Authors Electric

  I'm currently enjoying my first foray into writing science fiction for adults. A s I try to imagine what life will be like a hundred years from now , along with some of the wonderful things that computers m ight be able to do by then, I can't help wondering... who will be the writers of 2112? I' d like to think that people not so very different from ourselves will still be wrestling with characters, plots and dialogue. But I have a strong suspicion that we may have a bit of competition by that time - from electric authors of a different kind. Never, never, never, I hear some of you cry. A computer or a robot will never be able to produce anything that stands up a s a work of literature. At best, a parody, perhaps. S omething written to a formula, contr o lled by strict parameters. Fan fiction? But never, never, anything that might considered original or (heav e n forbid) win a major literary prize. Of course, there could be a market for the type of ...