In early January 2024, I received a letter of acceptance of my dreams from the prestigious University of Sydney Creative Writing Graduate Program. It wasn't just a program. That was a verification.
Since I remembered, I have spent countless hours sitting in my room writing stories. I was sure I would write a bestseller one day. My parents didn't see them writing as a career at the time, but I was determined to beat the odds and prove they were wrong. Entering Sydney University was the first step in its success.
However, after the letter of acceptance arrived, I realized that the world was moving in a different direction. Writing my strange feeling and chops didn't have a chance against artificial intelligence. It was no longer an advantage, so I spoke myself from my career path.
The changes caused by AI could not be ignored
I love language more than gardeners love dirt. I grew up reading Francine Pascal's “Sweet Valley Twin” series and Daniel Steel's Escape. I once refused to leave my room as the most beloved character in the book passed away, but since ChatGpt and other AI tools arrived, something has changed on my creative radar.
In the second half of 2023, I began to notice changes in the media landscape. The publications fired most of their writers, and friends in the industry lost in great gigs and began competing with AI-generated writing.
As for the book industry, I realized that AI doesn't spend years creating thrilling romance novels. Instead, they fire 1,000 e-books a month. It's always sufficient for the commercial aspect of the industry.
Meanwhile, the MFA program teaches that, like the one I was hospitalized at the University of Sydney, the literary market has not yet been touched on. I've had a hard time believing that.
I wanted to ask the enrollment officials: Are you preparing for the world we are in?
I have decided not to accept my postgraduate program offers.
Since I was admitted, I have fought a constant battle between staying true to what I believe in and keeping up to new technology. In exchanges, I feel like I've lost my passion. While we have sought to streamline that creative programs are not just about job outlook, but also about bringing people together through art, refinement and written art, everything else around us points to a devastating end.
I filmed myself two years later. Thousands of AI-written books filled the store as they completed their degrees and referred agents. I imagined that editors would spend time writing an amazing essay about running AI filters before deciding whether they wanted to assign a cheaper version of the story. The idea of being outdated scared me hard.
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So I made the heartbreaking decision to leave the MFA.
Many people told me I was overly dramatic because AI can't replace real writing and humans always yearn for real stories, but I thought they underestimate how quickly the market is changing.
I also began to think about what my master's program would do for me. Are you proud of your qualification? Or do you feel like you've run out after an $50,000 investment for two years of research?
I'm finding my own path to my future
Since turning down the program, I have been experimenting with a variety of storytelling projects. I'm a full-time freelance, but I'm also involved in a writing community that focuses on authentic stories.
There are days when I wonder what the class was like. Many people still pursue MFA, but it's still worth it.
But I know now that I am not going to abandon writing. I need to reinvent it.
