Please do not try to clock “balanced list of threes” as an AI tell because that’s been classic rhetorical structure for going on three millennia and it’s baked into all our writing now, I‘m begging people to read more old things

Idk man I feel like even if AI scraped from 100% ethical sources, had zero impact on the environment, and produced gorgeous work, I’d still think you were a bitch for using it

One thing you will never think after reading a great book or listening to a great album or seeing a great piece of art is, “I’m really glad this person remained cautious while they were making this and guarded against being perceived as weird.”

This Is Just To Say I have turned off the AI features that were in the update and which you were probably hoping to monetize Fuck you they were stupid so unnecessary and so annoying

Lots: set a timer for five minutes--one minute even. A physical timer if you have it so you can see the time ticking down and know when you will be free. Write in Comic Sans. Turn the font color to white so you can't see it. Turn off your monitor. 1/2

And a very happy 20 years of Neil banging out the tunes to all who observe

“I will NOT sacrifice the Oxford comma. We've made too many compromises already; too many retreats. They assimilate the em dash and we fall back. They capture ‘not just X but y’ and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further!”

I dunno if prologues and epilogues are part of the main story but I do know that as the sole product originators in a multi-billion-dollar industry, professional organizations for authors should exist that have collective bargaining power with entities like Amazon and offer real health insurance.

I dunno if prologues and epilogues are part of the main story but I do know your publisher should pay you a separate fee and/or offer a contractually guaranteed budget if they expect you to market your own book because that’s not your job nor what your advance or royalties are for.

PSA: 1. If you are not silly, it is vital you become silly 2. If you are silly, you must stay silly 2. If you used to be silly but have stopped, you must make all efforts to return to silliness

'According to an October study by the BBC, even the most advanced AI chatbots gave wrong answers a whopping 45 percent of the time.' USE YOUR BRAIN USE YOUR BRAIN USE YOUR BRAIN USE YOUR BRAIN USE YOUR BRAIN USE YOUR BRAIN USE YOUR BRAIN USE YOUR BRAIN USE YOUR BRAIN USE YOUR BRAIN USE YOUR BRAIN

Okay, I get publishers affirming that the books we've produced are human-made, but have we also considered bringing back medieval book curses??? Just saying.

This whole thread is required reading

your usual reminder that joseph campbell was a sexist piece of shit and that the hero with a thousand faces was based on the extremely dubious and mostly rejected anthropology of Frazier’s Golden Bough

There is literally no excuse for AI covers when Canva has a free plan with temps that will make you a perfectly fine cover. (And yes Canva has AI tools but you can easily ignore them.) Cover design is a rare case where genre fit is much more important than originality.

OK, Bluesky, I come bearing recs. Herewith an early romance roundup (including some romance-adjacent books) for the Trans Right Readathon, which starts tomorrow! Follow @trreadathon.bsky.social, check out transrightsreadathon.carrd.co, watch out for the auction, and read some trans romance!

put your link in the post put your link in the post put your link in the post put your link in the post put your link in the post put your link in the post put your link in the post put your link in the post put your link in the post put your link in the post put your link in the post

I don't think grammarly should just get to do "sorry deleting now" after ventriloquizing living and dead people without their consent to make money

Do not write while fearing the foolish reader (I say to myself as much as anyone). POV is one of the author's most powerful tools, I would say second only to an author's control of time. If readers can't handle that, they can always go back to board books and blocks. 🤷‍♂️

The Trans Rights Readathon is back for 2026! From books about trans elders to comics about trans joy, genderqueer fantasy and non-binary memoirs, here are a few suggestions of trans books to help you get started on your reading journey this Trans Rights Readathon! #trr26 #transrightsreadathon

Many romances do not use the supporting cast to their full advantage. Side characters are more than just people waiting in the wings for their own book. They should have arcs in their own right that complement the main story, or else you are just leaving money on the table.

if people want diversity in romance they've got to stop reading the BIPOC books on netgalley and actually spend money on them, instead of buying yet another special edition of the same book by a white author they already have ten copies of

I owe everything to someone who was crucified, who rose from the dead, and who saved all of humanity. Put this on ur page if u r not afraid to say THANK YOU, XENA WARRIOR PRINCESS

I urge you to stop what you're doing and watch Alysa Liu's free skate from yesterday. I have never seen anything like this. I understand why sports writers are born now. I have never seen anyone as free from the burdens of this world as this pierced Oakland girl spinning to Donna Summers.

Sorry to get radical but I don’t think it’s my job or yours to embrace, accept, understand - and certainly not to use - the thing being sold to us as AI. I don’t like any part of it, so I won’t. I’m missing out? Good, that’s what I want. You’re worried about me missing out? That’s fuckin weird, man.

REMEMBER: All the "Don't use em-dashes" "don't use rule of three" advice because it makes your writing "look like AI" is because they stole actual writers work, and their "predict the next thing" stuff just simulates what WE FUCKING DO. Keep writing well. Use every style and trick you have. Fuck AI.

It's #aromanticawarenessweek!! To all our aro-spec friends out there, we see you and we love you! Keep sharing your stories, they deserve to be out in the world 💚

"trad pub doesn't do marketing for you any more" Yes but it's also not what you're probably thinking. But first: this isn't me defending trad, just explaining. Trad houses do not market to readers. Correct. But also that's not how it has ever marketed, at least not earnestly.

have you ever thought about how men's figure skating is just twink show jumping

GET OFF SUBSTACK

gentle advice for fellow indies: if you want people to check out your work, you need to put a link for people to go check it out if you ran out of space and it's in the reply, that's fine, but it needs to be somewhere that doesn't require someone going elsewhere to click a link

The thing that gets me about this attitude is that it's so... Self-centered...? Selfish? Other authors are not competitors. This is not Survivor. Other authors are colleagues. Friends. Collaborators. Human beings worth being in community with.

The final rule is I don't give a shit what they GROSSED on those books. I wanna see your profit after advertising is taken out. 😂 Don't listen to six figures until you find out what the FB/bookbub/amz ad budget was, y'all.

most of all, fuck everybody who sees romance as a cash register rather than a genre worthy of respect. the booktok to AI slopfest pipeline has been the most grim, depressing downward spiral. it sucks.

since this will always be circulating, i might as well be the first one to put it here: the stretch tips i made many years ago… remember to stop and stretch and take care of your hands! be mindful of your work time & listen to your body.

I think it's perfectly understandable that many people feel a deep sense of resentment and disenfranchisement for the time capitalism has stolen from them, but the answer is not to embrace capital's machine that pretends to show you an inner life you aren't having.

Run don't walk!!!! This remains one of my favorite series of all time!!!!

HELL YES!!!!

It's Threshold Day! Don't be afraid to make that weird thing you've been thinking about making because this actually aired!

It's time to start making your plans! Romancing the Vote returns July 1st - July 5th, 2026! * authors, start annotating those books * artists, start making that art * experts, start plotting your consultations Stay updated: updates.romancingthevote.com

gay fantasy will save you. Gay elves and gay knights and gay ritual sex cults and gay magic will save you

I want to do a thread on "Small Press Red Flags" brought to you by years in the trenches combined with some issues I’m seeing pop up again in writer circles. Note: an isolated incident might not be a red flag, but cumulative flags are always worth examination. First off: Let’s talk about money.

*Mollymauk Tealeaf voice* Girls, gays, and theys, gather around! It's time to reveal my new book. How would you like to read a transbian take on Howl's Moving Castle? Magic. Lesbians. Whimsy. Well, here's your chance to make it a reality! www.kickstarter.com/projects/aut...

Do you LOVE webcomics? Check out the ULTIMATE starter pack compilation! 🔴Vol 1 go.bsky.app/RbsaF4W 🟠Vol 2 go.bsky.app/AdEFLDK 🌕Vol 3 go.bsky.app/4harP2r 🟢Vol 4 go.bsky.app/G69ktFZ 🔵Vol 5 go.bsky.app/5Fq4uBJ 🟣Vol 6 go.bsky.app/UaGGWu3

RE: Hiveworks stuff, it's become really clear is how much of the toxicity of the leadership came from seeing fellow artists as competition and threats rather than comrades who lift each other up. The world is big enough for all of us. I hope we can work together and fight our real enemy (fascists)

Things are grim right now but as a reminder of who we are and why we fight, this is the US Women’s figuring skating champion.

This. Fucking... This.

"shitting on ai makes you sound like a Luddite" oh okay, thank you! Luddites were cool as hell