Gothic stone chapel on a rocky cliff amid stormy mountains — AI art by @CaylaCatz
@CaylaCatz · 5/27/2026
opening paragraph of ARDATH: THE STORY OF A DEAD SELF by MARIE CORELLI, published 1889 copyrightfree on Gutenberg various forms https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5114 text https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/5114/pg5114.txt Deep in the heart of the Caucasus mountains a wild storm was gathering. Drear shadows drooped and thickened above the Pass of Dariel,--that terrific gorge which like a mere thread seems to hang between the toppling frost-bound heights above and the black abysmal depths below,--clouds, fringed ominously with lurid green and white, drifted heavily yet swiftly across the jagged peaks where, looming largely out of the mist, the snow-capped crest of Mount Kazbek rose coldly white against the darkness of the threatening sky. Night was approaching, though away to the west a road gash of crimson, a seeming wound in the breast of heaven, showed where the sun had set an hour since. Now and again the rising wind moaned sobbingly through the tall and spectral pines that, with knotted roots fast clenched in the reluctant earth, clung tenaciously to their stony vantageground; and mingling with its wailing murmur, there came a distant hoarse roaring as of tumbling torrents, while at far-off intervals could be heard the sweeping thud of an avalanche slipping from point to point on its disastrous downward way. Through the wreathing vapors the steep, bare sides of the near mountains were pallidly visible, their icy pinnacles, like uplifted daggers, piercing with sharp glitter the density of the low-hanging haze, from which large drops of moisture began presently to ooze rather than fall. Gradually the wind increased, and soon with sudden fierce gusts shook the pine-trees into shuddering anxiety,--the red slit in the sky closed, and a gleam of forked lightning leaped athwart the driving darkness. An appalling crash of thunder followed almost instantaneously, its deep boom vibrating in sullenly grand echoes on all sides of the Pass, and then--with a swirling, ...
Tags: gothic, church, mountains, lightning, storm, stormy landscape, cliff, fortress, medieval, dark fantasy, moody, night, landscape photography, dramatic, dramatic scenery
Comments
CaylaCatz
It wouldn't be. If it's just fixing sentences and grammar, the AI would be the same as an editor. I do that because I have a bad habit of run-on sentences. But you have to watch using an AI as editor because sometimes it changes tooo much and change how you want the character to be so you have to change it back. If you're stuck and can't think of a story idea, using the AI as a brainstorming partner can get the ideas flowing. Some people have friends they can use as brainstorming partners. I love using the AI for this especially for NC challenges when I can't think of an image idea -- just by having it list 10 ideas and reading them, I often come up with a different idea of my own. It's good about perking your brain up and making it go on alternative paths. Using AI as a writer & you're the editor is you tell the AI you want it to write about XYZ -- so like an editor you give an assignment. But it writes it. This way I think the writing feels generic? I don't think this way is good.
CaylaCatz
I am less concerned with tht then you are. Yes, they need to learn to write and develop their own style. But the hardest part of the first novel is to come up with a good idea. If a person comes up with a good idea, the AI can help them learn pacing, how to change an plot idea into a narrative and side characters. Most people make up their main character but a good story needs believable side characters too. So an Ai can help them learn to do that with their own story ideas. AI will help also to correct bad habits like run-on sentences or too much explanation. I think tho, to develop a following, they will need to learn to develop their own style of writing. AI can teach you generic writing style but can't teach you to do your own style. However I do think if someone is very good at creating characters and use AI to create plots, readers often get attached to characters and maybe it might be possible to be successful w a long AI series if good at making characters& their evolution.
CaylaCatz
The thing is the AI goes towards the most common, the most popular of whatever. I am havng a problem creating a cheshire cat that doesn't look like Burton so I have to make a long description to make my cat look even a little different. The Burton Cheshire cat is so soo common and popular as images on the web, that the AI has a strong push to make that cat It makes it hard to make a unique cat of my own. It is my drawing partner and we collaborate but it can be hard to direct sometimes because it has a mind of its own too. Like you cannot say starry starry night for lots of stars, you will get Van Gogh sky. Someone like you who remembers lots of books, will bea ble to read an AI book and see if it is modeling the writing too much after a real write like Dicks who wrote a lot of sci fi books. I think most people will recognize popular images but won't recognize old popular pulp writing. They won't have the memory you do for books.
CaylaCatz
there are so many ways to use AI. Many I haven't thought of. DavidP even had AI make an app. I know someone who had AI help her solve an animation problem by brainstorming solutions of making her robotic character's joint better in a 3d software. I find people often don't like it when AI does what they can do but don't mind AI doing what they can't do. For example, people who can't draw or oil paint but can play a guitar are ok with AI art but not with AI music. People who can write but cannot play a guitar are ok with AI music but not with AI writing a story. I do photography and I find I am very uncomfortable with AI photography that looks real. I don't mind AI realism that looks like fantasy. It is interesting what we think is ok or not ok. What is very very interesting is if someone is good at something like photography and they use the AI to do what they are good at like photography -- the result is often very very good.
CaylaCatz
that's because you llove writing and you see the prompt as a form of writing which it is. The problem I see is AI makes things easy. You build confidence by doing soemthing. Your first story you write you have no confidence. Around the 10th or so you have growing confidence. I worry that peopl think they can skip the step becasue the AI can do it but it's not the same. So they are gaining output but not skill. I'm older so I already have some skills. Maybe not great skills but I know what I'm good at and what I'm not good at. I worry they're not going to have that
panos
Heh, like in the Syberia comic, where from the few descriptive words in the prompt, AI gave me the Kimgpin as a Gang-Lord! There was a guy who noted that. 😄 Heck, I don't know if younh people into SF?Fantasy read classic writers (1950s-1970s) let alone pulp. There is the problem of finding them. A few days ago I browsed Amazon and I was horrified! They have practicaly vanished in the limbo of out-of-print.
panos
Your observation about what people like and don't like the AI doing for them is very astute and true. Happens to me, too. I have no problem the AI drawing all these image for me (I couldn't draw an apple to save my life!) but not using an AI prompt (or even parttly-assisted) for them.
CaylaCatz
lol, yeah, I don't like them. What I do like tho is that people can publish things if they want to. Although it does mean a lot of unedited poorly written things are becoming ebooks, it's still nice that people can do that when no publisher wants to take them on.
CaylaCatz
it's just the first paragraph. Wait until I get the blog set up with the full chapter. The thing I really like about Victorian writing is it's very very descriptive -- lots of good words or possible phrases that can be used for prompts
panos
It's amixed blessing. also, just a couple of days ago, I had this conversation with a friend and he told me many of the self-published sf/fantasy books of young greek authors are 2/3rds written by AI. What a bummer!