The other day, “Baker” by Aimee Carty stopped me in my tracks. If you’ve never heard this delightful little tune, I recommend listening to it, but alas, I know music tastes are deeply personal, so just know that the lyrics are about how easy it is to believe in your aspirations as a child and not so much as an adult. (It’s fun to get lost in being a baker when you’re making cookies at home with your parents. It’s another thing entirely to open up a bakery and get judged by food critics and locals alike.)
Writers understand this lesson very well.
So many people have a story in them, and yet getting the words on a page and then sending it out into the world is a whole new challenge. Especially in the era of AI.
This is where I find myself in 2026.
I know I will never stop writing novels. I love storytelling too much. But this new era has given me pause about blogging. Why? I’ve been sharing writing & publishing tips here on WordPress since 2012. This is the first year I’ve truly questioned whether I want to continue. Not because I don’t love to share what’s on my mind. I do! Tremendously so. Blogging has been my favorite corner of the internet for over a decade. But when writers are increasingly turning to AI to answer their questions, it does make you wonder if your energy is better spent elsewhere.
The weirdest part for me? I can see when ChatGPT and other AI bots refer folks to my website from my dashboard. This tells me two things:
1) AI is using my content to create answers
2) Users are also requesting original sources—and being sent my way
In other words, writers are using AI as a search engine. I suppose I should be grateful to those that requested the original source material be cited. But I can’t help but focus on the fact that my blog posts—which I’ve amassed over 14 years of lived experience in publishing—are being reworked into quick summaries and bullet points (and often without any credit at all).
It’s no wonder so many writers are using paywalls to protect their advice (and sanity).
Granted, at least according to my WordPress dashboard, my main referrers are still search engines (Google in particular). I also get consistent traffic from LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest and Reddit. Just this morning (it’s 9 AM as I’m writing this), 36 readers have found my site through Pinterest alone.
AI bots aren’t my leading referrer…but we know they’re using me (and other bloggers). I understand why a lot of bloggers are moving behind Substack paywalls. (My understanding is that paywalls prevent data scraping, but I admit my understanding is limited.) That said, I’ve never blogged for money. (And I don’t like that Substack allowed the monetization of hate speech, not to mention just jumping to the latest/greatest platforms continuously is the internet equivalent to keeping up with the burn out.)
Ultimately, I blog because I love it. Not only is it how I started out on socials, but I also genuinely enjoy unpacking the craft of writing and exploring publishing together. The emotional roller coaster of being a full-time working-writer-toddler mom wouldn’t be the same without the blogging community. People are still reading blogs, and blogging remains one of my favorite online activities. But I will likely be switching up the purpose of my blog.
Sharing writing and publishing advice feels less relevant. Maybe I need to go back to my personal essay writing days. Or simply share my swirly, silly thoughts. I’ve even considered more writing process sneak peeks rather than applicable tips. To be honest, I don’t really know what I want to do with this space yet, but at the end of the day, blogging brings me joy, and I know I have readers. And that’s enough for me.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading.
Are there topics or approaches you’d like to see? Or do you still want writing/publishing advice? Am I overthinking this and just having a moment of existential dread?
Let me know how you’re feeling!
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
~SAT
P.S. I am off to BookCon in April, so my next post will likely be after I return. (Maybe? lol I’m not currently holding myself to a blogging schedule, as I have in the past.) I’m so excited to go, not only for books, but I also get to visit my co-workers at Penguin Random House for the few time ever! If you see me at BookCon, please say hello. 🙂
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I hope you keep blogging, but I totally get it. AI is turning everything upside down. And any “writers” or other creative types who use it to “help,” should be banished to the island.
I think I will keep blogging… I’m just unsure if my current schedule/topics make the most sense. I could be overthinking it. I know I shouldn’t let AI trends change what I’m writing, but it’s also hard to not feel affected in some way. Thank you for your encouragement!
~SAT
I also hope you keep blogging. I’ve been trying to do the same. It’s almost like pushing back an incoming tide, but I think many people want actual, human connection, whether online or in person. Not that AI is going away. But I’m looking for active ways to work around it and connect with other people.
❤ Thank you for your kind words ❤ And yes! I'm starting to lean toward posting whatever's on my mind rather than curated writing tips (which was fun, don't get me wrong, but I think swirly thoughts are better for human connection).
~SAT
I don’t think it’s a bad idea to periodically review the purpose of a blog, and whether it’s succeeding at its purpose. But, yeah, a lot of us are facing these same questions. My feeling is that the AI wave will break — couldn’t be soon enough — but some parts of it will be permanently embedded.
For now, scammers think they have a golden ticket with “AI” written books, and they’re going to punch it as often as possible until they stumble on some other golden ticket.
Yes! It definitely feels like we’re nearing a breaking point, with all the pushback on data centers and such. I also think parts of it will stay, though. It’ll be interesting to reflect a few years from now! Always love to hear your thoughts. Thank you!
~SAT