Maple syrup + you.

Irecently heard a few alarming stories about AI-generated books flooding Amazon. Some of these AI authors are publishing dozens of books in days, complete with AI-written reviews. It’s wild out there!

On the other side of the same alarm bell: the creators of these robo-books are fearing that Amazon regulations will blacklist their AI-generated books. I think there’s a daily publishing limit of 3 books per day now (I’m not sure, I didn’t go that far down the rabbit hole).

This wave of artificial commercial fiction is fascinating to think about.

When you cultivate present-moment awareness, you can actually sense the difference between authentic human energy and synthetic products. It’s like tasting maple syrup after aspartame. The real thing carries life force. The other one is sweet, but feels empty.

This discernment comes from your attention. Attention is your superpower, and how you cultivate presence.

Presence gives your life, the earth, and your relationships a spiritual resonance (this is also commonly known as love).

Your presence connects you to the universe. And your presence is what gives your writing depth.

In case you need to hear it…

Your book is something that artificial intelligence can’t write.

That’s because you are creative, and AI is derivative.

AI can arrange existing patterns. It can research, repurpose, and recombine what already exists (it’s so good at this, and it’s getting better every minute). It can mix up some cool, lifelike (and weird) stuff. It probably works okay for some genres that lean heavily on formula, and content that is meant to be consumed quickly.

But AI cannot access the particular alchemy of your lived experience, your specific way of noticing the world, your unique emotional landscape.

Only you can write with your own energy.

Your stories emerge from your body, your memory, your dreams, your spirit, your pain, and your joy. They carry the unfakeable signature of your consciousness.

Knowing how to write good stories is a valuable skill, now more than ever.

The world is filling with content that sounds derivative. AI is efficient, so it reuses words and syntax. Have you noticed the word “harness” popping up everywhere? (Ugh, that’s a personal pet peeve, feels like artificial sweetener stirred into my tea.)

Another pet peeve of mine is this now abundantly overused descriptive style:

It’s not [insert perception to reframe]—it’s [insert reframe].

Here it is in action:

This isn’t just any cupcake—it’s a unicorn disguised as a snack.

You’re not broken—you’re a geode full of crystals.

It’s not simply a thunderstorm—it’s a portal to garden hydration.

Okay, I confess: those examples are my own writing. I was trying to write in the voice of AI! Could you tell?

My point is, your voice rings out as true, textured, beautiful and real. It’s difficult to take your own life force out of your creative writing. Your stories glitter. They feel real (not artificial)!

If you need to write a report, or a how-to manual, or pick out some highlights out of a big batch of content, AI is super. But what creative writers do with language is not just create widgets to be consumed, or reports to deliver information.

They transmit energy.

The writers who thrive in the coming years won’t be those who can write and publish the most books in the least amount of time. They’ll (still!) be the ones know how to access life force and translate it into language.

Artists are people who have learned how to tolerate the infinite nature of creative energy while becoming strong enough to create with it. They know how to receive energy and let it through, without dissociating.

The art of creative writing is feeling alive and writing with aliveness.

Most of us need to slow down in order to feel alive.

You can start today, by paying attention.

Here are 5 ways you can touch presence this week:

1. Meditate with writing practice. When you feel alive and write simultaneously, you make your writing feel alive. Try deep noticing).

2. Get off social media. It’s not good for us as a collective, and it’s actively eroding your mental, social, and emotional health. Going off will feel inconvenient at first, but the long-term effects are worth it.

3. Call a friend and tell them three things you did today, and ask them to tell you three things they did today.

4. Read a book before you check your email.

5. Spend time writing down a few notes about a) what you love, b) what you notice, and c) what puzzles you about what you’re reading.

Life is finite. The time you spend reorganizing your energy and life for presence is an investment in a time-rich future for yourself.

Here’s to your life force!

Photo credit (top): Glen Carrie on Unsplash.