AI Generation vs Writing

[Tomkin Watts]

Has anyone followed the "Shy Girl" controversy?

"Shy Girl" is a horror novel, self-published in early 2025. It sold so well that Hachette picked it up and published it in Great Britain in late 2025, with plans to release it in the US this year. However, amid strong suspicions among critics that it had been AI generated, Hachette cancelled US release and pulled it from bookstores in GB.

Which led to some questions in my mind in regard to GA:

* What is GA's policy regarding AI generation of stories?

* Are those of us who write the old-fashioned way--laboriously, that is, at least for myself--unknowingly competing with AI generated content on GA?

* Have any of us on this forum used AI for any purpose related to writing, how do you use it, and what are your thoughts about it?

When I read about "Shy Girl," I was curious about AI, having never used it. I'd been wondering how to develop a word frequency count for my stories--to catch over-use of "was," for example, as well as other key words that might have too much repetition. I downloaded Claude, Anthropic's product, and it produced exactly what I needed on my first prompt. Being a perfectionist but a horrible editor, and working on a story that I had just switched from first person to third person point of view, I asked it to run a grammar check. Pronto--it delivered what I needed: all the incorrect pronouns, etc. that I had missed in my editing. Overall, I was pleased with the results from using this tool for those two purposes.

However--Claude did more than just what I'd asked for: It offered re-writes to my sentences, expressed opinions about my style, offered substitutes for words I used that it didn't like, and then at the end said, "The prose is otherwise grammatically sound, and the long, winding sentence style — clearly intentional — is handled consistently and well. The story reads as polished and publication-ready with those small fixes applied."

Now that is downright scary.

Horror Novel ‘Shy Girl’ Canceled Over Suspected A.I. Use - The New York Times.pdf

Edited April 10 by Tomkin Watts

[Jason Rimbaud]

I have not heard about this story.

I'm a purist. I use the free version of Grammarly for grammar. The free version doesn't suggest structural changes. 

I will never use AI to help, enhance, or write a story of mine. I think it's cheating. Plus I think it makes all the stories sound the same, the author loses his or her voice. 

But every person has their own opinions about AI. I don't find it reliable in query searches, I find AI writings to be repetitive, and it always takes me out of the narrative. When I find a story written by AI or enhanced through grammar programs, I stop reading it. 

But I'm not sure of GA's policy regarding AI or help writing stories. I'll let the powers that be address that as it doesn't concern me. 

 

[ReaderPaul]

AI often goofs, as well.  Recently I did a search for a business in a nearby town, and the AI on the search engine said it was a block off of a street in a neighboring town, and right behind the County Courthouse in a third town, more than 12 miles away.  (That would have put the courthouse in the middle of, and on, numerous railroad tracks.  AI did give me the correct street address for the business, however.)  Fortunately, I knew enough about all three town to laugh about it.

I agree with @Jason Rimbaud, I will not use AI in my writing (if I ever decide to publish anything of any size).

[Tomkin Watts]

Jason Rimbaud - Thanks for the tip about Grammarly. I'll check it out. I agree with everything you've said.

ReaderPaul - No, i have no intention of using AI for writing, either. I haven't used it more than a few times for other types of queries. All I am interested in is a grammar check and word frequency count. My writing and my style of writing are purely my own, and still evolving.

Edited April 10 by Tomkin Watts

[Gary L]

52 minutes ago, Tomkin Watts said:

Has anyone followed the "Shy Girl" controversy?

"Shy Girl" is a horror novel, self-published in early 2025. It sold so well that Hachette picked it up and published it in Great Britain in late 2025, with plans to release it in the US this year. However, amid strong suspicions among critics that it had been AI generated, Hachette cancelled US release and pulled it from bookstores in GB.

* Which led to some questions in my mind in regard to GA:

* What is GA's policy regarding AI generation of stories?

* Are those of us who write the old-fashioned way--laboriously, that is, at least for myself--unknowingly competing with AI generated content on GA?

* Have any of us on this forum used AI for any purpose related to writing, how do you use it, and what are your thoughts about it?

When I read about "Shy Girl," I was curious about AI, having never used it. I'd been wondering how to develop a word frequency count for my stories--to catch over-use of "was," for example, as well as other key words that might have too much repetition. I downloaded Claude, Anthropic's product, and it produced exactly what I needed on my first prompt. Being a perfectionist but a horrible editor, and working on a story that I had just switched from first person to third person point of view, I asked it to run a grammar check. Pronto--it delivered what I needed: all the incorrect pronouns, etc. that I had missed in my editing. Overall, I was pleased with the results from using this tool for those two purposes.

However--Claude did more than just what I'd asked for: It offered re-writes to my sentences, expressed opinions about my style, offered substitutes for words I used that it didn't like, and then at the end said, "The prose is otherwise grammatically sound, and the long, winding sentence style — clearly intentional — is handled consistently and well. The story reads as polished and publication-ready with those small fixes applied."

Now that is downright scary.

Horror Novel ‘Shy Girl’ Canceled Over Suspected A.I. Use - The New York Times.pdf 90.71 kB · 0 downloads

Great topic to raise.

Now retired, but I could always detect a student’s ’English as a foreign language’ essay written by AI by the correct use of semicolons. They were clever enough to set the English level but not the punctuation. However, the days of students writing an essay at home are surely over.  
I think I have read something about the use of AI by authors here but @Myr is the expert to advise us.  Personally, I think it stinks if undeclared.  But hey, I’m an old bore.
 

[Tomkin Watts]

6 minutes ago, Gary L said:

Great topic to raise.

Now retired, but I could always detect a student’s ’English as a foreign language’ essay written by AI by the correct use of semicolons. They were clever enough to set the English level but not the punctuation. However, the days of students writing an essay at home are surely over.  
I think I have read something about the use of AI by authors here but @Myr is the expert to advise us.  Personally, I think it stinks if undeclared.  But hey, I’m an old bore.
 

I am probably more of an "old bore" than you-lol! But after reading your comment, I'd better watch my writing! Ever since 8th grade I've loved the "art" of punctuation, and have never been skittish about using semicolons, colons, em-dashes and even ellipses--even in the many years I only did business writing. And long winding, grammatically correct Proustian sentences that i had to break up so as not to lose the reader (the client).

[Myr]

We don't have a formal policy at this time.

[lawfulneutralmage]

I have used AI to translate speech I wrote from modern to Elizabethan English. It gave me options per sentence, and I chose one.

I like using it as "icebraker" when I tell what dialogue I want, and it produces something, usually BS, but gives me an idea on how to proceed.

 

 

[Gary L]

9 minutes ago, Tomkin Watts said:

I am probably more of an "old bore" than you-lol! But after reading your comment, I'd better watch my writing! Ever since 8th grade I've loved the "art" of punctuation, and have never been skittish about using semicolons, colons, em-dashes and even ellipses--even in the many years I only did business writing. And long winding, grammatically correct Proustian sentences that i had to break up so as not to lose the reader (the client).

Can a grammatically correct sentence begin with “and”?!?!?! My Grammar school masters would turn in their graves (unless they are 110 or more). 🤭 
As for old, we had one teacher who began at the school before WWII, left for 5 years as a soldier and who came back afterwards. Underneath the rugby pitches was an entire system of classrooms where classes were taught during the Battle of Britain.  God, I m being a bore, sorry. 

[Jason Rimbaud]

2 minutes ago, lawfulneutralmage said:

I have used AI to translate speech I wrote from modern to Elizabethan English. It gave me options per sentence, and I chose one.

I like using it as "icebraker" when I tell what dialogue I want, and it produces something, usually BS, but gives me an idea on how to proceed.

 

 

I think AI is around for a while now, and everyone is going to have to get used to it being in our lives. And, like most tools, people will learn how to use it for themselves. I don't see anything wrong with authors choosing to use tools available to them.

[Tomkin Watts]

1 hour ago, Gary L said:

Can a grammatically correct sentence begin with “and”?!?!?! My Grammar school masters would turn in their graves (unless they are 110 or more). 🤭 
As for old, we had one teacher who began at the school before WWII, left for 5 years as a soldier and who came back afterwards. Underneath the rugby pitches was an entire system of classrooms where classes were taught during the Battle of Britain.  God, I m being a bore, sorry. 

In business or academic writing, no. And yet, in fiction, beginning a sentence with "And" works. I don't see it as any different from "But," "Still" or "Yet," as long as we don't over it (an argument for running a word frequency count as part of the editing process.) But before answering your question, I flipped forward through the pages of Ian McEwan's "Atonement," which I started reading last night (beautifully written). And there it is: "And so she lay there..." And after a gazillion sentences beginning with "But." (Page 63 of the Anchor Books paperback.)

Edited April 10 by Tomkin Watts

[Krista]

I absolutely hate AI in creative spaces. Digital artists, songwriters, people who do digital advertisments, even digital marketing have all been greatly impacted. We're starting to see it bleed into digital painting, video game development, film/television, writing, and music. It saddens me that organic people are being phased out. That we're losing creative people like dead skin cells for optimism and algorithms.

Teachers are crashing out because they have to automatically suspect that anything written and submitted by their students could be generated by AI. They have fail safes, catching programs, etc. So they're having to double their work just to make sure the student isn't cheating. 

When we first started looking at AI, you could tell. AI like others have said can get context wrong and it go haywire. Although you can just tweak the prompt and get correct results in mere seconds to minutes. There's patterns to spot if you're looking for it. And it mostly reads similar. But, AI is constantly being tweaked. It is getting better in its mimicry. 

People like attention, if they can use tools to make gaining attention easier, I can see people doing it. I hope it isn't that big of an issue here. 

I will never use it, if I can't create something I have no business playing pretend. Letting the heavy lifting be done in moments and not months of dedication and work. It disgusts me. 

Edited Saturday at 01:19 AM by Krista

[CassieQ]

25 minutes ago, Krista said:

Teachers are crashing out because they have to automatically suspect that anything written and submitted by their students could be generated by AI. They have fail safes, catching programs, etc. So they're having to double their work just to make sure the student isn't cheating. 

I was speaking to a friend of mine who has a son in high school and a daughter in elementary.  She said the high school stopped giving the students homework due to the use of ChatGPT and whatever else is out there.  They have to do all their work in the classroom, where I assume it is easier to monitor.     

[Mikiesboy]

I have played with AI  ... since i don't have a lot of people around me to bounce things off anymore, i decided to experiment with chat.  

It was interesting. I don't like how it writes, it loves similes. Many, many similes.  It gives out way too much info that I didn't ask for.  It's like it cannot answer a simple question so it says, yes/no and here's why....  ugh.

I think it could be useful, if you could control it more effectively and not be lulled into letting it do all it seems to want to do. 

That said, I will stick to my old ways of not writing terribly fast and on my own, as it should be.  

[Jason Rimbaud]

50 minutes ago, Krista said:

People like attention, if they can use tools to make gaining attention easier, I can see people doing it. I hope it isn't that big of an issue here.

Can't believe I'm going to kind of disagree with Krista. Please forgive me FO

I think there is a distinction between using AI tools to clean up your existing work and using AI to write it for you. 

I freaked out about this a few weeks ago upon reading a story that was heavily influenced by AI. The author isn't important, but I, too, was really upset that this author used AI and didn't mention it. 

Since then, I have done a bit more research (which is nothing but Google to be honest) and found that many grammar programs now offer AI assistance. You write your words, then AI makes suggestions, offers to change your sentences, and cleans up the grammar. 

I'm not sure how I feel about this new writing tool, the AI assist. 

I am against using AI to create a story. But since almost all grammar check programs now have AI built into them, I'm not sure where I sit with other people using those tools. 

I will never use it, but I'm a contrarian. And any of you who read my work probably know I should use it. But that's me.   

[Kileoli]

8 hours ago, Tomkin Watts said:

What is GA's policy regarding AI generation of stories

As far as I know, there is no strict rules. Where I come from AI is allowed in the scientific world, as long as it is said how far and not letting the entire article to be written. It's a great help sometimes when you are stuck but like @ReaderPaulsaid it makes horrible mistakes too.

Honestly I use it a lot at work for stupid tasks like answering emails or helping me with the codes ( even there you have to be careful and go through every line) it loves creating formulas which physically are impossible.

8 hours ago, Tomkin Watts said:

Are those of us who write the old-fashioned way--laboriously, that is, at least for myself--unknowingly competing with AI generated content on GA?

I don't see it as a problem, if a story is good then people will read it. I have the least of my favorite authors and read their work and every once in a while look at new authors so you shouldn't worry.

 

8 hours ago, Tomkin Watts said:

Have any of us on this forum used AI for any purpose related to writing, how do you use it, and what are your thoughts about it?

I have used it a lot just for fun seeing how far I can push things. Sometimes it's good to get an idea of how things are. For example I have never been in the USA and I'm too busy to watch movies but I really wanted to write a detective story so I used AIs help, it wasn't that bad but it keeps on repeating itself, falling in logical loopholes and so on so I gave up. Besides AI cannot catch human feelings. Now I use my family and my daily life and it's a lot easier and more fun to write. However I still use AI for grammar and co. At the end of the day it all depends on  what you want and why you write.

I do it as a means of procrastination 😂

[Krista]

1 hour ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

Can't believe I'm going to kind of disagree with Krista. Please forgive me FO

I think there is a distinction between using AI tools to clean up your existing work and using AI to write it for you. 

I freaked out about this a few weeks ago upon reading a story that was heavily influenced by AI. The author isn't important, but I, too, was really upset that this author used AI and didn't mention it. 

Since then, I have done a bit more research (which is nothing but Google to be honest) and found that many grammar programs now offer AI assistance. You write your words, then AI makes suggestions, offers to change your sentences, and cleans up the grammar. 

I'm not sure how I feel about this new writing tool, the AI assist. 

I am against using AI to create a story. But since almost all grammar check programs now have AI built into them, I'm not sure where I sit with other people using those tools. 

I will never use it, but I'm a contrarian. And any of you who read my work probably know I should use it. But that's me.   

Cleaning up your work isn't the issue I have with AI at all. I would never use it, I like @wildone just fine, no need to put him out in the back forty. At least not for this reason.  So you're not disagreeing with me, or me you. Some people cannot edit their own work that seamlessly. I would argue that if you're wanting to publish, then a living breathing editor will probably appreciate 'not' wondering if your writing is heavily edited via AI, but I don't know I've never done it. 

What I have an issue with is that you can use a prompt, then mass produce a series of images that say a Digital artist would take a month or so to swatch out, mock-up, and then give back to you. So it displaces their entire function as a creative person. I have sat and watched one person create an entire story board, character sheet, physical artwork, backdrop artwork, and some working code for a video game using AI. That eliminates numerous living and breathing creators in the process. And, after minor tweaks everything looked clean. That was years ago, AI has grown in capability and functionality since then.

What I'm afraid we're going to continue to see as we've seen it already, is that we're going to forego organic creation and accept the already muddy boundaries AI presents. There are already arguments in creative spheres on whether or not a finished product, born of AI is at the end of it,  could still be considered organic because the creator edited, tweaked, and rearranged/restructured the original prompt. The argument being that they used AI, but essentially created a full puzzle out of the unconnected pieces. 

AI is a tool. But it has become so refined that it can be a stand-alone creator as long as someone presses "Go." Some people want attention without the work. If they can prompt out a dozen poems in fifteen minutes, post them for attention and get away with it. They're going to do it. Same with songs, short stories, and maybe even novels. 

 

Edited Saturday at 04:27 AM by Krista

[Kileoli]

50 minutes ago, Krista said:

AI is a tool. But it has become so refined that it can be a stand-alone creator as long as someone presses "Go."

That's the whole point, it's going and is the future. @Jason Rimbaud like it or not it is part of everything, gathering data building models and move forward. All the fancy technology and comfort we have and will have is going to paid in the currency of losing our humanity and creativity. What can be done against it, not fight it but showing how to use it correctly, show the limits, show why we are (still better).

And as for those using to AI for getting attention, they get it one way or another and let's be honest there are enough people who give them the chance otherwise all these social media weren't big.

[William King]

9 hours ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

I will never use AI to help, enhance, or write a story of mine.

AI is a tool to increase our capabilities, not to replace us.

---

Yann LeCun,
AI Scientific Director at Meta, 2018

 

AI is like having a knife. You can use it to cut bread or to hurt someone. It's up to us to decide how to use it.

---

Oren Etzioni,
CEO of the Allen Institute for AI, 2015

 

“A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it is not open.”
― Frank Zappa

[CassieQ]

10 hours ago, William King said:

AI is a tool to increase our capabilities, not to replace us.

---

Yann LeCun,
AI Scientific Director at Meta, 2018

 

AI is like having a knife. You can use it to cut bread or to hurt someone. It's up to us to decide how to use it.

---

Oren Etzioni,
CEO of the Allen Institute for AI, 2015

 

“A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it is not open.”
― Frank Zappa

I see The Terminator movies have taught you nothing.  

[Topher Lydon]

I mainly use AI for feedback, then I revise off of the notes. I find it very handy for this... though i have had many a shouting match with it when it tries to rewrite my text. I find it drops entire sections of text when editing for me (I have no editor, so for me AI is my editing tool).

It can't replace a writer, not yet, thank gods... or else I am back to twiddling my thumbs. I don't see the harm in it, it's useful to me, it's a great tool for cover art, helps me sound board a scene or plot idea. And tells me when I am a dumbass... Seriously, Carter's Breach, I had this wild idea to lift a submarine up with another submarine... it was a whole thing... my AI assistant kicked me HARD and told me to stop being stupid. 

I think it is a matter of how you use it. As an assistant SURE as a replacement: not yet. It simply can't handle multi chapter long work yet. And I am okay with it not being able to. 

[Tomkin Watts]

20 hours ago, Gary L said:

Great topic to raise.

Now retired, but I could always detect a student’s ’English as a foreign language’ essay written by AI by the correct use of semicolons. They were clever enough to set the English level but not the punctuation. However, the days of students writing an essay at home are surely over.  
I think I have read something about the use of AI by authors here but @Myr is the expert to advise us.  Personally, I think it stinks if undeclared.  But hey, I’m an old bore.
 

Another indicator of AI generation, I recently read, is frequent usage of tricolons: "Red, white and blue," for example. I asked Claude to identify tricolons in one of my stories, and it looks like I'm in trouble there! But unsurprisingly, it also pulled up bicolons and tetracolons, which i hadn't asked for. But in any instance when fictional writing becomes extensively descriptive or lyrical, those will occur organically.

[Kileoli]

1 hour ago, Topher Lydon said:

it was a whole thing... my AI assistant kicked me HARD and told me to stop being stupid. 

I think it is a matter of how you use it. As an assistant SURE as a replacement: not yet. It simply can't handle multi chapter long work yet. And I am okay with it not being able to

I find your art really cool in comments, and actually like you said AI is a good editor when properly prompted, however AI tends to over edit my stuff or just summarize it to single words.

BTW, I really want to see how it kicked you exactly!

[Topher Lydon]

2 minutes ago, Kileoli said:

I find your art really cool in comments, and actually like you said AI is a good editor when properly prompted, however AI tends to over edit my stuff or just summarize it to single words.

BTW, I really want to see how it kicked you exactly!

I tend to speak to it conversationally: so I asked it something to the effect of : Ok I might be out of my mind, but what if I had the Russian submarine go under the acheron and lift it up...

reply: you ARE out of your mind. here's why: (commence lesson on engineering and physics that humbled me)

[Jason Rimbaud]

As I said, every author is going to have to figure out how to use this new technology for themselves. 

But I don't have to figure it out. I won't use it. There is no need. I write for my husband. I don't have to be good!   

I don't automatically believe all technology is useful. Some can be quite useful, some might curtail creativity because one could become reliant on it. It's all comparative. 

Though I am in the camp that if six companies in the world control AI, then whatever they are planning on doing with it, can't be good for the rest of us .