The Creative Edge in 2025
Big Changes Are Coming, Integrating AI Into Our Writing Processes
At the end of every year, we traditionally list everything we want to change in the year ahead. Most of these ‘resolutions’ are never attempted or fall by the wayside within a few weeks. A few, though, do stick and become part of our lives, a very few.
The trick is, I think, to be realistic with our expectations. Erring on the side of pessimism, as opposed to being overly optimistic. That’s not to say we should all be pessimists; for any of our plans to have a chance of fruition, we must try to keep to practicality.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being an optimist; our best intentions may be what matters. Recognizing that things must change for us to improve ourselves is half the battle. Executing, though, is the hard part.
I mentioned, very briefly, that I have plans for 2025. I’ve been thinking things through over the last few days, so it’s time to put some meat on the bones.
A Short History
You may be aware, or not, that this publication, ‘The Everyday Solopreneur,’ has changed a lot since it was first published in February 2023. It began by reposting several articles from 2015, which focused mainly on business practices and leadership. It quickly morphed into posts about creative writing and the daily struggles a new writer faces.
For most of 2024, newsletters have skewed toward the ethical use of Generative AI tools in creative writing. The AI world has exploded in the last year and will continue to become an increasingly prevalent part of our daily lives. 2025 is touted as the year of Agentic AI, which means agents to you and me.
As a generally AI-positive creator, I’ve found this fascinating. However, for the average writer, keeping up with the latest and greatest functions and features has become near impossible, at least not if they want to devote their time to the core discipline of sitting down and writing.
As exciting as the latest AI developments are, figuring out where individuals can reap the most benefits in their careers has become mired in the plethora of press releases and announcements.
A Needed Change
Exploring and learning new things is when I have fun and am most productive. My engineering background and naturally curious streak are likely at the root of who I am. I’ve indulged myself this year by diving into the latest AI technologies. I’ve subscribed and unsubscribed to numerous tools and utilities, always searching for something just that little bit better or different.
When I encountered a function or feature that could benefit creative writers, I investigated further and sometimes wrote an article about my discoveries. However, this made the focus of The Everyday Solopreneur unclear and difficult to define. It’s time for a change, and what better time than right at the beginning of a brand new year?
This newsletter will remain a space to shoot the breeze and a forum for general discussion about writing craft and the publishing industry. It’s also where I unload my thoughts; I suppose it’s my online journal. The name ‘The Everyday Solopreneur’ may seem a little out of place, considering the content throughout most of this year, but I’ll stick with it. Changing it is more hassle than it’s worth.
A Sister Publication
This doesn’t mean I’ll stop writing about Generative AI anytime soon, far from it. Now is the time to double down on AI. After all, the last few months have been exciting, with so many new versions coming on stream. But 2025 is only going to accelerate the many use cases for creatives.
I’m working on a new sister publication covering all things AI, especially those related to creative writing. The publication will explore the world of generative AI tools and the many AI agents expected to emerge in the coming year. I’ll discuss their potential to enhance every stage of the creative process.
From brainstorming and story development to editing, publishing, and marketing, we’ll experiment with cutting-edge features, uncover best practices, and share practical guides to help writers integrate AI into their writing processes. Whether you’re an aspiring author or a seasoned writer, this will be your resource for blending creativity and technology.
I’ve been thinking long and hard about this over the last weeks, perhaps months. There are so many resources in the AI space already, from Podcasts to blogs and Substacks, that exhaustively cover AI. While this is true, they tend to focus on either general AI news or target specific niche areas, such as marketing. They’re a great resource, but extracting information specifically applicable to creatives has not been easy.
Figuring it all out is a time-consuming job, but it’s a pleasurable one. However, it’ll require a lot of work to provide the value you, as creatives, deserve. This means, of course, that it can’t be a weekly Substack or completely free. I’m hoping for a bi-weekly publication schedule, but that could change depending on how it goes. I do have a day job, after all.
How many posts will be free, and how many will be for paid subscribers only? Again, I’m not sure yet, but I can only say with certainty that there will be a fair split between the two subscriber options. Watch this space; you will be amongst the first to know when the first issue will be available (it will be a free issue, I know that much.)
Final Thoughts (for 2024)
It’s been quite a ride in 2024, and as this is the last post of the year, I can only wish you a happy and prosperous new year. I hope that 2025 will be even more successful than 2024. I’m sure it will be as long as I can relax and enjoy the process.
I’m curious about what the new year will bring after I was forced, coerced, into reducing my day job hours from four days a week to three. Of course, this has some financial impact. But as we can't control these sorts of things, we just have to roll with the punches and figure it out as we go along.
Again, I wish you all a Very Happy New Year. Thank you for your interest in my ramblings over the last twelve months. You’re a patient bunch.