SASFest Writer’s Craft—ANDREW FAYE & TREBOR HEALEY

Friday, March 27

11:30 AM – 12:45 PM—SAS Writer’s Craft

WRITING IN A WORLD OF APPS, PODCASTS AND AI—ANDREW FAYE & TREBOR HEALEY

Technology offers new and different ways to approach writing across three axes: our generative process, the actual narratives of our stories, and the distribution of our final work. Perhaps you use novel writing apps or software to organize characters, plot, and structure; or you might go further and turn to generative AI (such as ChatGPT) to help you work out kinks in a story or provide feedback akin to that of a developmental editor. Tech offers an ever-evolving palette of options for setting (e.g., virtual spaces like “dating” apps), character (e.g., the jilted AI lover), plot and conflict (e.g. surveillance, a rogue AI therapist). In terms of getting our writing out there, we’ll look at ePublishing, blogging, Substack, and hosting or creating a podcast, which can elevate less-represented voices and even create exposure that leads to publication. We’ll look at how we can make use of and integrate these aspects of technology into our work, focusing primarily on the fun part: the story itself. We may want to write about how the “dating” apps have changed LGBTQ+ life, offering opportunities for story that didn’t exist before, normalizing the blind date and the element of surprise – tragic, comedic or even downright dangerous. App dialog itself can be a literary form – often poetic – and can even include photos! If we want to tell a story via podcast, what stories work best in this format? We’ll talk about all of this and do a writing exercise incorporating AI, podcasts and apps.

Hotel Monteleone, Lobby Level, Royal C.

Included in SAS Weekend Registration or $25.