Why AI can’t take over creative writing
theconversation.com – Wednesday April 2, 2025
In 1948, the founder of information theory, Claude Shannon, proposed modelling language in terms of the probability of the next word in a sentence given the previous words. These types of probabilistic language models were largely derided, most famously by linguist Noam Chomsky: “The notion of ‘probability of a sentence’ is an entirely useless one.”
In 2022, 74 years after Shannon’s proposal, ChatGPT appeared, which caught the attention of the public, with some even suggesting it was a gateway to super-human intelligence. Going from Shannon’s proposal to ChatGPT took so long because the amount of data and computing time used was unimaginable even a few years before.
ChatGPT is a large language model (LLM) learned from a huge corpus of text from the internet. It predicts the probability of the next word given the context: a prompt and the previously generated words.
ChatGPT uses this model to generate language by choosing the next word according to the probabilistic prediction. Think about drawing words from a hat, where the words predicted to have a higher probability have more copies in the hat. ChatGPT produces text that seems intelligent.
There is a lot of controversy about how these tools can help or hinder learning and practising creative writing. As a professor of computer science who has authored hundreds of works on artificial intelligence (AI), including AI textbooks that cover the social impact of large language models, I think understanding how the models work can help writers and educators consider the limitations and potential uses of AI for what might be called “creative” writing.
Scandal-hit creative writing website NaNoWriMo to close after 20 years
theguardian.com – Wednesday April 2, 2025
The US nonprofit, whose online community encouraged members to write a novel in a month, has been rocked by controversy in recent years
NaNoWriMo, the US-based nonprofit organisation that challenged people to write a novel in a month, has announced it is closing down after 20 years.
NaNoWriMo – an abbreviation of National Novel Writing Month – fostered an online community of participants aiming to write 50,000 words of fiction in November. It began informally in 1999 before becoming a nonprofit in 2006. Each year, tens of thousands signed up to the organisation’s flagship programme.
On Monday, NaNoWriMo announced its closure to community members via email. A 27-minute YouTube video posted the same day by the organisation’s interim executive director Kilby Blades explained that it had to close due to ongoing financial problems, which were compounded by reputational damage.
How to Format and Submit Your Children's Book Manuscript
litreactor.com – Wednesday April 2, 2025
So, you’ve finished writing your children’s book. Congratulations! You’ve taken a significant step on the road to publication. However, the journey doesn’t end here — you’ll need to polish up your manuscript before you start pitching your story to agents and publishers.
In this post, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about getting your manuscript ready for submission, from industry-standard formatting to personalizing your query letter. Let’s get started!
Bournemouth to host romance writing festival for writers
bournemouthecho.co.uk – Saturday March 29, 2025
The Romance Writing Festival will be taking place on October 18.
The event will feature Sunday Times bestsellers Milly Johnson, Paige Toon and Katie Fforde.
The programme is filled with panel discussions, workshops and networking opportunities.
Writers will also have the chance to book one-to-one sessions with agents and editors.
The festival will take place at Royal Bath Hotel, where attendees can explore a marketplace to connect with industry professionals.
New Publisher Listing: Adventure Books by Vertebrate Publishing
firstwriter.com – Friday March 28, 2025
Publishes books on climbing; walking; gravel cycling; running; outdoor swimming; and stand-up paddleboarding (SUP). Looking for books which inspire and equip people to plan their own adventures, with great photos and well-researched information; and practical guides to training, technique, nutrition; and injury in the above areas. Specifically, we’d currently love to hear from you if you have a proposal for: an outdoor swimming guide to Wales or London and the Southeast; gravel cycling guides; books aimed at climbing/running/cycling training.
New Literary Agent Listing: Amandeep Singh
firstwriter.com – Friday March 28, 2025
For non-fiction, she is looking for compelling memoir about universal experiences. She would also like to hear from academics and journalists writing for a trade audience in the areas of politics and current affairs, relationships, nature and climate crisis, science and economy. She is seeking science writing that illuminates and drives topical conversation. In personal development, she is looking for books that cut through the noise and offer research-based or expert insights. For fiction, she is building a select list of book club and upmarket fiction – character-led stories with lots of heart. She is also seeking select fantasy and speculative fiction, from grimdark historical to whimsical cosy romance.
New Magazine Listing: The BSFA Review
firstwriter.com – Thursday March 27, 2025
A digital magazine filled with reviews of the latest genre fiction. We aim to cover as much of the SFF field as possible, whether it is traditional or contemporary science fiction and/or fantasy. We are also interested in fiction and non-fiction material that is not directly SFF but may be of related interest to the genre, including themes like horror and war. This means that as well as fiction and non-fiction we also try to feature reviews of comics, graphic novels, spoken word, films, plays, and exhibitions.
New Publisher Listing: Practical Pre-School Books
firstwriter.com – Thursday March 27, 2025
Specialises in resources that support practitioners in delivering the EYFS with ease. Our titles range from planning and observation to child development, health and wellbeing and leadership and management, with key issues focusing on how children learn.
eMerge literary magazine: Charles L. Templeton’s vision for amplifying emerging voices
londondaily.news – Thursday March 27, 2025
Charles L. Templeton’s journey as a literary advocate took a groundbreaking turn with the creation of eMerge, a platform that has quickly become a beacon for emerging voices in the literary world. Frustrated by the limitations and gatekeeping prevalent in mainstream publishing, Templeton founded eMerge with a simple yet powerful mission: to provide a space where underrepresented and emerging writers could have their work heard.
With a keen understanding of the challenges faced by new authors, eMerge was designed not only as a publication but as a community—one where writers, poets, and storytellers from all walks of life could come together to share their voices without fear of exclusion. Under Templeton’s visionary leadership, eMerge has become a literary magazine that embraces diversity, encourages creativity, and celebrates the power of storytelling.
What sets eMerge apart from other literary magazines is its unwavering commitment to inclusivity and its relentless pursuit of high-quality, authentic work. Templeton’s editorial direction has allowed the magazine to flourish, earning national recognition and a place in the Library of Congress Collection. This achievement is a testament to Templeton’s ability to curate meaningful content while maintaining a dedication to publishing diverse voices. eMerge doesn’t just showcase new talent; it gives emerging writers the platform they need to build lasting careers. Whether it’s through poetry, short stories, or essays, eMerge has become a trusted space for both emerging and established writers, creating an environment where creativity is nurtured and celebrated, and where every voice, no matter how unconventional, is given the opportunity to shine.
DK ventures into children’s fiction with new imprint DK flip
thebookseller.com – Sunday March 23, 2025
DK has launched its first children’s fiction imprint, DK flip, “dedicated to publishing flippin’ marvellous fiction”, having previously only published children’s non-fiction.
DK flip will publish across chapter books, early middle-grade, middle-grade, teen, graphic and YA. There are 14 titles scheduled to publish in 2025 on the DK flip list with 18 scheduled so far for 2026.
Acquisitions to the list will be made by Arabella Stein, trade strategy director at DK, and Francesca Young, associate publishing director, with support from the wider editorial and design team in-house at DK Children’s.
In addition, the DK+ division under managing director Mark Searle has a growing team of editors and designers now focused also on fiction. DK’s current rights, sales, marketing and PR teams will work closely with the DK flip design and editorial team.
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