Is AI coming for our stories?
What is it about stories that endure? Stories have been around for over 50000 years. From oral storytelling to scratchings in caves to TikTok. All those years and all those stories. With the surge of panic around AI and its capability to create, many of us writers find ourselves wondering what the future holds for the art form. Well, I think it's going to stay squarely in the human domain, safe from the chatbots and co-pilots.
Think of a story
I invite you to think of a story you tell often. One that you know so well, all your friends have heard it. For me, that story is about when I was a school teacher and it goes something like this:
I'm early twenties, new to school teaching when a group of girls accost me on my way to the staff room.
"Miss, Miss, come quick, there's a fight."
Oh my God, I think, I need an adult. I scan the corridors in desperation and then realise with the force of a sledgehammer: It's me. I'm the adult!
So what?
On the surface, the story is mildly humorous about life as a teacher
But not everyone was a teacher – so what is it that resonates with people?
Fear of responsibility?
Coming of age?
Terrifying reality that you are no longer a child?
No longer safe?
Pressure of being relied on?
Mortality?
Write what you know
We’ve all heard that phrase and probably thought – urgg why would anyone be interested in what I know about?
I know about books, teaching and an obsessive number of facts about sharks.
While we're talking about sharks... fun fact: as baby sharks grow their tiny teeth before they're born, they munch on their siblings and any eggs that haven't been fertilized yet. It's like a fierce contest inside the womb, where only the strongest shark makes it out alive in the end.
But how can you use this in a story? What will people connect with? In my prize winning story Megalodon published in Bindweed's 2023 Winter Wonderland Anthology, I use the information about sharks and weave into a story about my father dying. And there is, the thing we all understand and can connect with: loss.
And reading, I gobble down books and always have. Why? Where did that start? What's the story?
Saturdays, growing up meant one thing in my house: Bunty, a comic my mum had read as a girl. The Four Marys was her favourite childhood story and so we would always start with that one right at the back. The four girls were in a private all-girls school, and they were all called Mary. Each of them was different and had their own adventures each week. There was also a nearby all-boys school which would be included from time to time. Mum would read the Four Marys to me long after I could read them for myself.
Come Sunday night, I would shout across the landing, “Tell me a Four Marys”, and from Sunday to Thursday, we would take it in turns to make up our own Four Marys stories. This tradition went on into adulthood where the stories got sillier and more surreal.
That tradition is certainly part of where my love for stories came from. Things like comics and books and TV shows weren’t readily available; you had to wait a week or more for the next instalment. As a result, you filled the gaps with your own imagination and created your own entertainment. Long after my mum’s voice was silenced, I still think about those characters and the bond we shared. That love for reading and stories endure.
The Human Factor
The power of human connections in storytelling is undeniable, something that AI will never truly comprehend. Whether through shared experiences, emotional resonance, or the universal themes that bind us all, stories have the remarkable ability to bridge gaps, foster understanding, and evoke empathy. By delving into the complexities of human relationships and portraying them authentically on the page, writers not only entertain but also enlighten and inspire. As we continue to weave narratives that speak to the heart of what it means to be human, let us remember the profound impact that storytelling has and has always had. Our stories will endure.
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