Let's talk a little about AI - what are your thoughts about using it?
Since its explosion in late November 2022, AI has been the center of debates on authorship, ethics, and the essence of artistry. I use AI almost daily. I use ProWritingAid to edit and proofread my manuscripts before sending them to alpha and beta readers. Or ChatGPT 3.5, to shorten research time.
Where and when is it okay to use it, and where do we draw the line?
As of a few months ago, Amazon started asking this question: Have you used AI to write this book?
I answer: no.
But Mia, you might say, you just admitted to using it! Yes, I have. But I only use it in the early stages of the book. I use it to generate ideas for romantic subplots, conflicts, or twists based on scenarios that I provided. To offer writing prompts tailored to the romance genre, in order to inspire new scenes or chapters.
But all the sentences are mine, the style, the words, the Voice.
DALL·E, the image-generating AI, has been around since 2021, but its use was initially restricted to industry insiders and early adopters. I don't like design, so I'm pretty shitty at it. But when WIX, which I use for my website and blog, and Canva, which I use mainly for social media, started offering AI image-generating tools, I thought I'd try it. I wouldn't consider using it for book covers. For that, I rely on the incredible Enni from Yummybookcovers; her designs are unmistakably human-made.
But for social media, it's a different story. And you know what else? It's fun!
It is also a complete time sink. To generate the images below, I spent an entire morning playing with it. Canva AI’s image generator requires a minimum of five words but no more than fifty. For the prompt, I took a direct quote from the book and shortened it a little. Then I experimented with the different categories: "watercolor", "dreamy", "filmic", etc. I find that if you say "none" the results are the best. I guess like all of us, AI likes its artistic freedom.While I greatly appreciate them, for me, none of the images truly resembles Erez, the male protagonist of my latest book, as I envisioned while writing him.
Here is the quote I used:
"He peeled off his shirt, revealing broad shoulders, a flat chest, and a tight stomach. He had long blue stripes of wave-shaped tattoos. The curling waves started on his smooth, tanned shoulder and hugged his biceps, ending above his right elbow."
Here are the results, which one do you like best? Comment below and let me know.
