Jade Varden Official Blog

Look around at the world and notice not what is there…but who is missing. No longer will you see a man on stilts at twilight, meticulously lighting gas lamps up and down the street. You won't find a friendly milkman making deliveries. And the men wearing the long beaks who scooped up plague-ridden bodies were out of work in the 1400s. Innovation and technology always usher in new changes. But when something new begins, something else ends. And when it comes to ChatGPT, is this the end of human writing as we know it? The Ultimate Ghostwriter So what is ChatGPT? Depending on who is answering, this is a fascinating new innovation full of possibilities...or a demon invention summoned from the blackest pits of Hell. ChatGPT is actually an AI writing tool that can, for all intents and purposes, write anything. Articles, screenplays, entire novels even. You plug in some basic elements of what you want and the darn thing generates humanlike writing that can be difficult to tell from actual...

Though not as flashy as Shakespeare or as strange as Lewis Carroll, Geoffrey Chaucer contributed much more to the English language as a writer than both of them put together. He is called the Father of English literature and is single-handedly responsible for creating nearly 2,000 words that we use today. He was the very first person to be interred at Westminster in the famed Poet’s Corner and his stories were so good, Heath Ledger and the future Vision actor starred in an adaptation of his work about 600 years after he wrote it. What’s ironic is that the author best known for the Canterbury Tales never made a single cent off his writing. The Merchant of London Geoffrey Chaucer was born into the merchant class into rather fortunate circumstances. His father was a successful vintner, winemaker, and he worked for the crown for most of his career -- even when the crown changed heads a few times during the tumultuous Hundred Years’ War. Remembered today as one of the great writers and stud...

You may have noticed that people are being a bit more careful about what they say, these days. Look back at movies from the 1990s and you’ll find yourself gritting your teeth and groaning over extremely casual racism, bigotry and misogyny that is peppered all over scripts. The world has changed and the way we use words has changed, too. You can probably think of several words that you know are bad, words you wouldn’t put in your book unless there was an extremely strong reason to do so, words that are still controversial and can still get books banned in many places around the world. Mark Twain’s books are still being fought over for just this reason. But there are many words writers aren’t supposed to use anymore beyond the obvious ugly slurs. Do you know what they are, and have you modified your writing? Because 20 years from now, you don’t want people gritting their teeth and groaning over something you have written. The Power of Words   Words have power, as every single writer ...

“We are asking our colleagues -- especially those who work as editors on TV, film, and general entertainment verticals - - to join us in adding a short editorial statement to the top of reviews and other critical coverage written and published during the strikes.” This is the message released by the striking writers and actors represented by the WGA (Writer’s Guild of America) and the SAG (Screen Actors’ Guild). The writers, actors and other creative professionals represented by these unions have asked for help and support. Should indie authors and other non-union creators give it to them?  Writers on Strike   The writers’ strike has been ongoing since May as the writers, actors and other creative professionals (this includes stunt people, voice actors, etc.) continue to butt heads with studio executives and media owners, such as Netflix and Paramount…and Disney, and NBC Universal and all of them. Unions have the power to go on strike at any time, though it typically happens w...

As of the start of the month of August, the Writer's Guild of America has been on strike for 100-plus days. But why should indie authors care?   What's the Fight About? The WGA is a labor union. This gives members of the union the right to collective bargaining. As union employees, the members of the WGA are under contract. When the business entity or entities that a union works for offers a contract that most members of the union do not like and do not want, they can then choose to use their collective bargaining power to force that company or companies to meet the demands of the union by going on strike. To put it plainly, a majority of the members of the WGA do not like the contract they were offered. Writer's strikes are not uncommon and in the past, the WGA has used their right to strike in order to get more money for their work. But this strike is very different. This strike is about money, sure, but it's also about a much deeper issue that affects all writers eve...