Author's Notes #1 (August 2023)

AI, Writers for the Voice, inattentive television viewers, Barbie and a river of books

1.

Conversation about AI has been everywhere over the last couple of months. It’s partly responsible for the Writers Strike in the US, which has gone well past 100 days now, and doesn’t sound anywhere close to resolution. ‘This wasn’t a meeting to make a deal. This was a meeting to get us to a cave,’ the Writers Guild of America said after the latest efforts at negotiations. In Australia, Holden Sheppard wrote a brilliant and impassioned article about why it’s critical that we get legislation around AI as fast as possible. And authors across the world stood up to the person behind a company called Prosecraft, who had ‘found’ books on the internet and used AI to analyse them for data, such as how much of the book was in the passive voice, how many adverbs were used, etc. Three of my books were on this site, without my knowledge or permission. Prosecraft has been shut down, but a spin-off company, Shaxpir, that was developed on the back of this data is still in operation.

It feels like there is a fight around every corner, and it’s exhausting – but standing up for the direction we want our world to go in, and for the integral value of human creativity, is as important as it’s always been. The Australian Society of Authors recently produced a guide on AI for creators, but I’d certainly like to see publishers get more involved in sticking up for their authors rather than the authors taking on the fight themselves. And I’m wary of questionable AI clauses being introduced into book contracts. I feel I’m still wrapping my head around the whole subject, but one of my author friends recently outlined their response to me: a five-year production plan to get as creative as possible - because after that, who knows! And I’m on board with this: because getting my head down to write more stories is definitely a good antidote to the uncertainty.

2.

I’ve joined Writers for The Voice to stand with over 400 Australian authors who are voting Yes in the upcoming referendum on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament on 14^th October. I hope this referendum ultimately takes steps towards peace and not more division, but I’m frustrated by the lack of transparent messaging around the Yes campaign, and I’ve also watched the right-wing media sow doubt in voters’ minds for months already. However, that doesn’t change the clarity of the Uluru Statement of the Heart, and I highly recommend skipping the media (and the strange booklet that came through our door recently) and going straight to read this instead. It’s clear and concise (not 26 pages) and reassuring for anyone who thinks they might be voting for hidden legislation. In particular I’ve provided a link here to the section of Design Principles to The Voice.

The Voice simply means there will be an advisory body representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives to government on issues concerning them, so that ALL Australians can be fully taken into account in new laws and regulations. All their recommendations will still go through the usual democratic process and debate. I’ve read some comments online today in places I wasn’t expecting, suggesting that First Nations people should ‘get over’ their suffering because life is hard for everyone. I would urge anyone who feels like this to engage with indigenous perspectives on intergenerational trauma and the ongoing effects of colonisation that resulted in poverty, displacement, stolen children, dehumanising policies, lack of access to health and educational support, and so much more. This isn’t ancient history: it began 200 years ago and continues today. I hope the Yes campaign can step up the clarity and promote unity in this important moment, as the Voice is clearly a longing to be heard by those whose ancestors were dispossessed of such rights, their lives used as kindling to stoke division and resentment instead of dialogue and treaty. I hope that as a nation we can hear and heed the call.  

3.

Here’s a crazy quote from a fascinating article in the New Yorker called Hollywood’s Slo Mo Self-Sabotage: ‘In a recent interview the actor and director Justine Bateman said that network notes now request that shows be less engaging so distracted audiences won’t lose track of the plot and turn off.’ Eek! Once that had hit home, I had a gulp of recognition that these execs know me far better than I thought - because I have mentally separated the shows I watch into two camps: shows I can tune in and out of while I’m doing chores, on my phone, etc., and shows I save to watch when I have time to sit down and focus. Although, to be fair, I’ve done this multitasking thing since I was a kid, long before I had any technology – I’d draw or play games while I watched certain shows. However, let’s be clear that I don’t want all my TV watered down! There’s something horrifying about execs deciding to dull down content in anticipation of our distraction and inattentiveness!

4.

Has anyone else out there not seen the Barbie movie?! I was away camping when all this happened, so I was nowhere near a cinema to jump on the Barbie/Barbenheimer bandwagon, but as a result it feels like I’m the only one struggling to get my head around the re-invention of Barbie as the feminist icon of the moment. But what do I know, because everyone loves it – and of course I really need to see the movie to be able to comment properly, which is the epitome of a successful marketing campaign. The Mattel corporates must be in heaven right now! I’ll try to watch it and report back, but if you’ve seen it I’d love to hear your thoughts.

5.

What’s your reading pile looking like? Mine used to be a big stack of books on my bedside, but now it’s all over the place. Unread books on shelves throughout the house; half-read books on the iPad; a collection of audiobooks awaiting my attention; and lists and screenshots of books I want to remember to read – one day! And while I do finish some books, I leave plenty of others before the end - sometimes because they’re not working for me, other times when life and writing get in the way. There are so many authors on socials who seem to get through an incredible number of books – but I figure they are either lucky enough to have a lot more reading time than I do, or they’ve worked out some sort of system like the one suggested in this fabulous article: Treat your reading pile like a river. This consideration of modern habits and overwhelm, and the suggestion of dipping in and out of the pile at will (rather than considering it as a bucket that needs emptying) was a balm to my overloaded brain and a reminder that there’s more than one way to read effectively. Thanks to Super Substacker Emma Gannon for including this one in her notes.

SHORT NOTES AND SHOUT-OUTS

• Kudos to Aussie author Kylie Ladd and her family trust for The Fowler Trust Fellowship, supporting four two-week scholarhips at Varuna for GENRE FICTION authors to spend time on their craft. Applications closed in July for the 2024 residencies, but next year will be around soon enough, so keep your eye on the Varuna website if you want to apply and check out the other Flagship Fellowships on there too. It’s great to see genre fiction authors getting this kind of support.

• Thanks to Amanda Betts for her brilliant article in the Guardian about teens and creative freedom.

• Thanks to Dervla McTiernan for drawing my attention to the NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship so I can pass it on to you! Deadline for this one is 27 November 2023.

COMING UP

I’m hosting Natasha Lester’s upcoming book launch for The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard with Dymocks Joondalup and Joondalup Libraries on Tuesday 3 October (St Stephen’s School Theatre, Duncraig). We always have a great time at events together, and this dazzling book is really something to celebrate. Here are the links for tickets, book info and a great B&P review.

And that’s it for my first Author’s Notes. Thank you for joining and supporting me. As always, if there’s anything you’d like me to write about, let me know. This Substack is free for at least the next six months, but I received my very first pledge today, and a massive thank you to that subscriber. It means a lot to have your faith and support.