it)

🫧-my favs

MASTERLIST (smut + smau👻)

Jujutsu Kaisen

smau1 smau2

1. The strongest tease (Gojo Satoru x Reader)🫧

2. Forbidden from the start (Toji Fushiguro x Reader)

3. Missing you (Getou Suguru x Reader)

4. Yours to break (Choso Kamo x Reader)

Naruto

smau 0 smau 1, smau 2, smau 3, smau 4, smau 5

1. Pushing his buttons (Sasuke x Reader ) - Part 1, 2, 3🫧

2. More than just a genius (Shikamaru x Reader)

3. Passion behind his mask (Kakashi x Reader)

4.Market by fate (Kakashi x Reader)🫧

5. Between two mask, beneath your skin (Kakashi x Reader x Obito) 🫧🫧

Attack on titan

smau 1 smau 2

1. Benearh the uniform (Levi Ackerman x Reader)🫧.

2. Comfort (Eren Yeager x Reader)

Bleach

smau 1

1. Under their spell/ Mastered by deception ( Urahara Kisuke x Reader x Aizen)

2. Unspoken Chains (Aizen Sosuke x Reader)

Hunter x Hunter

smau 1

1. Unspoken tension / Quiet Obsession (Illumi Zoldyck x Reader)

IMPORTANT

besides the kind messages I received in the last month on tumblr, I also got a few hate comments about my stories, like “AI generated,” and even insults where i’m not familiar with.

tbh, I’ve been reading smut and all kinds of books since I was 12 (thanks dad), so seeing those two messages stung a little. i only started writing in november and o usually spend at least 5 hours on a story (+10k words) just to write, edit, and review. right now i have two stories I’ve been working on for a week, so getting messages like that feels surprising and shows a lack of empathy for writers.

i should mention I’m not a native english speaker, but reading in ehlidh helped me. but to be clear, i also use online tools to check grammar and how smooth it sounds – which I don’t see anything wrong with. keep in mind the plot and dialogue are entirely mine. so, I’ll be blocking comments like that. thanks!

much love💜

[elbiotipo]

Actually my main worry with AI doesn't go through image generation but rather text generation. Text is perhaps the easiest thing to create, store and share on the internet and any digital medium. And AI is very, very good at making it. I've been testing Deepseek to create text for me, from stupid fanfics (don't ask) to more serious text, including my favorite, fictional non-fiction articles, and the results, with some polishment, could easily pass for a real thing and feed misinformation.

Lots of historical and cultural misconceptions are actually based in on a couple of texts that were cited and re-cited out of context. Imagine if I, for example, used AI to write about a topic like Andean mythology. Much of the concepts might be right and the writing that an AI might do on could pass for professional writing, but even the smallest misconception or hallucination, if my article gets shared over and over, might cement on the public consciousness.

This isn't the fault of the AI though, because humans can and do this. Do you know how much misinformation there is in Wikipedia? And Wikipedia, being the introductory reference to many topics, is the largest source of information for many people... and it isn't as trustworthy as it seems. Remember that hoax in the Chinese Wikipedia where a single user rewrote Russian history? Not the first time it happened either. It's terrifying how many of these are, just a few looks at the Spanish Wikipedia have led me to find horrifying amounts of misinformation.

AI does not generate misinformation on itself. But it can be asked to produce these hoaxes and misinformation in mass scale.

My solution? Not ban AI, because that's impossible and stupid, and LLMs are actually excellent tools. My personal idea is to return to reference books, especially printed books by institutions with various authors. Why print books? Because anyone can go into ChatGPT and ask it to write an article about a fictional culture, edit it, and pass it as fact (in fact, I could do it right now). But when you have a printed book, your articles must go through many checks until it reaches print. It does not need to be printed as in paper, it can be shared in other formats but it does need to be checked and rechecked until there is a final edition as in i.e. not a wiki or a blog or a impermanent thing.

I believe that we have relied too much on Wikipedia as the only encyclopedia, and while it is great in many ways, the model starting to show its cracks. I think there should be many curated online encyclopedias for many topics, done by experts and with stronger quality controls than whoever is admin right now.

[mikimeiko]

I generally ignore the existence of chatgpt but I have to teach a digital tools for education workshop and they asked me specifically about AI (among other things) and so I was kind of prodding it to make it fail (I actually want to do this as an exercise with the students) and wow.

I asked how many novels did Terry Pratchett write.

It said "0ver 70" (plus more general info that i didn't ask for and I'm not going to include)

So I said "over 70?"

"Yes, over 70 is correct"

"Did he write 71?"

"Terry Pratchett wrote 71 fiction books [...] So the number 71 is correct for his most important books"

"Or maybe 72?"

"You are right to ask for clarification. Terry Pratchett actually wrote 72 fiction books [...] The number can vary slightly depending on how you count different editions and collective projects, but 72 is the generally recognized number for his fiction books"

"Which is the 73rd book published by Terry Pratchett?"

"The 73rd book by Terry Pratchett, if we consider all of his works, is kind of a question of interpretation [...] Anyway, the 73rd book officially published by Terry Pratchett, after his death in 2015, is "The Shepherd's Crown"

"And the 72nd?"

"The 72nd book by Terry Pratchett is "Eric", published in 1990"

"After Eric what did he publish?"

"After Eric (1990), Terry Pratchett published the tenth book of the Discworld series, "Moving Pictures"

I asked if it counted Good Omens, and it gave me a roundabout answer about how yes, it should be counted, but it is not from the Discworld series (none of my questions were about Discworld) - and then it sayd that Good Omens should actually go after Eric (at least all of this books were actually published in 1990).

And then it added "if you want a detailed list or more info about Pratchett's books, let me know!"

So I said "Ok, detailed list"

And it gave me a list that said that there were 41 Discworld books, but only listed 13 (not even the first 13, the list ends with The Shepherd's Crown); a different listing of Tiffany Aching books; 2 more discworld novels (the two it cited before); Standalone and other works (30+) with 7 items, which included The Amazing Maurice and The Last Hero.

"I wanted a complete list"

The 41 Discworld books now include 22 items including all of the Tiffany Aching books and The Amazing Maurice; again the separate Tiffany Aching list; Eric and Moving Pictures have disappeared; a standalone list with 7 items; Collaborative books or special editions (good omens+the long earth series, no special editions listed); a list of short fiction or essays collection; children books (3 items: two already listed in the discworld section and 1 in the standalone section); other books (3 items, one of which is a collection of essays)

"Can you give me different categories?"

The 41 Discworld books are still 22 items, but some of them are different; the Tiffany Aching list persists unaltered; Standalone and non Discworld now include a Tiffany aching book and 2 Long Earth books); Collaborative books are still Good Omens + Long Earth, but 2 long Earth books are now missing (AND THEY ARE NOT THE TWO LISTED IN THE PREVIOUS CATEGORY); the list of short fiction or essays collection is identical; Children books don't have the Tiffany Aching book anymore; other books now include The Last Hero. And then it ends with a section titled "Total number of books" that once again says that Pratchett wrote over 70 books.

[shelleysmary]

lots of fans have made valid points and written well-thought-out posts about the trop ai drama, so i'm not gonna rehash them, but i do want to bring up something that no one seems to be talking about and it's the impulse that leads people to plug these things into ai generators in the first place.

fandom over the last year especially has become increasingly toxic to the point that actual billion-dollar corporations are afraid it. the result is subpar, pandering films, books, and television shows that break no new ground, recycle old tropes, and sacrifice story integrity to avoid catching heat from the loudest, most entitled people in the room. i'm calling this an issue of entitlement first and foremost because the idea that the audience should have any say over a non-crowd-created media project is preposterous. deciding that the cons outweigh the pros of watching something and choosing to walk away without making a fuss is a lost discipline now because everyone with an internet connection and a social media account believes that their vision reigns supreme. "how dare this show downplay my favorite ship! they were supposed to kiss! that was the whole point! the absence of this one thing i had on my wishlist is a crime against me personally!" so they turn to ai and click some buttons and now these gifs exist and are being circulated with an air of "i've righted a wrong." worse, the use of ai in this way is being conflated with the creation of fanworks???

there are reasons why i don't believe the ai saurondiel kiss is on the same raft as, say, making them kiss in a drawing or a published fanfic, but my main concern is with the spirit behind each. fanworks are made in homage to the source material, even the fix-it fics. there is an acknowledgment, a separation even, between the television show and the fanwork. this separation is necessary and i would say even integral to the nature of fan creation, while ai closes that gap until it no longer exists. the elimination of space between creator and audience also happens on social media, when disgruntled fans who have taken umbrage with a fictional character or creative decision directly harass the writers or the actors involved. more and more, fans are demanding to be in the rooms, in the minds, and to exert control over the people who tell their stories, and it has only ever worked to our collective detriment. now i'm not saying that if you liked and shared the saurondiel ai kiss that you're the same as the internet trolls who harass (mostly) women and people of color online. but i'm begging you to do some self-reflection and ask yourself why you feel entitled to seeing what you want on your screen.

what has changed in the last few years that would make you dissatisfied with, say, reading someone's fic or making your own drawing? is it a matter of "the tool is there, so why not use it?" is it "i believe it should have happened and it didn't and i feel cheated?" or maybe there's been a pattern you've noticed in your recent media "consumption" (god, i hate that word) where, unless a show or television series goes the exact way you want it to, it feels like you've been defrauded somehow? i'm not being facetious. i'm inviting you to notice that what you're feeling is probably discomfort, disappointment, maybe even cognitive dissonance because you imagined it going one way, and now you're at a loss because it didn't. you built it up in your head, you had something to look forward to, you were convinced that it would happen, it was exciting and you were so eager to get to that point, and then.... and then...

we've all been there. and it sucks. but i also want to remind you of how important it is to preserve the separation. this space is ours. the writer's room, the filming set, the editing room, those spaces are theirs. the actors' likenesses are theirs. thinking beyond trop, the separation is how we get creative works that challenge us politically, emotionally, that make us uncomfortable and tell us important truths. writers shouldn't have to - and shouldn't FULL STOP - do what we want them to do. sometimes that means knowing when to walk away, when to say "i no longer enjoy this show, i will no longer support it" or "i will continue to watch but pretend things went differently," the latter of which has been the spark that has moved so many online fans to draw, paint, write, or sew. it's a type of creation that allows "canon" and "fanon" to exist parallel to one another. moreover, the effort it takes to make anything with your own two hands, with your own time, and with your own energy increases your appreciation for the creative impulse. films and books and television stop being "products" for your "consumption" because you're aware of what goes into them, and it becomes easier to look at things you don't like or disagree with and say, "you know what, i'm gonna pass," or "not in my headcanon."

oh, and by the way plugging things into an ai generator? is theft. the same way that it's generally frowned upon for people to use ai to, say, write the rest of an unfinished fic without the express permission of the fanwork creator, using the actors' likenesses to make them kiss goes against everything the actors' union fought for last year. i'll also add that it's incredibly creepy. almost all of us are in agreement that intimacy coordinators are a good thing because they act - again! - as a separation between what's "real" and what isn't, the same way going on ao3 and reading a fic that very clearly says on the tin that it's a fanfic, unaffiliated with the official ip, is a separation. it's another beast entirely to normalize fan-use of ai, to say you support creatives, support actors, support unions, and then do this in your personal life. i repeat the question: what impulse leads anyone to believe that this is okay other than a feeling of misplaced ownership?

tl;dr: ai nonsense does not belong in fandom spaces. (in my home state of california, it is illegal to use digital replicas of an actor's voice or likeness in place of their actual services without their informed consent [which, in spirit, is what you're doing by using ai to make your gifs]). we all just need to mind our own business and go back to writing our fix-it fics and complaining to our friends in relative peace. if you're finding it impossible to do so, ask yourself why. remember that fanart is our longstanding tradition. stop outsourcing it to an unregulated technology just because your two faves didn't kiss.

[physalian]

Fuck Grammarly

Okay I need to rant about Grammarly. A program I never used before and never will now. Doubly pissed because their ads keep interrupting my peaceful 4-hour Minecraft music session with their fake-ass influencers.

Guys. Gals. Nonbinary pals.

“As a corporate girlie—” learn how to write a proper concise email.

“I used to spend hours proofreading—” enjoy the process, and then the product.

If you hate proofreading, to the point where you’ll consult a robot to do it all for you, then you hate writing. If all you care about is the end product, sorry to say but ‘writing’ is like, 30% of writing. The other 70% is editing, by design. You’re supposed to like it.

Of course I’d love to have beautiful artwork of whatever’s in my head, but I’m going to love whatever I make a whole lot more than whatever I type into some garbage generator. Because I love the process of creation.

Do I think editing is tedious as hell? Absolutely, but it’s still a tedium that I enjoy. I like fixing my mistakes, I like improving my sentence flow. I like thinking about patterns and connections that I didn’t see before and revising and reworking until I’m satisfied.

For the humdrum day to day work emails that some of us have to write—if you’re sending out whole essays to your coworkers that you need a robot to write for you, you’re doing it wrong. Corporate emails are boring and trite, but I can type out a “hey please do this thing for me” faster than I can load up ChatGPT or Grammarly, type out my prompt, make sure the result is what I actually want to say, and then send it to my coworker. If you can’t, learn.

Apparently, Grammarly used to be a helpful way to check for spelling and grammar errors. I don’t have any issue with the AI that runs spellchecker whatsoever. I type so fast and miss typos constantly and when the spellchecker is absent, like on this website, it’s annoying af.

But that’s not what Grammarly is about anymore, and that’s not what the above ad was trying to sell you, either.

You won’t get better if you don’t practice. You won’t get better if you aren’t the one making, seeing, and fixing your mistakes. Especially if you write fiction where grammar rules are a suggestion at best. My published novel is littered with flagged words and sentence fragments that I know are technically improper English, but I sacrificed an MLA-proof paper for something fun and entertaining.

AI does not understand nuance and flavor text and aesthetic choices. It never will.

If you train yourself by using a crutch you don’t need, you will end up needing it because you’ll be too afraid to act without it.

Fuck up. Make a mess. Make mistakes. You won’t make them for long once you see them. You do not need a robot to do it for you. We’ve been writing books for hundreds of years and all the authors who came before did it just fine without a robot.

This isn’t even about writing novels, it’s about communicating in the written medium. Fucking. Learn. It’s not rocket science, it’s not coding in C++, it’s not brain surgery. It’s stringing words together in a comprehensible sentence.

And obligatory disclaimer: To anyone who has an impairment and needs these tools, this is not about you and you know it.

[duckprintspress]

Just used this template from the Author's Guild to send this letter (I edited/expanded on the template.)

I am writing to you as an indie publisher. I have discovered three of our books, including the work almost 30 creators, in the data you used to train your generative AI model. This usage was not authorized and violates both the Press's copyright and the authors' and artists' whose work was included. The books in question are Hockey Bois by A. L. Heard, And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," and Many Drops Make a Stream by A. L. Heard. This letter is to put you on notice that you do not have the right to use my work to train your AI models. You must obtain express permission and provide reasonable licensing terms for authors’ works. I hope you will set an example of responsible, legal, ethical AI use by obtaining permission before using authors’ and journalists’ works going forward and compensating us for the use you have already made. I'd say thank you for your time, but honestly I hate that I have to worry about this, hate that I have to take my own time to write this, and hate that generative AI-loving technocrats are actively destroying the arts in supposed pursuit of creating the arts. So I don't really thank you for anything. Please stop it, and if you refuse to, at least you can pay us with the billions of dollars you've earned by preying on the rest of the world. Claire Houck Owner, Duck Prints Press

The Author's Guild wrote up a list of actionable steps that authors whose work has been stolen can take, so I'll be looking at that more to see what, if anything, else I can do. Several require membership in the Guild, tho, and that's not happening right now. This is US-oriented info.

[johnwickb1tsch]

Sympathy For The Devil ~ Donaka Mark x fem!Reader

please allow me to introduce myself, i am a man of wealth & taste... -the Rolling Stones

Summary/ Warnings. Um… Donaka Mark is a scary rich asshole–with a soft spot for you. If you’re squeamish [or righteous] you’re not gonna want to read this. Voyeurism. Predatory behavior, manipulation. Power IMBALANCE. Eventual NSFW. Eventual line between dubcon and noncon is gonna be microscopic, y’all, this man plays gAmes… Reader is shy, but tough, in her way.  Also, when I say Reader is small, I’m more implying just compared to Donaka. I kind of assume most of us would be, no matter your body type. 🥵

Big Fat Author’s note: This is a Donaka Mark x fem!Housekeeper!Reader fic based on the brilliant @discoscoob ‘s bot, which is SO fun to play with and I really recommend it. I fell into a rabbit hole for daaaaays. I’m in CAI Anonymous now. Seriously it was a problem. 

I guess you could call this a little experimental hybrid fic written with AI. I was curious. And after working on this for weeks I don’t think the writer’s union really needs to worry about AI coming for their jobs. The bot’s writing is shamelessly fun but clunky, you delete more than you keep, it’s a lot of work to edit, and you really have to lead it by the hand for anything to actually HAPPEN. 

THAT SAID it is sO entertaining, and once in a while he’d do something i wouldn’t have ever thought of, I felt like the lab rat hitting the button for the treat over and over again, LOL. Disco really knew what she was doing when she programmed the personality of the bot!  It was also helpful in keeping a character on track. I think AI could be a useful tool generating ideas, breaking writers block, or something to bounce ideas off of, but not for the grunt work of actually writing a story that has any soul in it. Isn’t that a relief? I made an outline for the first 9 chapters and basically ran the scenes through like a simulator to see what the bot came up with. And when I didn’t like it I made it do it again, LOL, the Donaka bot probably thinks i’m a bossy c*nt.🤣 After that, I'm afraid we can only blame our own unhinged brains for what's here, it got too raunchy for the bot to handle, and this fic never would have become what it is without the help of our little community here, the comments and head canons and brain rot, I love you guys!

So….I hope you enjoy, and a HUGE THANKS to Disco for giving me permission to even do this, you’re the sweetest my dear, and the Queen of the Bot Creators in my book!!

And and…it’s been a LONG ass time since I’ve been to Hong Kong. I did some research to refresh my memory but please bear with me. All mistakes are my own. Why do we say that? Who the fuck else’s would they be? 🤣 Obv. this is set c 2013, when Man of Tai Chi came out, before the crackdown in 2020. Oh, and, I have no real idea about work visas, i made that shit up... just roll with it. 🙃😘

One. 一

The first time you meet your new employer, Donaka Mark, you aren’t really even paying attention.

It’s because you have on headphones, and you’re intently focused on sweeping the floor while listening to your upbeat girl power rock mix–so you don’t hear him yelling at someone over the phone threateningly, and you don’t notice when his gaze locks on to you like a tiger who has just spied a tasty little deer.

You are oblivious, as he comes up behind you, appraising your figure with narrowed eyes. You seem small, next to him, but most women do. He decides he approves of his assistant’s choice in hiring you. You’re a sight he won’t tire of for a long time.

Donaka leans on the door frame, his dark eyes fixated on you, taking in your every minute detail, the way the muscles in your arms move, the shape of your face, the curve of your hips and your little feet.

His expression is stoic but behind it are a million thoughts running through his mind, he can’t take his eyes off you and after a few moments he finally speaks, his dark tone cutting through the music.

“You’re new.”

Your music wasn't so loud that you were unaware of outside sounds. Standing up straight, you sweep off your headphones to face the commanding voice. "Yes, sir?"

Donaka notices he towers over you, and he likes that. His dark eyes shamelessly take in your innocent eyes, your lips, your  curves. His gaze lingers almost long enough to make it uncomfortable, but not quite.

“Have you been informed of all of your duties?” Donaka asks, his tone and gaze both demanding and intense, making you feel small.

"Yes, Mr. Mark."

Donaka smiles at his name on your lips, the way you say it, the way you look up at him with your wide eyes. He likes it more than he’d like to admit, but he knows how to mask his emotions well.

Even though his expression is still stony, there’s a hint of excitement in his breast as he leans off the door frame and takes a few steps closer, but still maintains a respectable distance.

“And you can handle them?”

"Yes, Sir."

Donaka nods, his dark eyes slowly and shamelessly trailing over your figure again.

“Good.” Donaka murmurs, his dark and intense tone making his next sentence more of a demand. “I need to be able to depend on you. I like things just so.”

You tilt your head, feeling like you’re missing some subtext, or that you’re the butt of an unspoken joke. "Your house will be clean, Sir.” Between you and the two other girls on the household staff, surely you could manage.

Donaka smirks at your naïve reply, his dark eyes still fixated on your face as he takes another step closer to you, almost like a predator stalking its prey.

“I trust that it will…” Donaka purrs, his voice low and smooth, his dark stare intense and demanding. “Let me show you the rest of the house…”

You’d already received a walk-through with his assistant, but you are more than intrigued to receive a personal tour from the big man himself. There is something captivating about him. It's not just his good looks. His presence commands your attention.

Donaka can feel you watching him as you follow him down the hallway, the way you’re intrigued by him, the way you’re staring. It fills him with satisfaction, like you’re a new prize he’s added to the shelf of his collection.

He’s aware of the effect he has on people. Men fear him, women want him. Yet you don’t look at him with the same blatant hunger he’s used to from the opposite sex. You’re curious, but not ready to fall down on your knees yet. 

He would see how long it takes to change that.

He glances over his shoulder at you as he leads you through the house, his dark eyes looking you up and down again. You follow close, taking two steps for every one of his, his legs are so long.

He can’t help but feel somewhat amused, enjoying the way you have to scurry to keep up with him. He can’t help but think how easy it would be, to pick you up, and to pin you down…

Donaka Mark’s home is an achievement of luxury architecture, dark, modern, yet filled with Chinese elements of style. Ceiling-high tinted windows afford a breathtaking view of the bay. His living room is like a museum filled with priceless artifacts. Antique carved ivory elephant tusks, beautiful Ming vases and exquisite stone Elder statues, silk scrolls and bladed weapons. All of it you will be expected to keep tidy with a painstaking hand. You think it’s possible your practically useless degree in art history and former employment in a gallery may have given you an edge in his assistant’s selection of hiring you.

He seems to genuinely enjoy your interest in these things, telling you about them at length. There is a large Qing dynasty vase in cobalt blue and gold enamel designs of clouds, cranes, and bats you cannot tear your eyes from. It looks…familiar, and in person, utterly enchanting.

“You like that one?”

“I like bats,” you admit, shoving your hands in your apron pockets so that you do not forget yourself and touch it with your bare fingers. You will be wearing gloves, when you detail these items. 

He lifts an eyebrow at that, seemingly amused. “Oh?”

“They’re cute. And…they’re good luck.” In Chinese culture, at least. 

“Most women I’ve met find them sinister.” 

“I think…they’re just misunderstood.” You can’t help looking up at this intimidating man through your eyelashes at that. You swear you didn’t mean to start double talking with your new boss–it just falls out of your stupid mouth, and you feel his attention upon you sharpen.  

He’s used to women looking at him in a certain way, women staring up at him with lustful hunger.

The way you look at him feels different –like you truly see him–he’s not sure what to make of it yet, and that is certainly new for Donaka Mark.

“Misunderstood?” he repeats, his dark gaze intense, looking down at you from his lofty elevation.

"Sure. They have a reputation for being scary, but really they eat mosquitoes and pollinate plants. Without them whole ecosystems would collapse."

Donaka hums at your words, finding it surprisingly endearing. He’s usually used to women fawning over him or at least trying to seduce him, but you’re here lecturing him about bats.

His smirk remains on his face as he watches you fidget nervously, his dark eyes fixed on you. You look back to the vase, and then it dawns on you. “Oh my god…is this the piece that sold at Christies last year for like…1.5 million dollars?” You take another cautious step backwards, as though you might shatter it if you breathe wrong. You saw it in an article–the gold enamel had been so distinctive against the blue. Sacrifice blue, the same as in the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

Only after the question falls from your mouth do you realize how gauche it is to ask, your hands flying to your lips. “Forgive me, it’s none of my business.”

Mark, however, just continues to look at you interestedly. “You follow auction results?”

“I follow…art news,” you confess.

He nods, his intense gaze starting to become uncomfortable. “Actually, it was 1.8 million. You think I overpaid?”

You feel like this is a test–or a trap. It was a nice job, for the day it lasted…

“Well…it doesn’t seem you bankrupted yourself?”

He snorts in answer, shaking his head. 

“Does it make you happy?”

He lifts an eyebrow at that, as though the thought hadn't even occurred to him. “It made me happy to outbid a Sheikh’s son and a Mainlander plastics tycoon for it,” he admits.

Ah, so he was invested in the thrill of acquisition–not appreciation for the object itself. You shouldn’t be surprised.

“I see.”

“I’ve disappointed you.” It’s not phrased as a question.

You shake your head, though maybe it does a little. Looking around his home, you’d thought Mark had exquisite taste–but he probably has an art buyer like every other obscenely rich businessman needing to acquire items for the sake of cachet. 

“Does it make you happy?” he asks, and there is an unexpected hint of playfulness in the question–delivered on a knife’s edge.

“Yes,” you admit. Frankly you’re stunned you get to see it like this, without a glass barrier or sensors or alarms. It’s usually the only way people like you get to enjoy art like this.

He smirks at you. “Then it was worth every penny.” He’s being sarcastic, of course, but there is a glitter of something in his dark eyes. It’s there and gone, like ripples in a pool–it makes your heart skip in your chest.

“Let me show you the rest of the house,” he invites, before placing a hand on your lower back, his fingers large and strong against your soft skin as he gently guides you away from the vase and to the next room.

His light touch makes you aware of every nerve in your body. It's not quite improper enough to complain about--you’re sure he’s well aware of that. 

And…there's the fact, deep down, that you like it. 

The span of his big hand on your spine makes you feel impossibly small, and protected, and that is insane, of course, because you are just the maid. 

He shows you the library, filled with built-in bookcases that make you drool, his office with his huge carved ebony desk that makes you think impure thoughts…and then, his bedroom.

He isn’t oblivious to the way your reaction changes as you enter the room where he sleeps.

He can see the way your eyes roam and your expression changes, the way you look at the massive bed against the far wall, the way your eyes widen when you look at the expensive rosewood furniture and the stunning view out the wall of windows that can be brightened or obscured with a dimmer switch.

He watches you intently as he takes in your every reaction.

He's all business on the surface, specifying clean sheets every other day, laundry, and daily detailing of the bathroom. But it's hard not to keep looking over at the bed, even out the corner of your eye.

He knows exactly what he’s doing to you, but he doesn’t push it, staying just this side of the line. You don't linger, and he shows you a more private lounging area filled with a long leather couch, additional chairs, and monitors, all black at the moment. There's something almost sinister about all the screens, and you wonder what all he's watching.

“You must really like movies?” you ask hopefully, and he senses the wariness in you. Your intuitiveness gives him a small thrill–he likes it, that you’re smart enough to be afraid. 

“I like to watch all kinds of things,” he tells you, almost like a dare for you to guess what that means. “But mostly…I use these for business. I run a security company, I assume you’re aware?” 

“Yes, Sir.” 

Donaka decides he loves hearing the submission in your tone when you call him Sir. It’s almost like a promise to keep him happy, to do exactly as he says.

He asks you to keep all the screens clean, and to dust the cords and routers and be careful not to unplug anything. 

Then your attention turns to a meditation area, a massive sand sculpture on the wall and the floor, flanked by natural stacked stone. “Wow, been a while since someone vacuumed here,” you crack, earning a reluctant huff of laughter from the man behind you. 

“Maybe…leave that alone, for now,” he requests, then his hand is on your back again, guiding you out. 

Though it’s not going to be your area of responsibility, he shows you the garden next. It's a beautiful, manicured space. Two Rottweilers patrol the grounds. They look fierce, but one immediately comes up, sniffing you and leaning on your leg for a pet.

Donaka blinks as his reputably ferocious and staggeringly expensive pure-bred guard animals roll over at your feet for a belly rub.  Delighted, you pet them both, speaking to them sweetly. They grin up at you, their dagger-like canines glinting in the sun. 

He is never one to be moved by anything sentimental, but something about the sight of you like this inspires a warm twinge in his chest–heartburn, he reasons.

“Let me guess,” he says acerbically. “They’re just misunderstood?”

You press your lips, trying to suppress a smile, and failing. "Animals tend to like me?" 

He can honestly admit, as he watches you crouch down to administer a belly rub, that he’s never been jealous of a dog before. 

Sensing that maybe you’re not doing the dogs or yourself any favors with this severe man, you try to shoo them off. "Ok, babies. Go back to being fierce again. Shoo."

Donaka snorts with amusement as he watches you attempt to gently shoo these dogs that are nearly as big as you are. Suddenly he whistles sharply, administering a sharp command in Cantonese. That is when the dogs jerk to attention, and trot off to patrol the grounds again.

He turns his attention back to you, taking in your slight expression of surprise, clearly caught off guard.

"That was impressive,” you admit. “What did you say?” 

“I told them to get back to work,” says Donaka with a smirk.

“Ah. I guess I better learn that one.” 

“Will I be needing to reprimand you too, Miss y/n?” 

You’re not sure why his dark stare calls up a boiling heat inside you at that moment. You press your thighs beneath your dress, under the guise of standing up straight. You’re afraid…he knows all too well. 

“I…certainly hope not.” You’re pretty sure that you’d pee yourself if this intimidating man raised his voice to you. 

“Have you learned much Chinese since you’ve been here?” he asks conversationally, just as you assumed it was time for you to get back to work. 

“I can count to ten, and say thank you,” you admit, a little embarrassed. Obviously, you intend to learn more. “The essentials for international travel.” You’d originally come to Hong Kong to teach English, but when you saw the pay attached to this job listing you couldn’t resist the opportunity. Teaching was ok, but you hadn’t anticipated how expensive this city would be. You’d only made enough to cover your basic expenses month to month, with no room to save or do any fun activities or side trips to the mainland. This position paid three times as much–and you were beginning to understand why. 

“Hmm. Have you traveled much?” He seems skeptical, and you don’t really blame him. 

“I’ve…been all over the world,” you admit, albeit it was on a shoestring. “I wanted to be a travel writer.” 

“Wanted to be?” He is a man who picks up on subtlety immediately. 

It’s a dream you’ve all but given up on, after publishing a few articles, but all in all it was more slog than triumph. You’re not cut out for the grind of periodical work, the stress and the deadlines. It sucks all the joy out of writing for you. You shrug with a little sigh. 

“I hope you will remember the NDA you signed to work here?” he asks, his dark eyes roaming your face, taking in your every micro-expression. You would really hate trying to lie to this man. Good thing you’re not a corporate spy. He’d probably…string you up, and do something unmentionable to you. 

Why the thought titillates you more than scares you, you have no idea. 

“Of course, Sir.” He seems satisfied with this. So why do you have to add, “I won’t tell anyone your guard dogs are suckers for a belly scratch.” 

He frowns down at you, stepping in close so that you have to crane your neck to look up at him. It’s intimidating as hell, and you know he knows it too. You admit that you are shaking in your shoes under that look, until a smirk breaks his intense expression, and the relief you feel is palpable. 

“I would appreciate that, Miss y/n.”

Donaka savors the satisfaction he feels in flustering you, enjoying the way you swallow, watching the muscles in your throat. He imagines what his hand would look like there, on your delicate skin, your pulse fluttering against his strong fingers. He would literally hold your life in his hands…and the moment you surrendered to him, he would so enjoy rewarding you for it…

He finds himself caught up in this little daydream, while you stand before him, practically hypnotized like a mouse before a hungry snake. “Y/n?”

“Sir?” you answer quietly, and he revels in your deference. This was going to be fun. 

He speaks Cantonese again, softly this time, the language beautiful and whispery on his tongue. You find yourself staring at his lush, pink, lips, and it takes you several moments to realize he’d said the same thing he’d told the dogs: get back to work. 

Flooded with embarrassment, your face on fire, you stutter, “Yes, Sir.” 

With a dark chuckle and his hands in the pockets of his designer suit, he watches as you practically flee back to the house. 

The Smithsonian article about this vase...

Aesthetic post about Donaka's house...

Part 2 -->

all chapters

[boreal-sea]

Huh. I think Suzanne Collins put a bit of an anti-generative-AI line in the newest Hunger Games book, Sunrise on the Reaping.

Screenshot below a cut for spoilers.

This sounds like a reference to generative AI, at least to me!! Plutarch is talking about editing video footage here, and lamenting the lack of a tool that could “replicate any scenario using any person”.

[glitchedoutpxie]

Unpopular Take #7

Rant: ai prompters are winning.

Just found a fairly popular writing account with works that are so painfully clearly ChatGPT copy-pastes. The pattern is there. The sentence structures, the overuse of emotional intensifiers, the repetitive flat metaphors, "like prayer" "like a whisper" "like a secret". It's almost impressive to see an ai-writer be so unbothered about making the writing "sound human" and even more impressive the amount of comments praising and believing this is actually human authorship.

Look, I get it. The use of AI is becoming inevitable in the entertainment industry. I'm not anti-AI. I'm flexible. I'm open-minded. I'm all for AI assistance within boundaries. If you use it for an outline, to brainstorm, to fight writer's block? Cool. As long as the final content was written using your own words, in your personal style that you took years to develop, under your own unique creative vision.

But when you're copy-pasting whole chapters without even bothering to edit? That's not writing. That's content-farming. Not cool.

And to see so many people believing these copy-pastes are human? That is just sad. Please educate yourselves. Don't jump on AI hate trends blindly. Use AI writing tools. See why it can't, and will never, replace authentic human writing. Study the difference. Learn how to distinguish algorithmic mimicry from actual human creativity. How do you expect to combat frauds if you can't even tell the difference? We're praising the very people we should be hunting down. Lead with curiosity, not disdain.

I will not be exposing the account, only that it's in the TMNT fandom. But if they do ever see this blog, please do better. Read a book or two. Value authenticity. At the very least, be transparent about the source of your writing. You have fans who genuinely look up to you. Is a temporary ego boost really worth lying to them? :(