All forms of writing require some level of world building. This is especially true in speculative fiction. The reader needs to have a sense of the environment within which the story takes place. That environment is wider than just the physical setting, it includes all the trappings of a society: art & culture; food & drink; politics & religion; fashion; science & magic; infrastructure & transport; technology & structures; languages & class structure; flora & fauna; disease; races of humans, monsters & aliens; and rules & laws – amongst other things.

BUT (that’s in capitals because what follows is very important) …all the details of the world you create don’t need to be included in your story. I know it’s tempting to include it all that gritty minutia you spent hours, days and even weeks researching and thinking about, but just don’t. Only include enough to provide a scaffold for your reader’s imagination, context for your characters, and to move the plot forward.

Because I’m a discovery writer (I discover the story as I write it), I don’t do a great deal of world building before I start writing. I’ll just do enough to get me going. My typical approach for developing a world is very organic. I start with the main character. Once I understand who they are and what drives them, I can start to write the plot around them. The final step is to construct the world in which the character and the plot exist. This means my writing is often interrupted by periods of research.

For The Grotesque Wars (novelette in Letters From Elsewhere), I spent a lot of time researching castles. The final story only carries a glimpse of all that research. I’ve included just enough so the reader can picture a castle, but not be bogged down and distracted by in-depth descriptions. I know the exact layout of the castle and even details of the materials used in its construction, but these have no bearing on the story. Specifics, where needed, are woven into the story, rather than dumped in as a chunk of exposition.

In my novella, Rose Moon, the story moves between three realms: a fantasy realm; a human realm; and the realm of the seasons. Each needed sufficient depth and vibrancy to make them real. Most of the action occurs in the human realm, so that’s where I needed the most detail. I had to consider politics, religion, laws, technology, magic and the setting. Then, determine how the realms interacted.

In the above examples, the worlds were built on an earth or earth-like reality, but that’s not always the case. I’m working on a series of space opera novella’s, Ghost Assassins of Bijou, where almost nothing about the series universe is familiar. I’ve had to build almost everything from scratch, but I start with the known.

• The assassins and their targets are human, but different races.  
• Societies are versions of democracy or autocracy.
• Religions have distorted to fundamentalism and misogyny.

After that, and because I’m not bound by hard science, I can let my imagination riot.

• Spacecraft are mechanically enhanced, sentient cuttlefish-like creatures.
• Intergalactic travel is possible via ‘Punch Flight’.
• There are multitudes of sentient species other than humans.
• Universal translators are glitchy, but exist.

Worlds don’t need to be based in reality, but they do need elements of fundamental truths. Readers need to have something or someone they can identify with or understand.

There’s a whole bunch of stuff I have high confidence writing about: women; sexuality; animals; habitats; politics; and the logistics involved in managing large-scale international projects. There’s a much larger list of things I have less confidence about, including: technology; physics; strategies of war; legal systems; and medical procedures. Those differing levels of confidence will dictate how much research I may need to do, which facets of a world will be more important to my story, and whose perspective the story is being told from. For example, if I have a scene set in a hospital, it will be told from the perspective of a visitor or patient, not from that of a surgeon or staff nurse.

Setting is a critical component of world-building. All too often it’s one dimensional – visual. Add richness with the other senses. The stench of rancid milk evokes an almost involuntary gag reflex in most of us. That first mouthful of rich, bitter coffee in the morning is nirvana to some of us, and repulsive to others. Aromas and flavours are powerful drivers of emotion, as is sound. The mewl of a kitten, the screech of brakes, the scream as you plunge a knife into someone’s stomach. Don’t forget the feel of the warm blood as it splatters on your face, the silk smoothness of the dress you wear, and the irritation of the sand in your eyes. Use all the senses to draw your reader deep into your world.

​Finally, it's important to remember that no world is perfect. There will always be dissent, crime, and inhabitants of societies fringes. Recorded history doesn’t always align with reality, it usually suits those who are in power. The same applies to the interpretation of the tenets of religion, think about the difference between a zealot and someone with faith. We’ve bred thornless varieties of lemon trees but left to themselves, they revert. Animal species aren’t meant to be able to interbreed, yet there are numerous examples of hybrids in nature. Don’t limit your world to one dimension – allow it to be full and rich.
 
Here are some of my favourite worlds.

• Pern – Ann McCaffrey
• The Dandelion Dynasty – Ken Liu
• The Murderbot Diaries – Martha Wells
• Binti – Nnedi Okorafor
• Discworld – Terry Pratchett

Letters From Elsewhere is my first published collection of short stories and is available as an ebook on all your favourite platforms.
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/LettersFromElsewhere

For print version, search directly on your local Amazon or Barnes & Noble site.
 
Blurb
This genre-blending collection is rich in characters who aren’t always what they seem at first glance. Space pirates, Fire Elves and living grotesques take us on journeys across the multiverse and deep into the hidden crevices of the mind. These stories interrogate what it is to be monstrous; and along the way, they confront the patriarchy and explore the spectrum of sexuality. If you like your fantasy and science fiction a bit dark, laced with humour and sometimes spicy, these stories will entertain, disturb and challenge you.
​
“Jacqui Greaves titillates with this outstanding collection of speculative encounters, visits and ventures by otherworldly beings, each tale sharpening our understanding of the human condition and the tiny role we play in the universe. Cosmic, cautionary, and compelling, served up with a sprinkle of humour and a good dose of sauce, Letters from Elsewhere is a satisfyingly good read.” —Lee Murray, five-time Bram Stoker Award®-winning author of Grotesque: Monster Stories.

What inspired you to put together this collection?
I’ve been writing short stories for almost a decade now, so I’ve built up a large catalogue. Quite a few have already been published in various online magazines and anthologies, but over the years most of those publications have disappeared into the ether, leaving my stories orphaned. Others have just never found their place in the world.
Earlier this year, SpecFicNZ ran an online workshop on getting your short stories published. It got me thinking. When I went through my files, I realised I had a lot of orphaned and unpublished stories just sitting there doing nothing. So, ‘Letters From Elsewhere’ was born.
The collection covers a broad range of speculative fiction, including fantasy, science fiction, erotica and horror.
 
What on earth possessed you to mix your genres?
Honestly, I don’t set out to mix genres. I set out to ask “What if…”
Most of the stories in this collection are either fantasy or science fiction, with a few lying further afield on the spectrum of speculative fiction. A little under half incorporate explicit sex.
My genre blending is best demonstrated in the story ‘Moths to a Flame’, which has elves fucking in space – so fantasy, science fiction, erotica and a hint of historical fiction all twisted together in the space of a couple of thousand words.
I’m not afraid to include sex in my stories – after all it’s such a primal driver for humanity. I use the word erotica, because it’s a catch all, but I get frustrated when people interpret that to mean romance. The sex in my stories is not often of the romantic kind, it’s more about pleasure, and sometimes it’s weaponised. In ‘Flower Girl’ sex is used for pleasure, as a punishment, to celebrate and as a negotiation tool.
 
Does the collection have a theme?
For me the theme of the collection is ‘what it is to be monstrous.’
Are we born monstrous, or do we become monstrous? It’s not that simple. Our genes, our family, our experiences in the universe all feed into creating who we are. I believe we all have a monster lurking within. Whether that monster is unleashed on the world is a consequence of multitudes of small decisions and actions.
Several stories in this collection, e.g., ‘Persuasion’, ‘The Grotesque Wars’, ‘Please Sign the Waiver’, cause us to question who the real monster is. Often my tales are told from the perspective of someone we would consider a monster, e.g., ‘Starkiller’, ‘You are Already Dead’, ‘The Abyss’. I want my readers to sit in the monster’s skin and question their own monstrousness.
 
Most of your stories include strong female characters. Why?
I’m a feminist and a bisexual, so I naturally include strong female characters and queerness into my stories. I’m so tired of misogyny and the patriarchy – it’s just exhausting having to deal with them decade after decade. So, I write ‘What If’ stories where women rebel against expectations and oppressors get their comeuppance. Some of these stories, e.g., ‘Redundant’, have been influenced by real life.
 
You use humour to great effect. Why?
I once went to a book launch where someone else read out one of my stories. The audience were in hysterics. I was surprised because I hadn’t intended for it to be funny; it just was. That still happens, but I’m more aware of it now and use it consciously.
Some of these stories deal with big, serious issues, like death and the end of the world. By adding elements of humour, I think it makes it easier for the reader to handle these heavy subjects, while not slipping into a pit of despair.
​

​I want to state upfront that I’m no expert on the use of AI. My interest is borne from being a writer doing her best to write stories worth publishing in an already jammed market.
 
I’d vaguely heard of chatbots but had no real understanding of what they were or what they could do. Then, in February 2023 Neil Clarke, of Clarkesworld Magazine issued a statement that he was temporarily suspending submissions due to an unprecedented influx of AI generated stories. That got my attention.
 
Reactions of writers to the rising use of AI apps in writing fiction have been mixed. I’ve heard everything from “it’s the end of the world as we know it” to “cool, I can use this tool to churn out a book every month.”
 
The name on everyone’s lips seems to be ChatGPT (and that’s what I’ll mostly refer to), but there are many other AI apps targeted specifically at creative writing. For example: Sudowrite; Jasper; Rytr.AI; Quillbot; Sassbook; and Grammarly.
 
At the end of May 2023, a quick search of Amazon showed 225 books on ‘ChatGPT for Writers’, and over a 1000 published books with ChatGPT listed as an author. It’s impossible to know how many others have been produced using some form of AI.
 
What is very clear is that this genie cannot be stuffed back in its bottle.
 
Because I believe as writers and readers we need to inform ourselves, I spent two weeks doing research and having discussions with fellow authors. I presented what I found on the AI in Publishing Panel at the SFFANZ ReConnect2023 online conference held 3-4 June 2023. This post is based on the panel discussion.
 
What ChatGPT (et al) produces
Even though ChatGPT is referred to as an AI (artificial intelligence) it’s not at all intelligent. It doesn’t think or have emotions. Very simply, it uses algorithms to predict likely next words. These predictions are based on the material it’s been trained on, which is basically the internet. So, it’s not surprising that AI responses: fall into tropes and predictable phrases; show cultural bias; and can be based on lies and hallucinations. Uncritical use of AI produced text is very unwise!
 
Acquisition of data.
ChatGPT (et al) works by producing text that is statistically likely to follow the text that came before it. It’s been trained to do that by scraping the internet for material, with no consideration for copyright. In my view this is unethical and undermines the entire purpose of copyright.
 
New Zealand does not recognise the ‘Doctrine of Fair Use’ as a defence for copying copyrighted works. The Copyright Act 1994 permits certain activities in relation to copyright works, these include: incidental copying; fair dealing with a work for the purpose of criticism, review and news reporting; fair dealing with a work for the purpose of research or private study; and, where the copying is for educational purposes and follows the requirements of the Act.
 
Copyright protects the expression of ideas or information, not the underlying idea itself. It is likely that an infringement case in New Zealand would revolve around whether the use of copyright works by the AI amounted to copying a substantial part of the works – i.e., has the AI copied an important or distinctive part of an earlier copyright work to create something new?
 
It's possible ChatGPT could respond with ideas or even wholesale phrases provided by other writers, including writers who didn't consent to giving ChatGPT their data. At this time creatives have no ability to opt-out of having their products used to train ChatGPT.
 
There is at least one class action taking place in the US in the visual arts where artists are suing for breach of copyright. The outcome could have implications for writers.
 
Authors should be compensated when their works are used in training of generative AI, and AI developers should disclose what works they use to train their AI. Authors should have the right to opt out.
 
Use of AI needs to be transparent.
Unless an author using AI acknowledges they are doing so, there are limited ways to know a work is not entirely the product of human endeavour. Yes, for now, there are programmes to assess work, but they can throw up false positives, e.g., when authors are writing in a second language.
 
There are numerous ways in which AI can be used by authors, i.e., idea generation, plotting, writing chunks of text, character development, and grammar checking. Acknowledging the level of use would go a long way in retaining the trust of readers and publishers alike.
 
At the very least, authors, publishers, platforms, and marketplaces should be required to identify when a significant portion (e.g., more than 30%) of a written work has been generated by AI.
 
Copyright of creative works should be restricted to humans.
Wholly AI generated works can’t be copyrighted in the US, but in stark contrast, they’re automatically copyrighted in New Zealand (and the UK).
 
NZ copyright law expressly states that AI produced creations are covered by copyright. Originally, this was to protect computer generated models such as weather forecasts and the like.
 
But…for copyright to apply in New Zealand, there must be an original work and there must be an author. For work to be original, the author needs to demonstrate they've applied sufficient time, skill, and effort in creating it. Inputting a simple prompt is unlikely to be enough. No legal tests have been made in New Zealand, and it seems unlikely to happen any time soon.
 
Economics:
It’s already difficult to make money as a writer. Society doesn’t place much value on art. By devaluing writers and crowding the market, AI could further erode what little we earn.
 
Currently, there’s a free to use version of most AIs, but there are increasing scales of cost with added features. Companies are making money from data sets compiled through non-consensual scraping of the internet – writers who created the source material are not.
 
I’ve worked hard and spent a lot of time and money to develop my writing skills and create my brand. If someone uses the prompt, “Write a 1000-word fantasy story in the style of Jacqui Greaves” I think I should be compensated. Why should someone else be able to profit without consequence by using my voice (without my consent and potentially bringing harm my brand)?
 
There should be a requirement for permission and compensation for authors when their works are used in outputs, or when their names or identities or titles of their works are used in prompts.
 
Submissions:
When thinking about submitting stories written with the assistance of AI, writers need to be aware of the AI policies of publishers.
 
Some, have very clear policies:
Clarkesworld Magazine states;
“We will not consider any submissions written, developed, or assisted by these tools. Attempting to submit these works may result in being banned from submitting works in the future.”
QueerSciFi annual flash fiction contest rules say;
“We do not allow submission of work that is partially or entirely generated by Generated Artificial Intelligence (generative AI).”
Other publishers have statements along the lines of ‘we only accept submissions from humans made of meat.’
 
In contrast, Space and Time Magazine had a recent call for their Friend or Fiend? AI and Human Creators: Special Edition. They invited submissions demonstrating how AI can enhance human work, but not replace it. “To demonstrate that human creativity is vital and can not be replaced by AI, but it can free us from tedious tasks so we have more time to create.”
 
In the already murky world of self-publishing (a space I inhabit) it’s a bit of a free for all. I predict it will become even more difficult to rise above the dross. I’ll be adding an AI statement to my social media profiles and the metadata of my online publications, and hope I’ve built enough trust with my readers.
 
Readers:
Readers have a role to play. If readers want works created with heart and nuance, with original themes, characters, and settings, they need to insist that their bookstore (physical or virtual) has a clear AI disclosure policy.
 
If there’s no market for fiction largely or wholly produced by AI, then there’s no reason for a supply. This only works where authors and publishers disclose when AI has been used in the production of a creative piece of work. As stated above, this may be challenging in the self-publishing arena.
 
Readers may need to become more discerning in which authors they read and take it upon themselves to do their due diligence.
 
And, for those of you happy to read AI generated stories, you do you!
 
Environment: not directly related, but an interesting aside
Forbes reported that training a single AI model results in the emission of more than 283,000 kg of carbon equivalent (around the annual production of 5 cars).
There are also issues around the enormous quantities of water required to cool processing centres and the ongoing challenge of e-waste disposal.
 
 
Websites I visited while researching
http://neil-clarke.com/ai-statement/
 
https://blog.enterprisedna.co/what-is-chat-gpt-everything-you-need-to-know/
 
https://becominghuman.ai/ai-writing-tools-for-creative-writing-and-fiction-unleash-your-imagination-and-write-like-a-pro-4f098ccc7fce
 
https://renaissancerachel.com/best-ai-novel-writing-software/
 
https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/11/08/ai-writing-is-here-and-its-worryingly-good-can-writers-and-academia-adapt
 
https://prowritingaid.com/art/681/Why-AI-Will-Never-Replace-Writers.aspx?gclid=Cj0KCQjwsIejBhDOARIsANYqkD3foJNDryjEoyQ-pncvOyX-SZ3-PuKwuG_kA9eph3G9Zraxrz6g9KMaAlA6EALw_wcB
 
https://mythcreants.com/blog/questions/is-it-ethical-to-use-ai-in-fiction-writing/
 
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/apple-a-day/202303/how-will-ai-affect-the-future-of-fiction
 
https://www.lawfareblog.com/ai-generated-works-artists-and-intellectual-property
 
https://medium.com/@emilymenonbender/thought-experiment-in-the-national-library-of-thailand-f2bf761a8a83
 
https://authorsguild.org/advocacy/artificial-intelligence/
 
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/03/1154091957/artists-file-class-action-lawsuit-saying-ai-artwork-violates-copyright-laws
 
https://cointelegraph.com/news/environmental-impact-of-ai-pioneering-solutions-for-a-sustainable-future
 
https://builtin.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-copyright
 
https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=9ee46558-7233-4255-a56a-a895fabdf276#:~:text=This%20section%20confirms%20that%20the,of%20the%20work%20are%20undertaken'.&text=This%20means%20copyright%20can%20and%20will%20subsist%20in%20AI%20generated%20images.
 
https://www.equaljusticeproject.co.nz/articles/can-new-zealands-ip-and-copyright-law-keep-up-with-ai-advancements2023

​I can now report that pushing the ‘Publish’ button is both a terrifying and exhilarating experience for a first-time indie writer. It's an action I delayed through fear for such a long time. But now it’s done and I'm wondering why I was so hesitant.
I won't lie and say that Gods of Fire hit the market hot and flew off the e-shelves like a rocket. It didn't. For a solid 48 hours I sat at a single sale. I knew who bought it and I love her for it (and no, it wasn't my Mum). A week later, sales aren't meteoric, but a steady trickle of people have paid over their money and purchased my book.
MY BOOK.
​I still love those words. I love being able to tell people how they can buy my book. It's thrilling!
I know I haven't done the launch quite right. I didn't do a proper cover reveal, I didn't set up pre-orders, I didn't send out advance reader copies for reviews on launch, and my marketing plan consists of scribbled notes on a piece of paper that is drifting around my desk somewhere. To make matters more interesting, I launched in a week when my calendar was full of pre-Xmas social events, leaving me little time to write up material for my lovely author friends who'd offered to host me on their blogs.
I've tried not to become a one-dimensional social media publicity machine. Instead, I'm drip feeding my “buy my book" plugs in and around my usual tweets and updates, and advertising on promotional pages and feeds one at a time, rather than flooding them all at once.
I've ordered some postcards with the cover and buy link on one side and the blurb and my bio on the back. I intent to drop them around the cafes, restaurants and shops I frequent. I'm also planning to send press releases to a few of the local newspapers, not sure how successful that'll be, but no harm trying!
I'm not driven by best-seller lists, what I want is to find my readership and achieve steady sales to people who will come back for more.
I'm sure I've made some standard rookie mistakes, but I've published my book and am building my confidence and gaining experience, so I do it better for the next one. This is my marathon, not my sprint.
But...if like 1000 of you decide to buy Gods of Fire tomorrow, read it and leave a review, then I'll be delirious with joy!

I’ve been thinking about the role of the antagonist in stories. A super quick search of the interwebs revealed four main types of antagonist: Evil, Opposing, Superior and Internal (honestly, I’m sure there are other classifications, but this serves my need for now). They’re all interesting and worthy of deeper consideration, but it’s the evil antagonist who is most relevant to where my musings have been taking me.
The evil antagonist is the one who is evil for the sake of being evil. This character may have a back-story that gives them some excuse, but generally it’s not critical to understand their why. All that matters is how they satisfy their greed, hunger for power and uncompromising drive to achieve their nefarious goal at any cost, and how they torment the hero of the story along the way.
Often, we feel nothing but hatred for this character, they represent the worst traits of humanity distilled and concentrated for effect. No-one feels empathy with the likes of Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter, Sauron in Lord of the Rings, Darth Sidious in Star Wars, or Doctor Smith in the revamped Lost in Space. They have no redeeming features.
But there is another kind of evil antagonist—the trickster. They’re usually a secondary antagonist to some greater evil, either facilitating the main antagonist, or confounding the hero for their own means. Yes, they’re evil, but they have moments of vulnerability that fool not only the hero, but us as well, into empathy. We can almost see ourselves in their place, even if just for a moment.
My favourite examples of the trickster are The Master/Missy from Doctor Who, Loki in all his incarnations, Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes and, most recently, Ms Wardwell (otherwise known as Lilith or Madam Satan) who was the sole reason I watched the entire first season of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina in one sitting!
Of all the antagonists I adore tricksters above all others! What I love most about these characters is their intelligence and wit. So, it’s really no surprise that I’m incorporating one into my current work in progress (known for now as ‘The Japanese Story’). My trickster is a white fox who acts as a messenger between humans and Gods. He’s a fun character to write and I hope I do him justice as his role develops.
 

I’m a very visual person and appreciate good art.
Famous artists feature in my ancestry and many of my immediate family paint and draw well. I don’t!
While I have some skill at technical drawing anything requiring a free hand and colour is beyond me. I can compose a visually attractive photo—but it has to stand on its own as, to my eternal chagrin, I’ve never mastered the art of Photoshop, Gimp or any other image manipulating software.
Anyone who follows me on social media knows that I have a particular eye for imagery. I know what works and what doesn’t and have ruffled feathers in the past when it came to the cover designs for a series of anthologies I was involved with.
With all that in mind, today I went ahead and tried to make a cover for my upcoming novel ‘Gods of Fire’. This was a bad, terrible, not at all good idea, because:

• I have a VERY clear idea of what I want the cover to look like
• I don’t have any images that are remotely close to what I want, nor can I find any
• I thought I could learn Canva in a morning
• I can’t even find a font I like

All I’ve managed to achieve is to make myself frustrated and grumpy.
This is clearly an aspect of self-publishing that I need to leave to the professionals, just like I did with the editing (shout out to Bowlerfern in that department). So, I’m now waiting for a few book cover artist/designers to get back to me.
Back to writing for me.

For over a year I’ve been sending the manuscript of my first complete novel, “Gods of Fire”, out to agents seeking representation. To say that it has not been a success is a wild understatement. Yet, I remain convinced I’ve written a good story that will appeal to readers who love both fantasy and erotica.

So, I’ve launched myself into the unknown, but thankfully well-charted, waters of the self-publication process.

A complete novice, my first step was to send out a call to my writerly colleagues on Facebook and Twitter. This resulted in a mixed bag of responses, most of them encouraging and many with some great advice on how to get started. I also spent at least a day poking around the internet, looking for resources and recommendations for success.

The two main pieces of advice that have popped up over and over again are:

1. Get a professional editor to work on your manuscript;
2. Your cover is critical, and again professional help is highly recommended.

I patted myself on the back for already having ticked off number one, and I’m chasing up a cover artist to help me with number two.

My next challenge was to convert my Word document into the right format for a book. Again, two main recommendations emerged, Vellum and Draft2Digital. Vellum is for Mac users, which I am not, so the decision was easy. It took me a day of trial and error, formatting my manuscript and testing the different options in Draft2Digital to get a look I’m happy with.

Within the space of just a couple of days, I’d gone from terrified and completely ignorant, to sufficiently confident in my ability to create a product and get it into the market. But of course, that’s just the beginning of the process.

So watch this space!