Might as Well Publish Before AI is Writing All the Books

Happy belated New Year, or early Chinese New Year!

It's February 7th, and I feel like a slug. Words come slowly. "Fuckits " creep in. Motivation seems like a foreign concept. Trying to keep up with all the things has me wanting to do nothing. Nothing except maybe Winter. Books and a fireplace and slow hikes in the snow would do my soul good. A small cabin with cozy blankets spilling out of baskets, and a cup of tea on the table. Of course, peace on earth would be better. But in my little corner and locus of control, I'm rooted in the belief that action precedes motivation most of the time, so I'm going to try to write myself out of my slugdom, so to speak.

Ollie is learning about emotions at school, and multiple times a week, he looks at me and says, "Mama, I'm happy." It is one of the most beautiful sentences anyone has ever said to me, and a good reminder to take the time to tell people the things that matter, and to be awake to the moment at hand. It is, not surprisingly, an instant mood booster. Occasionally, he tells me if he's sad or angry, and I love seeing life's moments flow through him. I think a lot of life's stresses would dissipate if we were all a little bit better at sharing our emotions. 

My blogs have become few and far between, as I don't often feel inspired to sit down and write. This last year was about living. More quiet moments. More time just be-ing with Ian and Ollie. And I feel so lucky to have spent my time doing that, considering the state of the world and the families that are being torn apart. There are no big resolutions for 2026, just hopes to have a similar experience, and to fold in some good habits that guide me in the direction of my life goals. There is a calm that comes from being older, wanting to just slow things down and enjoy the moment, and realizing that, if this were as "good" as it gets, that would be something pretty amazing too. 

My major goal for this year is a carryover from the past MANY years...publish the damn book. I'm so excited to get it done so I can start exploring whatever new goals appear.

It's fitting that I plan to publish this year. It's both the Year of the Horse, which is not only my birth year animal, but apparently it represents a year of momentum and action. It also marks !!!20 years!!! since I returned from Japan. And that feels like a nice, solid number to cap off this experience. 

This is also the year where I feel like AI has shifted the writing/publishing/everything landscape significantly. I want to publish and celebrate this analogue version of work, as going forward, I think everything is going to have some element of AI. It makes me feel extra proud to have gone through all of the iterations and bumps on my own, without the help of the collective brain.

I'm genuinely concerned about the impacts AI will have on the writing world. It took me 8 years of writing, 4 years of workshopping, many pauses, years of editing, years of figuring out how to pitch, and then years of waiting to have the time to get the final bits cleaned up. Now I could quite literally put a bunch of prompts in an AI tool, and it would spit out a book. It wouldn't have my voice, the experience behind the words, but it would have a voice. And that voice might even be better than my own (as AI resurrects the style of the greats ffs), or at a minimum be half decent.  

The barrier to entry in writing used to be so high. Typewriters and mailing pitches and the like. It was a lot of work, and therefore only the really dedicated (and usually more talented) made the effort. Now it seems like there are zero barriers. It will be impossible to weed out the good from the bad (outside of traditional publishing). It makes every single thing feel less valuable. There is just too much of everything already, and now it's all going to multiply. 

On the positive side of things, the options for self-publishing are much better than before. Better quality, so many tools to make the final product, and forums to distribute. Almost too many, which is the state of everything these days. But I guess without all of that time writing, or at least all of the research and work to publish, there will be more time to focus on other value-add things. Or just living. 

So, I just need to put in that last push. To get over the useless energy spent worrying what everyone will think. I always relied on the idea of traditional publishing taking away this worry and giving me the validation I needed to tell something slightly more personal. The lack of momentum and procrastination on this last bit really tracks back to that fear. But who cares what people think, am I right? Well, I do, but I shouldn't...I know this. Life is too short to make sure everything is perfect and to make everyone happy. 

I'll see if I still feel the drive to write after I close this chapter. There are certainly voices and issues that need to be amplified, of which I have no place to speak. And at my age, you really want to contribute to things that make the world better, through a more significant impact (outside of motherhood, of course).

A little quote which I leave running through my head when I find I'm overwhelmed with trying to create something impressive:

The most satisfying and joyful thing you might do this year is painting the wardrobe doors with flowers… or learning to knit. How easy it is miss these pleasures when we are putting ourselves under pressure to do BIG SPLASHY SUCCESSFUL THINGS rather than simply relish the feeling of moving a paintbrush sodden with delicious gloopy paint on a pine door. The big splashy successful thing may come from the painting - who knows - but it’s not the point. This is about process rather than product.- Marianne Power

I'd love it if you followed me on this last leg so I can't back out so easily. Put your email in my blog so I can let you know when it's published!

I'm still terrified, but I'm really hoping I do it anyway. Here's to celebrating the work, the lessons, the things that grip our souls and the follow-through. Even if some people think it's stupid.

OMG, stop talking already and start figuring out how to design a book cover!!!