Hi Reader,

I fell down a TikTok rabbit hole the other day after coming upon a gripe thread in, well, Threads. I know, I should be spending my one wild and precious life better. But hear me out, it gets worse.

I went on to listen to an episode of The Creative Penn, an amazing podcast for writers by Joanna Penn. The episode was about Facebook ads, but she always starts by talking about what she's up to. She's up to a lot at all times, but in this particular episode she was talking very excitedly about using AI. When she got to the part about how she'd used AI to create spreadsheets to upload her dozens of books to her direct sales website... I had to shut off the podcast. Then I downed the better part of a pint of Jeni's Brown Butter Almond Brittle ice cream, promptly fell into a stupor, and took to the bed (a friend called mid-episode and I had to assure her I wasn't sundowning).

When I woke up, however, I was determined to figure out how to use some of these tools. Penn had pointed that AI has enormous upsides, like modeling to reduce climate impact. Also it's coming like a freight train no matter what I decide about it.

One thing that's been consistent throughout the course of my writing career—the learning never ends. This can send me on a spiral, but the changing nature of the beast is also exactly what attracts me to it. Why not learn the next tool?

Back to the TikTok of it all (see? full circle!), one thing I did learn from that time suck was that my bio needed WORK. Maybe AI could help? It couldn't hurt to try.

I fed my long bio to the bot, along with instructions to make it shorter and liven it up. And it worked! With some editing.

That sent me down another tunnel. Soon I was creating Excel spreadsheets to help me stay on top of social media posting. I asked it to sharpen up my ideal reader profile. I even created some social media graphics.

So my next issue of Ill-Behaved Women (scheduled for April 14) will feature a bevy of AI tools you can employ like your own personal admin, complete with video. Similar to my guide on how to DIY your audiobook.

Let me say it emphatically, THIS IS NOT FIGURING OUT HOW TO WRITE WITH AI. That's where the "ethical" part comes in. I will not talk to you in books or newsletters through AI, but I am a fan of finding tools that give me more time to write (or read, or nap, or scroll through Zillow like a pervert).

Let me know if you have any questions now so I can try to answer them. Just hit reply.

Cheers,

​L.L. Kirchner​

113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
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