We are human beings, not training data. We are not raw material for the AI slop machine. We create. We write, we speak, we think, we publish. Our creativity is central to who we are. It is not free fuel for your models. We alone control what we create. We can do with it as…
Grammarly has a fascinating new feature. It will make editorial suggestions in the persona of famous individuals. Regrettably, they didn’t get any of these individuals’ permission to hijack their names and slap them onto editorial suggestions. The result has been a huge backlash including legal action. The best writeup that reveals the absurdity of this…
People think developmental editing is about improving words. It’s not. It’s about feelings. I’m sure that sounds like it makes no sense. But it’s actually the most important thing an editor does, and no machine can do it. How a developmental editor works I start my developmental edit on your manuscript by reading it. As…
I did it again. I joined a collaborative writing project in a controversial space with a bunch of volunteer collaborators who are also writers and editors. It’s sort of like having a colonoscopy with a whole bunch of other people looking on, critiquing what they see, and making “helpful” suggestions. Ew. What was I thinking?…
It’s natural to use technology tools to make writing more efficient. Nobody is suggesting going back to typewriters and Wite-Out or looking up spellings in a paper dictionary. But now that we have AI, it’s tempting to outsource large amounts of the work in nonfiction writing to AI tools. This is a mistake for several…
Newsletter 134. AI is overtaxing experts, and we’re all going to pay. Plus, the irrationally of the bestseller list, what books sold in 2025, three people to follow, three books to read, and one coach to rule them all. AI and the expert’s burden. A friend, who is a fellow ghostwriter and editor, recently came…
Newsletter 133. Even in neutral spaces, ICE is generating outrage. Plus, is Anthropic planning to mutilate and devour your book, the world’s worst Crocs/Lego crossover, three people to follow, three books to read, and a virtual author coach. Could social media overpower a masked police force Eighteen years ago, Charlene Li and I published an…
Every writer should have a standard AI disclosure posted. They should also include it in their contracts. Anyone working with a writer — whether they’re a ghostwriter, an author, or any other kind of writer — deserves to know how they use AI. By posting this information, you make it clear to others which AI…
Vanity Fair just published a two-part article on the brain trust surrounding Donald Trump. The writer, Chris Whipple, is the author of a book on chiefs of staff in the White House. The photos were by Christopher Anderson, an accomplished portrait photographer. Trump’s advisors look very, very bad in this piece. His chief of staff…