But also on a deadly serious note in light of the fuckery of the current regime: Autism is not caused by vaccines. It is not something to be “cured” or “overcome” but instead embraced.
I am so thankful for the many wildly brilliant and wise autistic people in my life.
…but most especially Kwade.
It’s Autism Awareness Day. @kmjoslin29.bsky.social, I am aware of you.
Understood and agreed.
And if a writer cannot be bothered to write for themselves, did they really have anything to say in the first place?
Also, readers deserve so much better!
I think a lot of writer spaces can make it sound that one is entitled to write a book and have it published. That’s just not how it is.
So how do we make space for things that need to be said and said well? When noise is cheap in a cacophonous culture, how do we all make space for good dialogue?
And to the second point, oh we need them more than ever! Because we ultimately should be looking for the books AI can’t write!
Your topic is a great example—a complex issue given a nuanced and experienced approach to invite those who don’t yet know into the conversation.
I am fearful of being simplistic in this conversation, but YES!
I find myself asking “does this need to be a book?” when looking at book proposals. Conversations with editor colleagues surround themes of “but has this been said too often.” AI could probably write that book and we don’t need it.
Now that I have seen three similar scenarios telling me there is a pattern, like the summoning of Beetlejuice, I have been called from the void (by me) to say something into the same void.
You can read my latest on Substack. I’d love to hear your thoughts:
open.substack.com/pub/lexdewee...
And not only that, I think those who do not see a problem here are missing out on the power their original words have to offer us all.
Across the whisper networks I have had access to, there have been various feelings or contradicting justifications for such action, but what has been clear to me is that many do not have an ethical framework for this.
In at least two of the instances, the writers did not feel there was any need to disclose this use of AI as a drafting source to their agent or publishing teams.
Over the last two months, I have heard of three separate instances of writers allegedly using a generative AI tool for the actual drafting of their contracted manuscripts with traditional publishers.
Rage. Vaccines don’t make people autistic. To reduce a person’s individuality and unique brain patterns to the result of vaccine is to attack uniqueness and to invalidate those of us who are in the spectrum. The fact we have to go through this yet again is infuriating.
I am still over here trying to figure out how to get the Apple mail app back to how it was.
How am I supposed to navigate this mess? Has anyone figured it out?
For writers and literary agents selling non-fiction book proposals to publishers: I am a book marketer with opinions!
I’ve got some thoughts that do not have to boss you, but they just might help land you a higher advance 🤷♀️
I had a substack essay ready for you all, but with the way this week has gone, I scrapped it and spent the evening writing what felt more honest and urgent.
Hitting your inbox in the morning are some thoughts on navigating the doomscroll.
(Spoiler: the answer might involve a notebook.)
Send it over! I was at lunch today with both him and our imprint’s other acquisitions editor talking about things we’d like to see and some promotion R&D I’ve been up to. Let’s see if we’re a good collaborative fit!
We just signed one this week and I am so thrilled, but also it feels like “how fast can you write it?”
And have you felt Jesus in this seashell masterpiece tonight?
And don’t forget purity culture’s favorite pal: the chastity belt
Alternatively, we have options for the coolest cat, Michelle Obama
Which bejeweled cat bag are you bringing to your next fancy party?
What a wild week, yeah? I’m thankful for a community of friends making plans to be active in our city and state.
And also you might need a break from what’s alarming out there?
Might I offer a feed of the odd things I found at an antique store this week!
Starting strong with metaphysical overflow.
I built an igloo with some friends a couple weeks ago. Naturally that lead to thoughts about creating and “building platform.”
I wrote an essay about it.
But mostly, adults should make space to do things with friends on a weeknight. It was good for the soul.
I read this essay from @garrettbucks.bsky.social this evening. I found resonance here. Maybe you will too:
open.substack.com/pub/thewhite...
I confessed this to a friend tonight: one of the fun features of my personal echolalia is that the AWANA Sparks theme song gets stuck in my head at random points and will last for DAYS.
A girl can run screaming from fundamentalist Baptists, but her neurodivergent brain is gonna take a souvenir.
I about six videos deep and I have snorted twice—not a full laugh-out-loud yet, but he is compelling. I am still wide awake and would not have made the familial connection in a million years
Well now, this is a rabbit hole I’ve gone down
