17 Comments
User's avatar
Megan Marolf's avatar

I really like that- we’re here to love and create.

Louise S Williamson's avatar

I agree with you that the antidote to destruction is creation.

helen hayward's avatar

Thank you Emma for firing me up to leave my phone in the car and sit in my friendly local cafe to write a post about the pointy end of selling my next ms. You win hands down!

Dr Vicki Connop's avatar

Can't wait to read your book 😊

Elin Häggberg's avatar

Amen to that! 🎉🙌

Ana G.'s avatar

You nailed it, Emma! We need a support group for those of us who feel this way.

Kelly Trivedy's avatar

Loved this piece! As an advocate for critical thinking, I love what you say here, Emma about AI and how it shouldn’t be used to replace art and artists! It often saddens me at how a ‘quick fix’ in an AI generated image satisfies some people so easily. I do hope the future holds on to art made by humans. 💙

Kay's avatar

Thank you for this, Emma. I love what you say here.

Yes - when I write, that period of letting my mind run wild and free, makes such a difference to how I feel for the rest of the day.

Am looking forward to reading more in your book!

Pandora Sykes's avatar

Okay sooooo many interesting things in this, but top of mind: I thought my phone average of 4 hours was a lot! 7.5 is an entire *nights sleep*. Two nights sleep for me lol

Nikki Vallance's avatar

Bravo Emma! (My copy is on order) THIS is exactly what I'm investigating through my Substack. So far all my research through multiple lenses -psychology, neuroscience, anthropology, philosophy, lived experience- is pointing to creativity as a fundamental part of being human. I'm hoping to propose a research masters soon on the anthropology of creativity and my explore the hypothesis that creativity is the answer to human sustainability. Meanwhile, the rain is falling and I am diving in to write about all the ways my creativity and my life are interwined for my latest essay on inspiration and moments of creative spark.

Emma Gannon's avatar

LOVE this Nikki!! ❤️🥰

Stephen Bondar's avatar

This is encouraging, thank you

Stephen Bondar's avatar

And what’s wrong with me? I forgot to mention that History Through Fiction get more into the craft aspects of it, but sometimes puts out free story.

Victoria Saxton's avatar

Thank you so much for this. I'm a creative writer (but mostly plays/musicals/lyrics) and constantly worry that AI will take my jobs! Can I ask a substack question? Is there a place for a substack newsletter that isn't 'how to write' - but that is a piece of creative writing? ie a play told episodically, or a novel with a chapter a month, maybe combined with a 'here's how I did this chapter/what I found hard /what I'm doing next? '....thinking about how to be creative with substack!

Emma Gannon's avatar

There’s only one answer from me: you do you! ❤️

Stephen Bondar's avatar

Well, for one, there’s actually mine. And I know of at least one other, who is putting out stories and serial form I think. The name of that Substack, which is science fiction also is Beneath the Wolfmoon. Also a sub genre of science fiction called incense punk has its own online magazine, where they publish stories, and then subsequently publish interviews with the authors. That’s. Incensepunk magazine.

Victoria Saxton's avatar

oh that's brilliant and great to know, thank you!