Storied Charlotte a Blog to Share

I'm delighted to share a special blog titled, Storied Charlotte, written and monitored by Professor of English and Interium Chair of the Theater Department at University of North Carolina Charlotte, Dr. Mark West. 

I learned about Storied Charlotte, a blog that highlights local Charlotte artists and authors, when I was drawn to an article about author Lisa Williams Kline's book, The Bristlecone Writer's Group. Since members of the writer's group in her story reside in an active senior living community, I was curious to see how closely, if at all, it  paralleled one recently published by the Lake Norman Writers Guild, called Auras of Deceit.  It turns out that the only similarity is the location, a senior living community. 

The Bristlecone Writers' Group is the story about what happens when a member of the group dies and the others find a list of banned books in her briefcase. Solving the mystery brings the members closer together and changes how they feel about their dead friend and about life. 

Auras of Deceit, is a cozy crime mystery that takes place in a ficticious active retirement community, called Trivolity. But, the unique part of this story is that the writers group, consisting of five writers, collaborated and authored the novel. They are NOT the story between the covers of the book. 

However, even though Auras of Deceit is not about the Lake Norman Writers Guild, the guild itself has a compelling  story of its own. 

When I queried Dr. West, from Storied Charlotte about Auras of Deceit, and shared that it was a collaboration of five authors, he contacted me to ask how that was even possible. The following is the result of our conversation.  

On the Writing of a Collaborative Mystery Novel

August 07, 2026 by Mark West

Earlier this summer, Sandra Warren contacted me about a new mystery novel that she and four other area authors had collaboratively written. Their novel, Auras of Deceit: A Trivolity Cozy Mystery, is set an “active adult community,” which is a phrase people use these days when referring to 55+ communities.

As a scholar, I often engage in collaborative projects, but collaborating on a scholarly work and collaborating on a novel are two entirely different enterprises. When I learned about the novel that Sandra and her collaborators had written, I was reminded of The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, which Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner collaboratively wrote in 1873.  Twain and Warner were neighbors in Hartford, Connecticut, and they took on the project at the suggestion of their wives while they were all together at a dinner party. In the end, this satirical novel helped define the graft and excessive materialism associated with American culture during the late 19th century, but the process of writing the novel did not go very smoothly. 

If Twain and Warner had trouble melding their two different writing styles, I wondered how Sandra and her collaborators were able to meld the different writing styles of five writers. I contacted Sandra and asked her about how she and her collaborators were able to work together on a jointly written novel.  Here is what she sent to me:

Writers tend to be solitary people, burrowed alone for hours each day at their desk, tapping out what they hope will become the next great novel; a classic for readers to enjoy until the end of time. So, it’s hard to imagine a collaboration of two writers ever agreeing on anything. Five writers working together sounds like a recipe for failure, fights and loss of friendship. But that didn’t happen with a group that now calls themselves the Lake Norman Writers Guild. In fact, if you listened at the door of their writing room you would have heard nothing but friendly conversation, amicable compromise and raucous laughter.

How did two poets, Annette Larkin and John Stickney, a sci-fi writer, James Salkeld, and two historical fiction writers, E. Jax Willoughby and Sandra Warren, meet, and what was their collaborative secret? 

The writers all met at Trilogy Lake Norman, in Denver, one of several over-55 communities, in and around the greater Charlotte area. John came from Ohio, Sandra & Vicki from other parts of North Carolina, and James and Jax from Charlotte. Sandra, Vicki and John attend monthly meetings, workshops, open Mic nights and classes as members of the Charlotte Writers Club.

The secret to their successful collaboration was, first and foremost, respect. Even though not everyone was published, the writers respected each other’s imagination, creativity and writing skills. No one writer had more control than the other.

It began with the suggestion that it would be fun to write a murder mystery together. After the laughter died down, the big question was how? The writers started off hit and miss, and finally came up with a method that worked for them. It may not work for any other group.

In the beginning, everyone prepared a one-page murder mystery idea to be read and voted upon at the next meeting. The concept of a party where a ‘murder game’ is played, was chosen. 

For the next meeting, character profiles were needed for the party hosts, the primary attendees, a victim, and the investigator of the crime. Each member created and developed a character profile to present. When the profiles were read, we were all amazed at the complexity of the characters, their physical descriptions, personalities and the secrets they held.

Our cozy crime novel was off to a great start!

The next challenge was to get each character to the party. Suggestions to think about included: their relationship to the hosts and to the other characters; what they wore; feelings about attending; did they go alone or with someone; how they got there; did they arrive early, on time, late. Each character’s role at the party was discussed and enhanced by the group. 

The idea of where to start the novel and how it should proceed evolved from the in-depth character descriptions. At the next few meetings, various writers wrote a chapter or two and presented them to the group. Slowly, the framework of the crime, the plot, possible motives, and suspects emerged.

Critiquing the novel in progress, could have been the writers undoing, but it was agreed, right from the beginning, to put egos aside and work together with a “majority rules” mentality. 

Chapter contributions were posted on Google Docs so each writer could read, critique and suggest changes via the comment feature. Punctuation and grammar were corrected immediately. Other concerns were brought to the next meeting for discussion and consensus. 

One person in the group, James, used the Scrivener writing program to keep all the corrected versions of the novel together. Through Scrivener he was able to easily move chapters around, make changes, and eventually format the book and the eBook for publication. 

The end result? A cozy crime mystery novel titled, Auras of Deceit: A Trivolity Cozy Mystery. The story marries a lighthearted look at life in an active adult community with daring and intrigue, when a “game of murder” goes horribly wrong. 

In case you’re wondering, yes, a second cozy mystery is in process. 

Auras of Deceit is available through Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats in English, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

The Lake Norman Writers Guild members are available for presentations and book discussions, in-person or via Zoom, individually or as a group. Contact: Sandra@arliebooks.com

The Lake Norman Writers Guild Members are:

Annette Larkin – Corporate escapee, life coach, world traveler, and aspiring poetess.

James Salkeld – a writer of a speculative fiction novel called The Empathy Circuit.

John Stickney – A poet. His poetry and short crime fiction has appeared in online and print magazines such as Tough,Needles, Thug Lit, and Demolition among others.

Sandra Warren – an award-winning author with publications in multiple genres.  www.sandrawarren.com

E. Jax Willoughby –a writer of a historical fiction novel titled Comfort’s Rebellion.  jaxwilloughby.com

I thank Sandra for reaching out to me and for providing the story behind the writing of Auras of Deceit, and I congratulate all the members of the Lake Norman Writers Guild on writing a murder mystery without murdering any of their fellow guild members in the process.  

There is a famous line associated with the crime drama The Naked City, and the line goes “There are eight million stories in the naked city.” Well, I don’t know if there are eight million stories in Storied Charlotte, but our community has produced many good murder mysteries, including Auras of Deceit.

For more information about Lisa Williams Kline and her books: www.lisawilliamskline.com                                  

Auras of Deceit is available through Amazon.com in Spanish, Italian, German, and Portuguese as well as English.

Contact Sandra Warren and her books:   www.sandrawarren.com 

Storied Charlotte Blog      https://pages.charlotte.edu/mark-west/blog/category/storied-charlotte/

Learn From Your Favorite Authors!

There are two things I struggle with as a writer. The first is writing a great opening sentence, and second, is creating character descriptions that bring characters to life in ways that intrigue and engage the reader. When those things are not present in books that I read, I'll stop reading. So, when I write, I want to be sure that my opening hook will grab the reader and make them want to turn the page. I haven't always succeeded but those two things are always on my mind when I write. 

When I was an author wannabe, people often told me, "If you want to write, read, read, read!" The reason didn't hit me until much later when I realized that the answers to my writing questions could almost always be found among the pages of my favorite books; not stated specifically as "do this" or "do that," but rather in the way the story was written to capture my interest. That's when it dawned on me that many of the things I needed to know about writing, were all around me in the books on my bookshelves, those on my coffee table and the stack beside my bed, waiting to be read. I only had to pay attention. 

To capture the interest of a reader and get them to turn the page, you need a great opening sentence. When I looked at the openings from recently read novels and those I read years ago that I keep rereading, I found their beginnings proved my point; they grabbed me from the first sentence. Here are a few samples:

"Of the three people standing on stage, only two of them were people!"  The Plus One, by Sarah Archer, 2019

"Lavinia sat awkwardly with Mr. Grogan in the parlor of her family's home on Oglethorpe Square on a  sweltering Sunday afternoon." Between The Sky And The Sea, by Lisa Williams Kline, 2023

"Franz Stigler buried his hands in the pockets of his long, tattered wool coat as he shuffled along the streets of the small, bombed-out city." A Higher Call, by Adam Makos, 2012

"The woman's face burned, glowed as thought illuminated by a shaft of sunlight falling from a high cathedral window." The Bastard: American Bicentenial Series Book 1, by John Jakes, 1975

When you examine each of these opening sentences, you find they all have one thing in common; they all fill a readers mind with immediate questions that can only be answered by turning the page. 

In The Plus One, we have three people but only two are people! What? How can that be? Who or what is the third person? What are they doing on a stage? 

Why is Lavinia, in Between The Sky and The Sea, awkward in the presense of Mr. Grogan? Is she afraid of him. Who is Mr. Grogan to her? For that matter, who is Lavinia? 

What city is Franz Stigler in when A Higher Call, opens? It's been bombed but by whom? What war is this? Where is Franz going? Who is Franz Stigler?  

And in The American Bicentennial Series, Book 1, The Bastard, who is the woman with the burned face? Who did this to her? Where is she? Will she live or die? 

Examples like those above make me re-examine my opening sentences for things left unsaid. In the books I have written, some of the opening sentences work and some could use improvement. What about the opening sentences in your stories? Can you say the same about them? If not, are there ways to make them more interesting? Examining the opening sentences in the books I love have really made a difference in the way I start stories. 

Writing character descriptions that intrigue are an ongoing challenge. The ability to combine physical and emotional attributes that convey the essence of a character in an interesting way, is a real skill. Once again, I turn to authors who, in my opinion, have mastered this skill. 

Let's take a look a a description found on page 138-139 in Captains And The Kings, by Taylor Caldwell, a revered writer from long ago. 

Taylor Caldwell could have described the character like this: Mr. Healey's daughter, no more than twenty, wore a wine colored gown with jewels at her neck and wrists. Long brown curls brushed her shoulders enhancing her large brown eyes. When she smiled, her dimpled cheeks glowed. 

Instead, she describes the character this way:  "She was no more than twenty, if even of those years, and had a lovely figure which her rich gown of wine-red merino draped over enormous hoops could not entirely hide. There were deep cascades of weblike lace about her throat and wrists, and the throat and wrists were remarkable for their whiteness and delicacy, and were jeweled. Her pointed face glowed and dimpled, and her cheeks were the color of apricots and so were her lips which parted in a smile of great delight, showing her square white teeth. Her nose was impertinent, her eyes extraordinairly brown, with shadowy long lashes. Glossy ringlets of brown hair tumbled to her shoulders. She had a look of intense life and gusto..."

Whew! That's a lot but it really gives us a sense of  Mr. Healey's daughter's looks and her personality. You may not like descriptions this long and involved, but there's much you can learn from it that the shorter description didn't tell us. 

"...if even those years," gives us a sense that she looks younger than her age. 

"...and had a lovely figure," not quite hidden by her hooped skirts, enhances the time period of the story  through her costume. 

"....her throat and wrists were remarkable for their whiteness and delicacy..." Conjures up an image of a very delicate, perhaps spoiled, white skinned beauty, one who didn't let the sun touch her skin. 

"...her lips were parted in a smile of great delight...Here we get a sense that she's friendly and happy to meet whomever her father is introducting her to. 

"She had a look of intense life and gusto..." Personality traits that make her intriguing, not just a pretty    face. 

My goal is not to write long character descriptions, but to gleen from authors I admire, like Taylor Caldwell, the ability to infuse my descriptions with subtle intriquing attributes that tell more than age and physical description. 

Make a list of opening sentences that intrique you. Copy down descriptive attributes that bring characters to life. Then, incorporate all you've learned into your next story. 

I hope this post makes you think about what your are reading and writing in a more interesting way. 

What have you learned from your favorite authors and the books you have read?  

Happy writing! 

*****

Contact:

email: sandra@arliebooks.com                                                                                                        Website: sandra@sandrawarren.com

 

What do you mean I'm not 100% Dutch?

All my life I believed I was 100% Dutch. You see, my grandparents on my father's side and my great-grandparents on my mother's side immigrated to the United States from The Netherlands. Amature attempts at family genealogy brought up greats, great-greats and great-great-greats, all from or living in The Netherlands, so what was I to think? 

I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, an area where many folks from The Netherlands immigrated. They established towns named after provinces in their homeland, such as Holland and Zeeland. Many joined the furniture industry. Grand Rapids, at the time, was the Furniture Capital of the World. 

Growing up my favorite jump-rope song was - I'm a little Dutch girl dressed in blue. These are the things I used to do. Salute to the Captain, bow to the queen... - etc. Every year, in the public school I attended, we sold Dutch Babalars as a fund raiser. My grandmother always served Windmill cookies we dunked in milk or tea. 

The church I attended was Bethel Christian Reformed, a branch of the Dutch Reformed church brought to the United States by the influx of Dutch decendents.

Imagine my surprise, when on a recent cruise to see the tulips and windmills in The Netherlands, I came across information that clearly states that way back in the 1400's, 1500's and 1600's, my family lived in Belgium! Yes, that's correct. I'm Belgium at heart!  

So when did The Netherlands come into play? It appears that sometime in the middle 1600's, my 8th great-grandfather, Francois, fell in love and married a Dutch girl, named Janneke and moved to Hoek in the Province of Zeeland, The Netherlands. Francois, his father and four previous generations of family all lived in Belgium. 

Does this information really change who I am? No, but it adds an additional dynamic to what I have believed my whole ancestry to be. No longer just a little Dutch girl! 

Have you checked into your ancestoral lineage lately? If so, what surprises did you find? Did it change the way you feel about yourself? I'd love to hear your story! 

Please leave a comment below! 

******Contact: Sandra Warren      www.sandrawarren.com 

A Fun & Fabulous Book Launch

Planning a Book Launch for the collaboratively written book, Auras of Deceit, was an unusual process because five authors were involved.

Having written the book with nary a cross word, we were blindsided by the difference of opinions related to the launch. But, as all good collaborations go, the difference of opinions resulted in a most unique and fun-filled launch. 

Since the book was written about an active senior living community similar to the one we lived in, we knew attendance would be larger than normal. Curiosity had been building within the community as word spread about what the local Adventures in Writing Club had been up to. There was no doubt in our minds that we needed to reserve the Event Center, the largest gathering room in our community.

The time chosen for the launch was late afternoon with light refreshments; a professionally made cake decorated with the book cover embeded in the frosting and cupcakes with open-book cake toppers. A half-sheet cake was purchased with instructions to cut slices instead of standard sized pieces. It served well over 90 attendees perfectly. Coffee, ice tea, lemonade and water accompanied the cake, along with a cash bar  for those wanting something stronger. Small bags of Gummy Bears were handed out with each book sold. Gummy Bears appear in the cozy crime novel. 

Two tables were setup for selling; one for cash sales and the other for everything else, Zelle, Venmo, charge cards, checks, etc. As books were piled on the selling tables, we worried if we had ordered enough or perhaps too many. We had prepared a presentation before the sale so books were covered when the launch began. 

Rather than just read a passage from the book, a skit was planned that introduced 5 of the main characters dressed in costumes with dialogue to match their book personalties. We had a hauty couple supposedly decendents of royalty, a ladies man and suspected killer, a retired FBI agent and a retired detective. Two short comedic passages from the book were also read. The audience loved it!  

To make sure everyone who attended was able to take something with them, we made  a 1/3 sheet handout with purchase information along with an invitation to additional book event event coming up. 

Placed inside each book purchased was a flyer polietly asking for an honest review with QR Codes for easy access to Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads. Many folks have no idea where and how to leave a review. This little insert showed them. 

The Book Launch for Auras of Deceit was a great deal of fun and much more successful than we ever imagined. 

When you plan your next book launch, think outside the box. Make it fun as well as informative. Gather your friends and family to help. Making your book memorable can start with a creative book launch. 

Read Gretchen Griffith's blog post about this same book launch at  https://gretchengriffith.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2026-01-09T08:54:00-05:00&max-results=7

Have you attended a memorable book launch lately? Leave a comment. I'd love to hear about it. 

Please leave a comment below: 

An Interview With Blogger, Author Joan Y. Edwards

One of the greatest pleasures of being an author is meeting others in the field. I met Joan Y. Edwards years ago, shortly after moving to North Carolina, at a Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference. We both attended to become inspired, motivated and learn from agents, editors, publishers and even other children's authors. There is so much to learn about writing for children. 

When we met, Joan had already published a children's book titled, Flip Flap Floodle, about a light-hearted duck who thought the song he could play on his flute would keep him safe from Mr. Fox! You can just imagine how well that worked out.  

Writers write for different reasons and although Joan's first love was writing for children, she likes to dabble in other genres such as poetry, screenwriting, scriptwriting, early grade and middle grade fiction and romance. 

Joan was one of the first writers I knew who had a Blog. Throughout the years her blog became known for great writing tips, publishing tips, sharing the sucess of other authors, inspirational and motivational ideas and always ended with positive feel-good thoughts. Her blog afforded her the opportunity to try out her many interests, growing an audience that today numbers nearly three-quarters of a million readers!   

In 2016, after years of taking care of her mother, Joan felt her experiences, both good and not so good, could give other caregivers inspiration and motivation to help get them through the day-to-day challenges they were facing. She felt they needed to be reminded to take care of themselves. Caregiving is one of many life experiences you don't realize how difficult it can be until you're in the thick of it. Joan "has a strong desire to share information to make it easier for others to take care of their parents than it was for her."

Joan has two books, hot off the press, for children. The first has an intriquing title, The Day I Turned My Brother Into A Monkey. I couldn't resist asking Joan about it. 

1. Joan, did the inspiration for this story come from a pesky sibling who badgered you when you were young or stories you heard from your students when you taught? 

 "Yes, this story came from my pesky siblings. I am sure I was equally pesky. I had 3. An older sister, a younger brother, and a younger sister. In teaching I taught two sets of twins and learned from watching them interact. I also did a lot of babysitting for families where I got to watch  sibling rivalry in action."

2. What age child or grade level student do you see enjoying this book? 

"I think children in kindergarten through fourth grade will especially enjoy it. Adults enjoy it, too. It is a fun read-aloud for families, librarians, and classroom teachers."

3. Did you write this as a chapter book or an easy reader?

"I wrote it as a chapter book similar to Junie B Jones, but I wanted whole page illustrations in color rather than miniature black and white. I also thought having larger text was a way to leap from picture book to chapter book." 

4. If this book were to be traditionally published, you'd have no say in choosing the illustrator or be able to share what you envision. But, since you were self-publishing, you were able to choose your illustrator. Where did you find your illustrator? 

"A friend of mine had used illustrators from Fiverr.com marketplace. So, I went to the website and looked up illustrators for children's books. I found 5 that I liked their style and their pricing for one illustration. I carefully checked reviews. I wrote each one to get a quote and to see if they were interested. I chose Ecaterina Leascenco, known as Tincuta on Fiverr, because she resonated most with my inner spirit, the sense of fun she created in her portfolio, and my pocketbook. After our agreement...I sent her the story." 

5. What kind of instructions did you give Tincuta?

"I told her I needed an illustration for each chapter and the first chapter illustration would also be used for the cover. I told her 6x9 in size and 300 resolution in jpeg format and in color.  She gave me a quote for each illustration....I did each illustration separately. She did sketches in black and white first to see if I liked it. When I was happy with it, she sent me a quote for the next one."

Joan, I have to say I love the bright colors and the detail in the illustrations. They are very eye-catching. Tincuta did a nice job of capturing the essence of the story, especially the monkey! His eyes give him so much personality. Children are going to love looking at the pictures. Who wouldn't want to turn their little brother into a monkey. I know I would have. 

6. The second new book hot off the press, The Golden Arm, is quite a departure from anything I've seen you write. Why the horror and graphic amputation? You're normally such a sweet, humorus, love'em, positive sort of person. This seems somewhat out of character for you. 
"When I was a teenager, I babysat many children. Some of them loved spooky stories. The Golden Arm was a campfire favorite. The children would huddle close and listen...one step, two steps... anticipating the scary part hugging each other more."

"I visited The Apothecary in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where the guide explained that in the 1800's people would come there to get their arms amputated. They would sit you in a chair and lop off your arm! That stuck in my mind that Minerva, poor Minerva, might have had to go through that." 

"In life, each of us, at sometime or another, may get carried away with ridiculous dreams, fears, demands, and expectations. It is good when we can see the humor and find a way to accept ourselves and find a way to dig our way out of our problems. A way to survive and be at peace." 

Okay Joan, now I understand. This story comes from sitting around a campfire telling scary, often gruesome tales. 

7. Once again the illustrations are so intricate and colorful. But, I see you used a different illustrator. How did you find Dazzling Media and how different was it to work with them? Did they read the story? Did you have them do the illustrations one at a time like you did with your other book? 

"The Golden Arm needed illustrations that would be supernatural and have exaggerated detail to bring out both the humor and the seriousness of a story that reflects the trouble we get into when we are trying to control ourselves and/or others. So I chose Dazzling Media on Fiverr Marketplace. Their portfolio online showed me that they could definitely dazzle me. I shared the story with them. I told them I wanted one illustration 6x9 inches, 300 resolution color illustrations for each chapter and that I would choose one for the cover, probably one where Minerva proudly walks through town with her Golden Arm. They gave me a quote for the whole project. I believe they did an outstanding job. I wanted the illustrations to be scary, funny, and magical all at the same time. I believe they delivered that."

Thank you so much, Joan, for sharing the process in writing and illustrating your two new books. Your writing journey and desire to help others is unique and commendable. You are a fascinating lady! I learned a great deal and I think my readers did also. 

Joan's new books, The Golden Arm and The Day I Turned My Brother Into A Monkey are available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B003KXQ0X0/allbooks

Email: mailto:joanyedwards1@gmail.com
Social Media
Facebook Author Page/
Linked In/
Twitter (X)
Alignable

Leave a comment by March 20th for a chance to WIN your choice of one of Joan's new books, autographed, of course.  

COMMENT WITH THIS:

https://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/3884813691327716608/4260776761905997429 

  

*******

If you'd like to be interviewed for my blog, contact me at the email below. 

Email: Sandra@arliebooks.com

www.sandrawarren.com    or   www.arliebooks.com 

http://sandrawarrenwrites.blogspot.com

http://twitter.com/SandraWarrenNC

https://www.instagram.com/sandrawarren_author/   

https://www.facebook.com/SWarren.Author    

A COLLABORATION OF WRITERS

Last year, the Adventures in Writing Club, of which I am a member, decided it would be fun to write a cozy mystery novel. The members, five writers--two poets, Annette Larkin, John Stickney; two historical fiction writers Sandra Warren, E.Jax Willoughby; and a sci-fi writer, James Salkeld; gathered to do what some thought impossible. Yes, that's correct. All five were attempting to write a novel. 

Everyone else seemed to think that a collaboration of this type would be challenging, but not one of the writers voiced any doubts. It's safe to say, however, a collaboration of this kind could only happen with respect, something these writers had in spades. They respected each other's imagination, creativity and writing skills. And, even though not everyone had publishing credits, no one writer had more control than the other. 

From week to week, the writers, now known as the Lake Norman Writers Guild, developed interesting characters, created a setting ripe for mischief, produced a crime with many suspects and dropped a few red herrings. 

Inspired by the community in which they all live, the writers gleaned and tweaked their experiences to form a tapestry of guilt and intrigue that you could, but hopefully won't, find in any active adult community. 

The result: Auras of Deceit: A Trivolity Cozy Mystery! 

This cozy mystery marries a lighthearted look at life in an active adult community with daring and intrigue when a "game of murder" goes horribly wrong. 

Auras of Deceit debuted shortly before the Christmas holidays and is available at Amazon in paperback and Kindle ebook. 

Curl up with your favorite drink and Auras of Deceit for a delicious, funny-fun read! 

The Lake Norman Writers Guild is available for Book Talks and Presentations locally near Charlotte, NC or via Zoom. Recommend it to your Book Club and receive one FREE Autographed Copy and a FREE Zoom meeting with one or all of the writers. 

Contact: Sandra Warren                     www.sandrawarren.com 

TO AI OR NOT TO AI: THAT IS THE QUESTION?

 To AI or not to AI? That is the question I, like other writers, are facing. When my work-in-progress is finished, I want to be able to honestly say that artificial intelligence was not used to create the story. That is a question some publishers are asking with submissions. 

So what's a writer to do? 

It's tempting to allow the latest AI version to partially or completely do the work. But if you do, the finished product isn't really yours, is it? I think not. Others may argue that although AI will never be able to compete with the creativity and emotionalism needed in a good story, it can come pretty darn close.  

Personally, I'm against using AI to create a story, but I can see value in using AI to analyze the final product, as long as you take what is written with a grain of salt. Recently, while involved with a collaboration of writers creating a cozy mystery novel, one of the writers plugged the final manuscript into AI for an analysis. What came back was an amazing look at story arc, character development with percentages of time each character appeared in the story, plot development, chapter strengths and weak spots, etc. In short, I'd never seen a critique so thorough yet specific. It gave enough information to allow us to make some changes and beef up parts we felt needed it. It helped us look at the manuscript from a different lense. 

AI can also be helpful to research clothing or setting or products for a period piece. For example, What kinds of things might you find in a 1950's grocery store? Or what would a gravel pit look like? Or what kind of equipment would a blacksmith use? Or what kinds of jobs and equipment are needed to build a skyscraper? Anything you might need to make your characters, your setting, your story more authentic. 

I think it's safe to say artificial intelligence can be used by you in the same way you'd use any other resource. 

Condensing a complete manuscript into a synopsis is another way AI might be of help. It's always a challenge to write a synopsis, especially if only one paragraph is requested.  AI could give you ideas for a long and a short one. 

Any good submission letter includes or should include recent work comparable to your submission. AI might be able to help with that, too. 

It goes without saying that any help received should be put in your own words. 

How do you feel about AI? Are you using it? I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

************                                                                                                                                              Recommend one of Sandra's books for your next Book Club read and receive one FREE autographed copy and a FREE Zoom talk!                                                                            

www.sandrawarren.com    or   www.arliebooks.com 

http://sandrawarrenwrites.blogspot.com

http://twitter.com/SandraWarrenNC

https://www.instagram.com/sandrawarren_author/   

https://www.facebook.com/SWarren.Author