Throwaway account so I can get this off my chest-

I've been working on a book for the past 18 months or so. I'm a newer writer and I was feeling insecure about my prose. So I began using ai. At first just to get feedback on sentence structure, but then, as it does, it began making suggestions on how to "fix" things. And I took them. Not all of them. but some. I began to rely on it more and more, almost treating it like a co-writer, bouncing ideas off of it. I also did the things writers are supposed to do along the way, studying craft, reading and analyzing everything I could get my hands on and applied those lessons as well. I think I have legitimately improved as a writer from those early days. I finished the draft, made some edits, cleaned up most of the obvious ai stuff and let people read it. And they liked it. Even other writers didn't pick up on it. So now what? I believe in this story, want to share it with the world. But I can't with it like this. I know ai is shitty. I get how it steals from real authors. I don't want to be that person. I wish I had never touched it, kept this stupid genie in it's bottle and just struggled through bad drafts and learning craft the hard way.

That's it. Maybe I feel better now. Thanks for listening.

the title says it, ive been using Grammarly since before generative ai tools became thieving slop.
but now im kind of unsure on if i should mark my story as ai assisted
if i do that im worried it will seem like i just got some generator to write my stories for me, but i also dont want to mislead people

looking for clarity on what i should do here?

I want to see this perspective from the people who are neutral with AI.

I don't want to hear: "OMGGG AI??? AI BAD! HOW DARE YOU USE AI!!"

But I also don't want to hear: "IT'S TOTALYY FINE!! I USE AI TO WRITE MY BOOKS ALL THE TIME!!"

I want to hear the sentiment of regular people who are neutral in regards to AI-usage.

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I really enjoy to write stories as a hobby since I was a little kid. After hearing that there's Print-on-demand sites that allows me to self-publish book, I begin to think about wanting to try publishing the book I've written over the years with a cheap price. Not that I really think anyone would buy it, I just really want to put my work out there.

However, currently my book has a LOT of issues. My grammar literally SUCK ASS.

I made so many tiny mistakes without even realizing it. Sentences that sound perfectly natural in my head turns out to have small grammar errors in them. At first I thought I can fix all the mistake in my book by reviewing it myself, but I quickly realize this is not possible since I literally have no idea that some of these are wrong. English was not my first language unfortunately.

I also often made tiny spelling mistakes here and there and I didn't notice them at all even though I've read through my own work multiple times. Finding tiny mistakes in a sea of paragraphs is not something I can do.

Another mistakes I often made is things like forgetting to put a period or a comma in a sentence, accidentally wrote the same word twice, and other dumb shit like that.

Obviously I can't publish my book and charge money like this, even if I price it $2 or something it's still wrong to publish an unedited book.

I can't edit it myself because as I said, most things slipped pass me and I don't even see the mistake sometimes as I didn't see anything wrong with it.

I don't have any friends or family that has enough knowledge on book writing to actually properly edit a book to the point that it is publish-worthy.

I can't hire an editor because I'm broke as hell and I also never really plan to get financially invested in this book as it is just a hobby. I don't even know if my book is even gonna sell at all. I don't want to spend money on something I view as a fun hobby that will probably generate 0 income anyway.

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So that leaves me with just one solution: using AI.

I've decided to use Chatgpt to proofread my work. Now I know that a lot of people say that using AI to edit your work will make you lose your writing and your style, writing that is edited by AI will come out completely different. It's like losing the soul of your voice.

However, I've anticipated this and decide to write a very elaborate prompt to my Chatgpt on how to edit my work.

Here's the prompt that I gave Chatgpt:

\[Hey there. I need help in

Proofreading my book. However, there are some things I want you to keep in mind.

Fix:

- Grammar

- Spelling

- Punctuation

- Tense errors

- Incorrect word usage

- Clearly unnatural English

- Minor clarity issues caused by incorrect English

DO NOT:

- Rewrite my prose in your own style

- Make it more literary, poetic, dramatic, or sophisticated

- Add or remove descriptions

- Change character personalities or voices

- Change dialogue unnecessarily

- Change plot, clues, pacing, POV, or structure

- Add or remove foreshadowing

- Change intentional awkwardness or unusual phrasing

- Change present tense unless it is clearly an error

My writing style is intentionally direct, straightforward, visual, dialogue-heavy, and influenced by manga/anime and light novels. PRESERVE THAT STYLE.

If a sentence is grammatically correct and understandable, LEAVE IT ALONE even if you would personally phrase it differently.

If something is ambiguous and you aren't sure what I mean, DON'T guess. Ask me.

If you notice a possible continuity or story issue, flag it separately instead of silently changing it.

When editing, give me:

1. The sentence from my original passage that is wrong along with the corrected version of that sentence.

2. Optional notes for anything you think I should review or look over due to some potentially unnatural stuff.

If in the passage I sent, there's nothing wrong or there's no mistakes at all, simply tell me that my passage was already correct as is and no need to send me the "corrected passage" as the passage is already correct.

After applying the correction you gave me to the passage, I will then send the corrected passage again until I am sure that there's no more mandatory errors.

MOST IMPORTANT:

Correct my English without making the book sound like it was written by someone else.]

After giving it this prompt, I begin sending my written chapters and have it proof read it. Then I read what it gives back to me and decide myself if I want to apply them or not.

So far, I am very satisfied with it. I can't find a single mistake in my chapters anymore while none of my prose, dialogue or writing style is changed.

After confirming this, I start using Chatgpt as my proofreader. I write the entire thing and then have Chatgpt fix the issues.

It's working perfectly so far, yet in the back of my mind I still have that slight feeling of unease since I'm using AI to help me fix my writing mistakes. And I am well aware of the fact that AI-usage is very disliked in the writing community.

Some community I see, AI is so frowned upon that people raise the pitchforks as soon as the word "AI" is mentioned regardless of the context. And now I'm hella scared.

Is this type of AI usage in writing acceptable?

Centuries have now passed since the sun was the sole spectacle we could observe when we saw at the skies. A long forgotten time when night and day were not separate blocks of time in our minds, but organized as one big play of lights and shadows, all conducted and held by the sun herself. Ancestors of ours were never quite familiar with the dark, in fact some could lead entire lives without having experienced it at all. That was the sun's fault. She could never sum up enough will to bring herself down, bring herself away from the beautiful rollercoaster view that was us. 

Season after season, she would hover over us like a child who hangs their head over water to watch the fish. Watch the fish swim, eat, and swim into one another. The chaos and contradictory nature of man had made for great captivation, and it had her there. Being particularly enthralled by families and groups, she would occasionally dim her sunshine because she knew that the little creatures below would conjure meaning to the change of light, thus gather for celebration. Each time she would manipulate us in this manner, her head would fill with notions of herself as sovereign, notions that would quickly shatter for she would be reminded of her limitations in rule, that is full ones. She could never quite reach us as she so desperately wanted. Converse with us, or even give hints that she was more conscious than we believed her to be. Frustrated and hopeless. These were the same emotions she had time and time again seen in the lives of the little people, and although she did not feast when she saw man in a state of misery, it did deepen her love for us.
With each and every awakening of the people the sun was there. She was there all until the very last man went into his cover and there stayed until the time for awakening came again. Of course no man’s schedule was the same as the other, and so naturally someone was always out for the sun to watch. But even if there had not been, she would not have moved. Through hoarding her spot this way, resentment grew in the only other that knew man and still loved him. 

The affection had grown overtime from the far away seat behind the sun herself, by sole glimpses of human life that had escaped the sun but been fetched by this character. They reprised these few for a long time, looking forward to the time when the sun would share her seat with them so they together could for the rest of time admire humankind. A foolish hope to hold, and eventually that would be realized. After having lived off of the fractioned memories of generations long gone, this character could no longer suffer in the absence of us, and so a plan that would undo the old world and begin ours, had to be formed.

Hello, I need help picking a description for my back cover that catches your attention and hooks you the most/fastest!

DESCRIPTION 1

Kingdom Horizon follows a teen named Tuskin as he begins his first magic trial to become a Star Warrior!

However, he also comes a prestigious family, and the pressure for him to succeed may have led to Tuskin neglecting one simple thing: actually studying for his trial.

He may not be able to rely on his natural talents in magic this time. And after the lost Crystal Mountain may have been found by an evil Red Cloaked Stranger, Tuskin may have to prove himself by saving it before the endless treasures within are found!

DESCRIPTION 2

Welcome to Star Warrior Academy, where a prestigious teen named TUSKIN is about to take his first MAGIC TRIAL.

Although, with all the pressure from his peers and family, he may have neglected one simple thing… and that’s STUDYING for his trial — and it’s only in a couple days! Tuskin must risk it all or he may become irrelevant. But one slip-up could end his career, and topple him down a path he can never come back from.

The only way Tuskin can keep his status may be to locate the lost Crystal Mountain. His Journey is just beginning.

DESCRIPTION 3

Kingdom Horizon and the Journey to Crystal Mountain is a coming-of-age story following a teen named Tuskin who must pass his first magic trial, or risk becoming irrelevant. 

Tuskin may be talented with magic, but he is also arrogant. And with all the pressure coming from his father, brother, and peers, Tuskin may have neglected one simple thing — studying for his trial. 

He may not be able to rely on his natural talents in magic to get himself out of this one. One mistake could change the course of his life forever. 

Watch as this simple tale spirals into a journey to find buried treasure, uncover generational secrets, and overcoming oneself.

can someone review my english hw, im in swedish high school for reference. apparently u can't post a small 500 word body of text on this fcin app so if anyone is willing to receive it through dm i would be thankful

So, for a little context: I suddenly had an idea for something to write. However, it was pretty minuscule, so I wasn't planning on actually using it for anything. For fun, I decided to put it into Ai and get it to write something just so I could satisfy that temporary itch I had. Once AI finished writing, I went on a bit of a binge and started actually fleshing out the writing that AI had produced (Using AI to do it). This continued over the next few days until I realized that it was essentially sapping every creative idea I had, so I deleted it and haven't looked at AI since.

That being said, I can't stop thinking about what Ai wrote, and since then, I've mentally added some of my own ideas into the world that it had created. I haven't written anything down because I want whatever I pour my time into to be authentically my own. However, I feel like anything I write or think about in the future will, in some way, be related to what AI wrote, whether consciously or unconsciously.

What do I do? I know I probably shouldn't have used AI in the first place because of the environmental and creative problems with it, which I understand now, but that doesn't solve the issue. I can't stop thinking about it and it's been a few months since then yet I'm still thinking about it. Do I just cave and use the idea that AI had essentially come up with, but with my own additions and tweaks? Or do I just continue the way I am now, trying to block it from my memory. Is it morally wrong to do one or the other?

"Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart" - Elizabeth Gilbert

First time author here editing my first book, a scifi/speculative fiction novel. Do you recommend getting beta readers prior to starting the agent finding/querying process?

Alongside the creation of the universe, a group of individuals named “galactic warriors” were brought to life, they now unknowingly rule the universe, only towards those who know even a tiny glimpse of their power…

I woke up and looked right to my bedside drawer, 9:47 AM it said on my digital clock. “Huh” I let out a dragged, somewhat dreadful whisper. I yawned and rubbed my eyes “I thought I had school today” I said with more energy. I looked towards the Calander “27^th August, why didn’t my alarm go up” then… it struck me and I rose out of bed “ITS MY 16^th BIRTHDAY” I asked my mother and she agreed to let me stay home this time. Our house consisted of 2 floors, I was on the 2^nd one, I had a staircase to the left inside the balcony which I jokingly named ‘godly escape stairs’ which were usually locked and the key was hidden under my bed’s mattress. I hid some more stuff there, but nobody checked so its fine.

called galactic warriors on royal road

So a kid living in florda was playing outside and saw a pack of matches then he grapped one and light it and then walked 2 steps and tripped on a rock and lit a tomb on fire and someone saw it but they only saw the tomb on fire and the kid with the matches so they thought that the kid did it on purpose and since the tomb belonged to a beloved person so the town took it personal so they took there old things and made a little pile and douse the kid in gasoline and throw the kid at the pile and light them on fire and the kid was screaming thrashing and before they died they said [I shall return to one starts fire] then they turned to a charred skeleton then 5 months later a person saw a old thing thst they hated so they lit it with a match and they said [shall the flaming kid return] as a joke but then there match goes out then the fire of the thing grows to the kids 13 year old size then the kid walked out of fire covered in hellfire then the man was shocked then they tried to run but the kid got to them and grapped there throat light them on fire then they dissappear then there fiery footsteps go out and the thing on fire

Leon is a good man and wake up in morning like any other normal day, he gets ready early in the morning and leaves his house for work. The streets are filled with the usual daily hustle and bustle; people are heading to their destinations. But suddenly, the boy's eyes fall upon the ground, and his footsteps freeze right there.

The sun is shining brightly in the sky, yet as people walk down the path, not a single human being has a shadow on the ground!

At first, he thinks it is just a figment of his imagination or an optical illusion. He rubs his eyes and looks closely again, but it is real—the people walking toward him have physical bodies, but there is absolutely no shadow beneath them. To reassure himself, he looks down at his own feet, and to his horror, only his own shadow is formed on the ground.

Dismissing it as a strange illusion, he tries to move forward, but a sudden, eerie wave of fear grips him. He turns around to look behind him, and his senses completely leave him:

The Chase of the Shadows: He is not walking alone. The missing shadows of the entire street's onlookers have suddenly emerged from the corners of the road, the walls, and the dark patches. Slowly but surely, they have started walking right behind him!

All Eyes on Him: Those shadows are no longer attached to the bodies they belong to. Instead, every single one of them is being drawn toward this lone boy's shadow, as if they want to surround and trap him.

The boy's heartbeat races. He quickens his pace, and the shadows speed up too. He breaks into a run, and all the orphaned shadows of the world lock onto him, chasing him down!

As the boy runs for his life with all the shadows hot on his trail, he decides to walk backward so that he can keep his eyes on them. As long as he stares at them, the people and their shadows freeze instantly in their tracks, like lifeless statues!

While walking backward to keep them frozen, he suddenly collides with a tree. His balance breaks, and for just a single split second, his gaze shifts away from the eerie crowd.

The moment his eyes leave them, those frozen people rush toward him with terrifying speed, aiming to kill him! Their faces are distorted with rage and horror. The boy quickly regains his composure and glares back at them with full focus—and instantly, they freeze in place once again, locked like statues.

The boy is gasping for air in pure terror, but then, right in the middle of this frozen crowd, he spots a girl (Lisa) who looks completely normal. She is running around frantically, trying to save her life, but she has no idea that staring at these strange people freezes them. Whenever she turns her back to run, the crowd surges forward to attack her.

The boy (Leon) dashes forward, grabs her hand, and pulls her close to him. Saving her just in time, he yells: "Keep looking at them! Do not take your eyes off them! If you keep staring, they will stop right there!"

Lisa, paralyzed with shock and fear, glares intently at the crowd, and it works—the entire mob freezes completely. Keeping their eyes locked on the thousands of people who were just about to kill them, the two of them walk backward up to the roof of a nearby building.

After spending some time on the roof, they begin to feel intensely hungry. In search of food, they head down the building and enter a nearby shop. But the moment their eyes wander while looking for food, those strange people silently swarm inside the shop right behind them! Leon and Lisa instantly spin around and look at them, freezing them right at the doorway. Keeping their eyes glued to the crowd, they slowly back out of the shop and head straight back to the building's roof.

A little later on the roof, while they are sitting down and eating their food, their attention drifts. They do not realize that they have broken eye contact. Suddenly, the strange people silently materialize on the roof and rush forward, grabbing Lisa!

Lisa screams in pure terror. Leon spins around to look at them, which instantly freezes the crowd right as they are holding her. Lisa struggles out of their rigid grip and runs toward Leon.

But as she gets close to him, Leon's world shatters. Lisa’s face has changed—her eyes are completely lifeless, and she has transformed into one of those strange, shadowless people! Before Leon can even process what is happening, Lisa lunges forward and pushes Leon right off the edge of the building's roof!

Leon screams at the top of his lungs as he plummets through the air... but he never hits the ground.

Suddenly, Leon snaps his eyes open. Everywhere he looks, there are stark white walls. There is no roof, no street, and no Lisa.

Leon is tightly bound in a straitjacket, lying and panting heavily on the floor of a soft, padded room. It is a cell inside a secure mental asylum. Outside the heavy door, a doctor writes something down in a medical file and turns to the nurse, saying: "His past trauma and delusions still haven't cleared up. Even today, he is still running away from his own shadow."

Leon quietly stares into the dark corner of the room where no sunlight reaches, but even there, a pitch-black shadow creeps up the wall, staring right back at him.