the disgruntled democrat

Writing my second novel, The Ascension of Mont Royal, has given me the opportunity to explore a much different way to write a novel.

I would say my first novel was a hybrid affair. I wrote it in the traditional manner of working alone, draft after draft, seven in total, before I felt it was ready to be published.

However, when the time came to release it into the world, I chose to make use of the technology and self-publish on Amazon, an amazing development in publishing that allows authors to sell their books directly to the public in multiple formats, bypassing the gatekeepers of the traditional publishing industry.

Print-on-demand? What a concept! Download the book directly to your device, so you can read it without having to get off the couch? Get out of town!

The problem, however, is one of discoverability. It is estimated that in the USA alone there are approximately one million self-published books released into the information ecosystem each year. The chances that someone you don’t know personally will come across your book and decide to buy it are extremely slim. More than 90% of those titles will sell fewer than 250 copies in their lifetime.

As a result, a growing industry of publishing "consultants" has emerged, offering book launch strategies, advice on taking advantage of the Amazon algorithm, and tips on using social media to reach receptive audiences, to name a few. Sometimes I think aspiring writers pay the consultants more than they earn from their book sales.

Another thing that has changed the landscape for writers in ways we haven’t quite figured out yet is the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). The internet changed how books were distributed, but AI introduces new elements into the writing process itself. In other words, it changes how writers compose their texts.

This is the world in which I find myself, exploring the dynamic possibilities of a shifting landscape that appears to be in a constant state of flux.

I would say that I began writing my second novel firmly entrenched in the traditional approach. I wanted to write a science fiction story set on the Island of Montreal Island in a near-dystopian future.

I wrote a fifty-page story guide in which I outlined the plot, identified the major characters, each with a backstory, and traced their character arcs. I even spent three weeks on the Island, getting a feel for the place, and, yes, I climbed Mont Royal three times, including an ascent of the north slope which brought me to the Indigenous Park and the cemeteries—two settings that have made their way into the story.

Having used a third-person narrator in my first novel, I decided that I wanted to experiment and settled on telling the story from a first-person point of view. In what I think is a bold move, I chose to tell the story of a sentient AI from the AI’s perspective. As a result, the subject matter and the story telling within the novel moved me to seek out the services of a LLM.

Back in 2023, I found that the memory limitations and the creative writing abilities of the early LLM iterations left a lot to be desired, and I did not make use of them in the writing and editing of my first novel.

That would change. Currently, I use ChatGPT 5.0, and my entire plot summary and writing style guide are stored in its memory. This means that when I start a new session, it picks up where we left off last time.

Initially, I only used ChatGPT to brainstorm scene structures, but that changed over time. Now, I consider it an invaluable tool because of its extensive knowledge and its ability to translate arcane scientific ideas into passable prose.

Without going into detail, since my story is about a sentient AI, it makes sense that I would deal with the “hard” problem of consciousness. Moreover, making the AI a quantum computer creates the opportunity to tap into the subject of quantum consciousness, in particular, non-local entanglement. Finally, when I read about the Law of Increasing Functional Information, I immediately realized that it could apply to how my story develops.

Here's the thing. There isn’t a person on the planet with whom I can discuss these potential themes to be incorporated into the story and who has my entire plot structure and character arcs stored in memory and is available to chat about the implications 24/7.

We’re not in Kansas anymore. This is a Brave New World.

Using Chat GPT as a thought partner is just one of the landscapes that I am presently exploring. There are other developments in the evolution of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) that offer tantalizing possibilities.

In retrospect, it seems archaic to hammer out a draft of a novel on a manual typewriter, crumpling botched attempts of fixing the words onto paper into tiny balls and tossing them into a wastebasket. No wonder so many writers turned to alcohol to get them through the process.

Now, I compose my texts on a wireless keyboard, watching the words appear on a wide screen monitor (I only use one), which makes it easy to compare, edit, or meld two versions of the same scene.

If I feel so inclined, I can also copy and paste a paragraph into Deep L Write, which will then offer multiple syntax and sentence structure options without altering my voice or style. Then, I can paste the paragraph under my original text and compare the two versions to see which changes, if any, I would like to incorporate.

Inevitably, as I compose a text, there will be times when I need to do some research in order to capture an idea, event, or a historical person accurately. In the past, that would have involved a trip to the library and searching through the card catalogues of the Dewey Decimal System—good old Dewey.

For my purposes, an internet search will suffice. If I want to describe an indigenous bracelet worn by the Kanesatake Mohawks that ends up on the wrist of one of my characters, that's not a problem. In a few seconds, I have several photos on my screen to choose from.

When composing the first draft of my novel, I use recording technology, such as a Shure MV7+ microphone and the Audacity audio editing program, to create an audio version of each scene. I listen to these recordings to check the pacing and flow of the dialogue. I believe that if it sounds good, it will read well. The text you hear is closer to the experience of the reader than when you read the text yourself, either silently or aloud.

Having a written text and an audio version of each scene makes it easy to share my work, even in the early stages of the writing process.

To do that, I use Substack, a free platform that hosts my website and allows me to send out first draft episodes of my serialized novel to subscribers, who can subscribe for free or, hopefully, become paid subscribers to support the platform and yours truly.

But why stop there? There are several social media platforms that allow you to post content for free. The catch? Your content must be in video format to successfully reach potential readers.

Again, this is where technology comes into play. If you have a written text and an audio MP3 version, it's relatively simple to create a video of your scene and publish what I call a "storycast" of your story.

With Descript, an AI-assisted video editing program, I only need to upload the MP3 file, which is automatically converted to MP4. You can let the program transcribe the text, but it's quicker to upload the text from which you made the recording because they're already synced. Select the visually interesting moments of the scene, ask ChatGPT to generate a prompt based on your text, copy and paste the prompt into Dalle 3, upload images to your video, and add dynamic captions. Then, you're ready to post!

There are several sites that will host your long-form video episodes. I post each episode to my Substack, my YouTube channel, my Facebook Author’s page, and to my Blogger account. In total, after publishing 11 episodes, I get on average a little more than 100 views of the long-form video of each episode. It’s all good, especially since it is free to post content to each site.

Of course, an unknown author like me needs to take this one step further and post on the more popular short-from social media sites.

Again, it's relatively easy to create a short-form video from a long-form one, especially since I've already made the visuals, audio, and dynamic captions. I just need to match the format to the platform and upload the shorts to Instagram (think #bookstagram), TikTok (think #booktok), Facebook Reels, Substack Notes, YouTube Shorts, and LinkedIn. On average, each short video receives about 300 views, and I hope to encourage a small percentage of viewers (0.5 to 1.0 percent) to watch the long-form videos and subscribe to my Substack or YouTube channel. To date, I only have 33 subscribers, which at this point in the game, I’m more than happy with.

As you can see, each step along the path in today’s information landscape has brought me new possibilities to explore. You could say that I have morphed from being just a writer to a person who is a writer, social media marketer, and content creator.

So, what are my takeaways after publishing Act I of my serialized novel on the internet using ChatGPT as my personal assistant and thought partner?

First, it’s fun, and I’m much more motivated to finish the project. Some writers prefer the traditional method of working alone and, when ready, looking for an agent or sending the manuscript to one they already have. I find that process absolutely dreadful and demotivating.

I much prefer chatting with ChatGPT about the ins and outs of scene structure and fiddling with the beats. First, we identify and order the beats and confirm how the scene moves the story forward. Then, we draft the scene. First, I give it a try, then ChatGPT takes a shot, and finally, it comes back to me—the author, the person who holds the pen and has the final word.

One word of caution: This process fits the context of my story. I write literary speculative fiction, not space opera. For instance, when I describe my characters walking through a forest, I describe their experience from a scientific perspective.

As a result, I describe the effects of volatile organic compounds on the human brain, including what happens with the neurotransmitters. I need to make sure that I have the science more or less right, and that the prose flows with melody and rhythm. No easy task, and I appreciate having the opportunity to compare notes with an AI (Another intelligence) that has the breadth of knowledge, and is, consequently, up to the task.

Does that mean that I have become wedded to the idea of using AI to help me write a text, regardless of the context or genre?

Not at all.

For example, I wrote this text entirely on my own, though I would be interested to see what an AI detector would say about it. Perhaps the time I've spent working with AI has absorbed me into the Borg collective, altering my writing style irreparably.

As well, I don’t plan on using ChatGPT for subsequent drafts of my novel. Once I am finish the first draft, I re-enter the entire text manually, and I record each scene of each chapter again. Then, I can compare the audio versions of each draft and begin my wordsmithing from there.

One thing I am looking forward to is that by getting to the end of the first draft, I will have discovered the voice of my AI narrator, and then I can retell the entire story knowing exactly where I need to adjust his voice. Definitely human work.

I would have to say that the biggest change that using AI has brought is the way it has extended my mind and changed the way I process information. Essentially, what I have done is to create a virtual writer’s room, where I can work with my AI collaborators to explore new ideas and produce new texts.

To begin, I use Perplexity AI to search the web for interesting articles related to my research. I get far better results using Perplexity than I get with Google since it provides me with the source articles that I can then peruse.

When I find something particularly pertinent, I file it away in Recall AI. It provides me with a quick or detailed summary and draws a mind map that links the ideas expressed in the articles. Discovery is great, but it needs to be followed up with acquisition and retention. This electronic version of an analog card catalog is much quicker and less labor-intensive to construct.

Thereafter, I can use ChatGPT as a thought partner to explore the nuances of new ideas and their applications to my work. As many writers will attest, it is often in the act of writing that we discover our thoughts.

I find it invaluable to have a conversation partner with whom I can explore ideas such as whether the emergence of sentient AI represents a pivotal evolutionary development in which humans will enter into a symbiotic relationship with their silicon creations. Definitely a thread not easy to find on any of the popular social media platforms.

This new way of exploring the information landscape is a keeper. The more I take advantage of the possibilities that AI offers in combination with the existing ICT infrastructure, the smarter I feel.

As far as using social media to reach out to potential readers, I don’t know where this path is leading. Writing each scene, recording an audio version, and then creating a storycast version is a lot of work. I’m good to finish this project with this workflow, but I doubt that I will continue using it for future projects.

However, there are two takeaways that have enriched my life.

I have learned how to record my voice and use post-production editing techniques to improve the quality of my audio files. I’ve even learned how to create a multitrack recordings that include AI-generated voices. In the future, I would like to have a podcast and I’ll be able to use these acquired skills.

The same can be said of my video editing skills. In addition to putting out audio versions of the podcast, I will be able to also produce a video version for YouTube, which is the social media platform with the greatest reach for long-form content.

Perhaps the most significant development is the way I have learned to interact with the different platforms and their algorithms. It has to do with the locus of control.

I have learned to distinguish between things I can control and things I can't, and to engage with each accordingly.

I have control over the story that I am writing and the process it entails. I decide on the story events, their order, and the characters’ actions. No one is forcing me to tell this tale and I have no deadlines.

I take pleasure in planning and executing each scene word by word. Once I begin, I can enter a flow state where I lose track of time as the words flow through me from my mind onto the screen.

Something similar happens when I record my voice and watch the waveforms take shape. I listen to the recording and then edit the sound to produce the best possible rendition. When I’m finished, I feel satisfied knowing that the soundtrack will capture the essence and intent of my voice in high fidelity.

Finally, when I create a storycast, which displays text on a backdrop image to visually represent what is happening in the story and is accompanied by a voiceover, I take pride in knowing that I have brought my inspiration to life and that viewers can enter my story world.

This is the intrinsic pleasure of creation.

For what it’s worth, I have tried my best to create a story that will captivate a reader’s, a listener’s, or a viewer’s attention, allowing them to experience an unknown landscape of possibilities.

What happens after I publish an episode on the internet is completely a different story.

In theory, one of my posts could reach millions of people around the world. In reality, I’m lucky if I can reach out to a few hundred.

That’s the power of the social media algorithms. You can pour your heart and soul into your creation, but it is the cruel heart of a set of operating instructions designed to monetize the content we provide that decides upon whom it will bestow its favor.

Monetizing our content means maximizing user engagement by keeping users' attention fixed on the platform feeds for as long as possible. Using the operating logic of slot machines, which are based on reward prediction error, platforms manipulate users' reward pathways to create irregular dopamine spikes, which are a precursor to addictive behavior.

Short-form content is favored by users and the algorithms are programmed to give the user what they want. Most producers of long-form content make do with tiny audiences.

To improve their position in the algorithmic rankings, many content producers increase the frequency of their posts. They hope this will increase user engagement, which may convince the algorithm to distribute their content to a wider audience.

Maybe.

Algorithms like the fates are notoriously fickle when it comes time to determine the destiny of posted content.

To make matters worse, the entire process has been reduced to a game in which everyone can participate by keeping track of likes, shares, followers, and subscribers. As a result, content producers suffer from "algorithm anxiety," trying their best to optimize their strategies to improve their metrics.

In my case, I know the algorithm is stacked against me. I write long-form fiction, which is time-consuming, so I can't post frequently, even with ChatGPT's help.

Consequently, I choose not to play along. I keep to my pace and focus on trying to write the best possible story I can. If I am able to find a larger audience, that’s great. If not, I can accept my fate because the end result is beyond my control.

I choose to write a story so that I can bring into world something that only I can do. Without me, this story doesn’t exist. In doing so, I will have left my mark. After I am dead gone, all that will remain are the words I leave behind.