Soul Magazine

AI (Almost) Killed My Deep Reading; Editing Brought it Back

On finding an editor’s lens

“Which is more important,” asked Big Panda, “the journey or the destination?” “The company,” said Tiny Dragon.

I was feeling low. The day was demanding, and the night was pressing. I wanted to find my copy of The Silent Patient to read its last chapter (again). My mind was indecisive, or was it my heart? I couldn’t tell. What I knew, however, was: I couldn’t move myself to reach it.

An AI chatbot app on my mobile (which I had been using for quick fact-checking for quite a while) promised me something different today. It promised a swift and easy way to read the last chapter.

I asked it:

⦾how does the book The Silent Patient end?

⦾why is the ending unfair?

⦾how does the underlying theme relate to the final chapter?

The results, as I'm sure you guessed, were challenging. Sometimes the chatbot answered me inaccurately; I reminded it. It apologized and started another way. I was amused. It was making me question my memory. Now, I was fact-checking a chatbox that was supposed to be doing it for me. I even had to validate it with book summaries available online.

Then, I changed the book. I started questioning AI about the Harry Potter series and the loopholes that, (despite loving it dearly) couldn't leave my mind, as well as the apertures (stemming from the former) I found in Harry Potter Fanfiction.

Since my routine wasn't allowing me to find and read a new book (as I’m no longer a part of a reading club due to my schedule), the only reading I was doing those days was: re-reading. Now, AI has even removed that. I was challenging my mind with the accuracy of AI on a book review question and would love to ask AI about a book I read (and dreamt about the other night).

I was not in the oblivion of a smart quote by Eliezer Yudkowsky:

“The AI does not hate you, nor does it love you, but you are made out of atoms which it can use for something else.” ― Eliezer Yudkowsky

However, I was not active enough to stop it from stealing my re-reading habit, which I needed.

This was okay if it could make me feel okay. That wasn’t the case.

I was guilty of not re-reading enough, not reading with intensity, and not exploring new books. Reading serves as an escape for happiness or emotional identification when you are in the reading mode. However, when you switch to your writing mode, reading becomes your teacher.

You learn why (say, The Book Thief’s) writer’s way has captivated the world’s audience. Now, my teacher, for the most part, was AI.

Again, despite the potential of AI, it lacks the imperfections that human writing can offer. It gives you readable, digestible, encompassing reads. But it fails to make you connect with words: the heartwrenching imagery, the appetizing aroma, the deafening screeches, the vibration of happiness. I was now at the mercy of a too-lenient teacher.

This teacher tells you everything is okay even when it isn't.

One day this January, as I was on the lookout to challenge myself to write more and in various niches, I came across the Medium Publication Soul Magazine. The name was self-explanatory for me. As I was checking to sign up as a writer, I found they were open to accepting volunteer editors. I applied for both.

With about one week of volunteer editing experience at the Thank You Notes (a gratitude-centered publication I loved being a part of), I was reluctant to embark on this journey. However, since I started this journey, it has completely changed my habit of relying on AI for book-related questions. Instead, it has encouraged me to engage in intensive reading.

Reviving my love for unique, fresh writings, my editing endeavors also facilitated looking beyond my own (small) world. Despite being aware of the very blurred line between healthy and unhealthy forms of solitude (even for an introvert like me), I found the balance a slippery thing.

Volunteering as an editor facilitates balancing interaction with me-time. You can say no to a personal project (in freelancing) when you don't feel like it. You bid your time. But a social commitment is timely and consistent. That’s what I needed. A commitment to turn the inner voices off — when it is needed.

In my slot as an editor, I read intensively. I look for formatting details and obvious proofreading. Then, I read your words deeply, which challenges me to come out of the cocoon of my thoughts concentrate on the here and now, and appreciate your take on a theme of your choice.

True to the quote:

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”–Albert Schweitzer

In this editing journey, each day I learn a lot from you, be it as knowledge from your researched pieces or flash memoirs that shaped a beautiful perspective in you. Above all, your writings have rescued me, the reader, from the overly lenient grasp of AI.

Thank you to all the writers who contribute to Soul Magazine and beyond. Your contribution makes a difference.

If you haven’t signed up for Soul Magazine as a writer, you may want to check out this article by the publication’s founder, Katherine Myrestad. I assure you, you’ll be in compassionate company.

If you’d like to sign up as an editor, you may refer to this article by our editor-in-chief Samantha M🥀.

The process is simple: you’d get submission guidelines and be introduced to the editorial team. Next, you’d choose a time slot as per your ease, and in your very first slot as an editor on the team (and after that), Samantha M🥀would be there to generously help you make yourself at home in the pub as an editor. Long story short: you’d enjoy this journey along with strengthening your bond with other fellow writers, and editors on Medium and beyond.

Thanks for reading! May you all always be alright.