The AI Elephant In Your Writing Nook

Pen and paper, the printing press, word processors, mass-market paperbacks, e-books, these were all innovations in publishing that many naysayers warned would ultimately end the story-selling business. But after each new innovation, the market grew, though it had to evolve each time. The age of AI is changing our world faster than anyone could have predicted, and writing and publishing are arguably among the areas, along with music and movies, that will be impacted considerably.

So as a writer working on your first book, have you dabbled in the dark arts of AI? Does it make you feel icky? Were you one of those writers who swore it off to protect your artistry, but then decided it wouldn't hurt to do a little grammar check? "And oh, by the way, ChatGPT, what do you think of the story so far? It's a rough draft, of course, but what do you think? Did I mention I am a first-time novel writer? Now how would you rate it?"

OK, yes, I am definitely projecting. But is my "AI story-arc" much different than yours? The use of AI in writing has exploded from mere grammar checking to full-blown content creation. (A relevant note here: I created the image for this post with ChatGPT. Oh, and since we're here, I used it to grammar-check this post. Disclosures done and dusted.)

Fear from the use of AI was recently confirmed by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), which controls, manages, and presents the Nebula Awards, stating on their website on December 30, 2025, that they had updated their rules for eligibility for winning a Nebula. Specifically, putting the following new language on their website: “Works that are written, either wholly or partially, by generative large language model (LLM) tools are not eligible.”

And here is the kill shot: “Works that used LLMs at any point during the writing process must disclose this upon acceptance of the nomination, and those works will be disqualified.”

AI concerns are already surfacing in TV and film as well. Recent rumors about the Duffer Brothers—sparked by a possibly visible ChatGPT tab in a Stranger Things behind-the-scenes documentary—illustrate how AI could affect scripting in other media, even though awards like the Nebulas remain focused on written prose.

So where does that leave us as new authors? To help writers figure this out, there have been people trying to create some consistency about how, as authors, we will describe the level of AI in our work. One of those people is Dave Malone. He is a poet and filmmaker, and he recently wrote an article about how authors could (and should) label their work. He took his own advice and provided this disclaimer at the top of the article, which was published on Jane Friedman's site:

Today’s post is by poet and filmmaker Dave Malone, AI-assisted by Claude AI (editing and drafting assistance) and edited by PGB (a human editor).

I highly recommend you read the full article, but he champions the below.

[The following is copied verbatim from Dave's article. He has assigned it the AACC (AI Attribution and Creative Content), which is an open-source transparency framework with two simple categories.]

AI-Assisted means the creator originated and drove the work, with AI contributing along the way.
AI-Generated means AI created the primary content from the creator’s prompts and direction, and the creator’s role was conceptual and editorial.

His article includes examples of both categories, inclusive of writing, film, music, and visual arts. He has provided much detail that might help you decide your own AI path.

The bottom line, but not the final word, on this topic is that writers and creators need to be true to themselves. I know that the reason I want to write a novel is because I want my ideas, my dialogue, and my insights on the page for another human being to read and hopefully feel something. And as tortuous as writing can be, I love the process! But I am at peace with the idea that I will be using AI tools to help me with grammar and, in some cases, act like a developmental editor to help me complete my projects. And I will happily disclose that to the world and sacrifice my eligibility for a Nebula Award.

C'est la vie.