i got a youtube ad today for an ai fanfic writer app.
the premise was "does the exact fic you're craving not exist yet? are you not satisfied with any of your searches? look no further!" and it took me aback because of all the genai apps, i had not yet encountered one dedicated to fanfic, but it stuck with me, because there are undoubtedly some fans who will use that app, and i wanted to provide them an alternative.
(i am not going to shame them, because shame and finger pointing and blame and anger is not how you change people's minds or get them over to your side. if you're really hoping to 'convert' somebody or bring them away from ai, as with any activist goal, your goal should be to just share information and your own experience instead of pressuring them, because you just won't win them that way. i fervently hate ai and will never use it, don't get it twisted, and anyway, i digress)
holding your hand. if you are not a writer but you desperately want to see an idea that you have for a fic brought to life, there is a solution other than turning to a genai app: ask a fic writer.
i know that is not as simple as it sounds- reaching out to strangers on the internet is scary, especially if you enjoy their work or look up to them. but i promise that if you choose a writer who writes about the things you're looking to prompt, if you respect their hard nos (and if you're not sure what they are, just ask!) and if you come to a fic writer with basic manners like hello, enjoy your work/new here, admitting you're shy or nervous to send, and without a tone that you're entitled to this fic, then the odds are they would love to write it for you.
i am a fic writer who has put in the work to cultivate a community on my blog where i accept fic writing prompts, and it is one of the best things in my life. you have so much more to gain from sending a prompt than just the writing itself.
i have only sent a prompt to a writer a handful of times, and it was always a friend in casual conversation, so i don't know what it feels like with a stranger, but i know what the receiving end feels like- i am delighted, honored that someone trusts me with their idea and wants to see my take on it, flattered that they're choosing me out of the thousands of writers in my fandom.
if it's a prompt i love, i care that i'm doing it justice, hoping the prompter will love it and send more. point is, the writers aren't sighing with disgust when you send your prompt (unless you're being an entitled asshole or ignoring their boundaries) they're more likely than not happy to receive it and produce it for you.
if the writer writes it, send in a follow up! if they don't respond or don't write it exactly the way you would've wanted, i don't think there's anything wrong with sending the same prompt to another writer! the point is, ask. you never know what might happen. i've made some damn good friends who used to be anonymous prompters.
i promise, asking a fic writer will make you feel much more fulfilled and happy about your idea than putting a prompt into a genai app, a machine that is not human, to produce it for you. you will know that your prompt was brought to life with human soul, and heart, and hands, and mind, and care.
and there is always the option of learning how to write it yourself, but that's a whole nother story.
just, i promise there is an option that is just as accessible and infinitely more positive than asking an ai app to write you a prompt. i know it might be tempting, it's everywhere and the companies promoting them try to make them look as enticing as possible for a reason. but i promise, promise, promise, there is a better option. i am holding your hand and asking you to please consider reaching out to a writer before an app. just see what happens.
