Artificial intelligence (AI) has made automation the norm in more fields than ever. In marketing, AI has transformed the way we communicate. The use of machine learning in profiling audience segments and running programmatic advertising campaigns is an example of how AI transforms the way we can engage the audience at different times.
AI and machine learning are also trying to tackle another big hurdle in marketing: content creation. As content—and content marketing more specifically—becomes a key instrument in digital marketing, a golden era for content creation is dawning. However, might AI content generation replace human writing, thus depriving writers of much-anticipated jobs?
Staring up at the stars, he wiped a tear from his face and wondered if there was anything that could help him assuage the guilt that was eating him up inside.
This post is part of the Tuesday Use It In A Sentence prompt, “assuage”:
Stuck with a bad case of writer’s block? Ready to quit on your story after getting harsh feedback you sense deep down is true?
Caught in a cycle of rewriting early chapters instead of producing new ones?
If anxiety is hijacking your writing time, distracting you and leading to negative self-talk and procrastination, it might be time to address your mindset.
The mistakes we make, the way we respond, and the impact on our self-worth are all matters of perception not personality traits.
Hi SEers! Welcome to another Mae Day on Story Empire. Recently, a post I made about being a disciplined writer, produced a few comments about whether writing was a hobby or a business. The IRS clearly has an opinion, but much of how the government views your writing is also determined by howyouview it.
I’m going to draw on a Story Empire post I wrote in 2017. We have many new blog followers since then, and I believe rehashing the points may be a benefit, especially with tax deadlines looming.
Most of us go into writing hoping to make a profit. Sure, it’s our dream to have published works “out there,” but it would also be nice to see some success along with the realization of that dream. This is where things can get tricky.
There’s an old saying “to make money you have to spend money.” For…
Mitch was in the middle of his daily run, jogging along a path bounded by a creek on one side and trees and shrubbery on the other. It was a peaceful natural area, and he loved to jog there in the mornings because he felt more energized after being out in nature. In the evenings, he usually would come there to walk with his dog, Riley, to relax after a long day at work.
Mitch was approaching a large clump of shrubbery when he heard a small noise coming from the bushes. He stopped running and listened, not sure of what he’d heard. Then he heard it again – a short, high-pitched meow. Intrigued, he slowly approached and looked into the nearest bush. Peering at him from inside the bush was a pair of yellow cat eyes. As he watched, a small pink mouth opened and meowed again. Then a small, black kitten timidly crawled out, sat in front of him, and meowed up at him with its tiny voice.
Mitch stared at the kitten in surprise. He had certainly not expected to come across something like this on his daily run. The kitten wound itself around his legs and continued to let out tiny meows as he tried to decide what to do. The kitten didn’t look very old. It had probably been weened not long ago. But it was kind of dirty and looked slightly underweight. He didn’t think it belonged to anyone. He considered taking it home, but he wasn’t sure how Riley would react to it or how the kitten would react to the dog.
The kitten began climbing his leg, then made its way all the way up to his shoulder, where it crouched and began purring. Mitch instinctively reached up and petted it, and that was it. He was going take the kitten home.
Cutting his run short, Mitch returned to his car and headed home. When he opened front door, Riley greeted him enthusiastically, jumping at him and trying to lick his face. Mitch had to hold the kitten out to the way as he tried to calm the yellow Labrador down.
Mitch ordered the dog to sit, then took the kitten into the living room. He put the kitten on the floor then called for Riley. The dog ran into the living room and stopped instantly when he saw the kitten. Mitch watched anxiously to see how the two would react.
Riley crept up on the kitten slowly, curious to investigate the newcomer. The kitten hunched down and gave a short hiss, but didn’t attack immediately. Mitch took it as a good sign.
Riley sniffed the kitten, and the kitten leaned back as the dog invaded its personal space, but it still didn’t attack.
Riley finished sniffing, took a step back, and sat down. He panted and his tail wagged. Then he dropped to all fours and let out a short yip, wanting to the play with the kitten. The kitten stared at it with narrowed eyes, as if it considered the dog and its request beneath him. But Riley continued yipping, and the kitten finally gave in. It lunged at Riley with its claws sheathed, and the dog jumped and ran off. Riley paused at the entrance to the living room and looked back. The kitten was standing where Riley had been. It stared at the dog a moment, then ran after Riley.
The two continued like that for a few minutes, with the kitten keeping Riley on the run throughout the house, playing chase. Mitch settled down on the couch with a sigh of relief. He would still keep an eye on the two for a few days, but he thought that them not immediately fighting and playing instead was a good sign and that they would become good friends.
This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “run”:
I have a confession to make. When I first began writing fiction, I hated to do research. I didn’t want to bother with such mundane tasks. Once I even wrote a blog post titled “Research, A Necessary Evil.”
I’m not sure why I had such an aversion. I’ve always loved history and trivia. In general, I’m a curious person and there’s no telling what might pique my interest.
But with writing, I was like “Thanks, but no thanks.” Maybe I wanted to adhere to the adage, “Write what you know.” Needless to say, it didn’t take long for me to discover I knew very little.
The setting of my first novel was in a fictional Texas town during the horrible drought of 2011. I lived through that time. I experienced the better part of two months where the daytime temperatures reached triple digits…
He watched from the sidelines as his two business rivals tried to outdo each other in what amounted to a zero sum game, and relished in both the entertainment and extra business that cost him zero.
This day-late post is part of the Tuesday Use It In A Sentence prompt, “zero”:
The publishing industry is in a state of flux, as is the rest of the world.
According to the December 2020 Statshot of participating publishers, the Association of American Publishers, published February 25, 2021, total revenues across all categories for December 2020 were down 8.5% compared to December 2019, coming in at $1.1 billion.
In terms of physical paper format revenues during the month of December, in the Trade (Consumer Books) category, Hardback revenues were up 14.2%, coming in at $312.5 million; Paperbacks were up 2.4%, with $248.1 million in revenue; Mass Market was down 1.6% to $25.9 million; and Board Books were up 6.2%, with $16.7 million in revenue.
eBook revenues were up 18.4% for the month as compared to December of 2019 for a total of $89.7 million. The Downloaded Audio format jumped 30.0% for December, coming in at $66.0 million in revenue. Physical Audio declined 6.7%…
Jeanne Owens, author 