Category: writing

  • AI and the Human Element

    AI and the Human Element

    With Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT increasing their reach into the writing and editing space, the relevant question becomes, “How important is the human element?” Worth noting are the disclaimers expressed even by the purveyors of the new technology. The ubiquitous Grammarly, for example, stresses that the program…

  • How to Evaluate Your Own Writing

    How to Evaluate Your Own Writing

    A deep motive for making literature or art of any sort is the desire to defeat the formlessness of the world and cheer oneself up by constructing forms out of what might otherwise seem a mass of senseless rubble. —Iris Murdoch The most difficult task of a writer is to…

  • To Edit or (How Much) to Edit?

    To Edit or (How Much) to Edit?

    I’m halfway through reading an inspiring ebook called Write. Publish. Repeat. The No-Luck-Required Guide to Self-Publishing Success. In the section on editing and self-editing, the authors Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant), lay out their practical advice which will prove useful to most self-published authors: We suggest you employ the…

  • Self-Publishing Scams and the Hybrid Alternative

    Self-Publishing Scams and the Hybrid Alternative

    At a recent gathering of my regional writer’s association, I found a common concern: How to assess the integrity of self-publishing companies? Is there a viable alternative to paying their high fees, in the thousands of dollars? The attraction is there. The digital revolution has, on the one hand, made…

  • Travel Photos are a Cop-out

    Travel Photos are a Cop-out

    by Nowick Gray Okay, maybe that title is a bit strong. You’re enchanted with the exotic city you’ve discovered, or the awesome landscape. You pull out your trusty digital camera or cellphone and click—you’ve captured it. Another click or two, and you’ve shared your experience with friends far and wide…

  • Technique is King

    Technique is King

    “The first draft reveals the art, revision reveals the artist.” – Michael Lee It is said, in relation to the Internet, that “Content is King.” The maxim is true offline as well as online. We listen to a master of the shakuhachi flute and are struck with the pure poignancy…