Love this idea, and while I would love to get involved, I am running into a wall. I’m new here and still not sure how to set up a new publication alongside my main profile.
FicStack doesn’t take submissions. Our curators go out and find the stories that move them, the ones that stir something real. We care about work shaped by a human voice, guided by intention, and grounded in creative integrity.
We don’t knowingly feature fiction that’s been generated by AI. That isn’t a rule born of fear or contempt, just a boundary we hold with care. Readers deserve stories drawn from lived experience, even when creative tools play a part in shaping them.
We also know that writing is messy. Authors use grammar checkers, dictation apps, outlining tools, and sometimes AI to explore ideas. That’s fine. We’re not here to patrol the process; we’re here to find work that feels alive.
Our curators trust their instincts. If something feels hollow or synthetic, we pass. If it carries the pulse of a real voice, we listen. There will be edge cases and we cannot and will not police the internet.
Every member of the FicStack team is a writer too. We know what it means to wrestle with language, to fail, to start again, and to make something that feels true. That’s the spirit we bring to every story we feature.
FicStack exists to celebrate fiction that moves people. That’s the whole point.
Thank you for stirring a lively conversation in our team Discord.
Thanks for the reply. Clearly your curators' instincts are far from infallible. The material that was recommended and is openly acknowledged to be AI generated looked that way to me immediately, without any need of a special AI-checking app to confirm it.
Simply by looking at the author's profile page would confirm that the author in question is openly acknowlegding the use of AI in the creative process - an admirably open attitude but not something that I would like to see promoted. Several other authors recommended and taking part in this have a similar style and a similar result from the AI checking app.
That's why I would appreciate a rectification and a clear declaration of intent to NOT feature AI generated fiction, so as to safeguard against a wave of slop drowning out the hard work of human writers.
This is an explicit policy already adopted by Top in Fiction, and enforced to the best of their ability, one that makes them entirely trusted by the community here.
I hope my points will merit your further consideration.
Thanks for your message. This was our first curation post, and we appreciate the conversation it’s sparked.
Our curators don’t rely on AI-detection tools and won’t. Those tools aren’t infallible; they frequently misread polished or stylistic human writing as “AI-generated”, and just as often miss work that genuinely is. They’re built for academic or factual text, not fiction, and they can’t measure voice, intention, or emotional truth.
“In short, no. While some (including OpenAI) have released tools that purport to detect AI-generated content, none of these have proven to reliably distinguish between AI-generated and human-generated content.”
“As of July 20 2023, the AI classifier is no longer available due to its low rate of accuracy. We are working to incorporate feedback and are currently researching more effective provenance techniques for text…”
Our curators read the work itself. They don’t necessarily check every author bio, because the focus is on what’s on the page: how it’s written, how it feels, and whether it moves the reader.
If an author adds or clarifies information about their process, that’s their choice, but it doesn’t change why a story resonated at the time.
That said, we’ll refine our process to include a quick look at the author bio. If a writer openly states that their fiction is AI-generated, we simply won’t curate it.
FicStack will keep refining its approach as we grow, but our purpose stays the same: to celebrate fiction that feels alive and human.
Well, Gary, olive branch accepted and offered. I'll take your earlier comment that "We don’t knowingly feature fiction that’s been generated by AI" at face value, and I sincerely appreciate your looking at my concerns.
I wasn't in any case insisting on the use of whatever AI-detection apps are available, which I fully accept are very fallible and unreliable and are unlikely to ever be 100% accurate. I only use them myself when my own instinct is that a piece of work is entirely artificial, and know that even then the result is tentative.
A solid commitment to take the issue seriously and to do whatever you can is quite enough, so as far as I'm concerned everything is cool and copacetic
Happy to wish you well in your project. My friend Sandolore assures me she'll take an interest in making sure quality work gets highlighted as much as possible, and we're all only human after all - except those of us that aren't ;)
Please see our policy below.
https://substack.com/@gsmucklow/note/c-170990027
We have focused as a team and agreed on criteria moving forward.
I’m honored to be mentioned on the very first curation!!!!! You folks are the best!
Thank you 🙏🏼
What a lovely surprise to be included beside in such great company!
Thank you Jade for including my story 'Thorn Cathedral' in this list <3
Thank you for writing it! I'm so glad I found you during my search.
Thank you so much for including The Clockmaker's Gift!
Feels like I'm the one who got the gift. 💜
You're welcome, Jenifer. I really enjoyed reading your story.
I’m so excited to read everyone’s work on this list. Also grateful to be already subscribed to so many of you 😍!
This is a great list and I’m delighted this hit my feed. Looking forward to reading more from these writers!
Wow, completely overwhelmed that one of my stories was included. Thank you so much, and I lookfoward to seeing FicStack grow.
So honored to be mentioned in the first ever curation! I am so astonished by all the work you have put into FicStack. It is such a wonderful creation.
Write on. Congrats.
I’m excited to start reading!
Love this idea, and while I would love to get involved, I am running into a wall. I’m new here and still not sure how to set up a new publication alongside my main profile.
Hey John, welcome to Substack. Feel free to drop me a DM if you would like any help.
Appreciate it. Will do.
I love these types of lists! 🩷
WOOHOO!!!
I like the ominousness of "The List"
😏
Yay, A-Team! You guys slayed.
Hi, FicStack. Could you please inform us about your policy with regard to AI-generated fiction?
Our stance on AI and authenticity.
FicStack doesn’t take submissions. Our curators go out and find the stories that move them, the ones that stir something real. We care about work shaped by a human voice, guided by intention, and grounded in creative integrity.
We don’t knowingly feature fiction that’s been generated by AI. That isn’t a rule born of fear or contempt, just a boundary we hold with care. Readers deserve stories drawn from lived experience, even when creative tools play a part in shaping them.
We also know that writing is messy. Authors use grammar checkers, dictation apps, outlining tools, and sometimes AI to explore ideas. That’s fine. We’re not here to patrol the process; we’re here to find work that feels alive.
Our curators trust their instincts. If something feels hollow or synthetic, we pass. If it carries the pulse of a real voice, we listen. There will be edge cases and we cannot and will not police the internet.
Every member of the FicStack team is a writer too. We know what it means to wrestle with language, to fail, to start again, and to make something that feels true. That’s the spirit we bring to every story we feature.
FicStack exists to celebrate fiction that moves people. That’s the whole point.
Thank you for stirring a lively conversation in our team Discord.
Thanks for the reply. Clearly your curators' instincts are far from infallible. The material that was recommended and is openly acknowledged to be AI generated looked that way to me immediately, without any need of a special AI-checking app to confirm it.
Simply by looking at the author's profile page would confirm that the author in question is openly acknowlegding the use of AI in the creative process - an admirably open attitude but not something that I would like to see promoted. Several other authors recommended and taking part in this have a similar style and a similar result from the AI checking app.
That's why I would appreciate a rectification and a clear declaration of intent to NOT feature AI generated fiction, so as to safeguard against a wave of slop drowning out the hard work of human writers.
This is an explicit policy already adopted by Top in Fiction, and enforced to the best of their ability, one that makes them entirely trusted by the community here.
I hope my points will merit your further consideration.
Hi A.P.,
Thanks for your message. This was our first curation post, and we appreciate the conversation it’s sparked.
Our curators don’t rely on AI-detection tools and won’t. Those tools aren’t infallible; they frequently misread polished or stylistic human writing as “AI-generated”, and just as often miss work that genuinely is. They’re built for academic or factual text, not fiction, and they can’t measure voice, intention, or emotional truth.
See https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/09/openai-admits-that-ai-writing-detectors-dont-work/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
“In short, no. While some (including OpenAI) have released tools that purport to detect AI-generated content, none of these have proven to reliably distinguish between AI-generated and human-generated content.”
and https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/07/openai-discontinues-its-ai-writing-detector-due-to-low-rate-of-accuracy/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
“As of July 20 2023, the AI classifier is no longer available due to its low rate of accuracy. We are working to incorporate feedback and are currently researching more effective provenance techniques for text…”
Our curators read the work itself. They don’t necessarily check every author bio, because the focus is on what’s on the page: how it’s written, how it feels, and whether it moves the reader.
If an author adds or clarifies information about their process, that’s their choice, but it doesn’t change why a story resonated at the time.
That said, we’ll refine our process to include a quick look at the author bio. If a writer openly states that their fiction is AI-generated, we simply won’t curate it.
FicStack will keep refining its approach as we grow, but our purpose stays the same: to celebrate fiction that feels alive and human.
Well, Gary, olive branch accepted and offered. I'll take your earlier comment that "We don’t knowingly feature fiction that’s been generated by AI" at face value, and I sincerely appreciate your looking at my concerns.
I wasn't in any case insisting on the use of whatever AI-detection apps are available, which I fully accept are very fallible and unreliable and are unlikely to ever be 100% accurate. I only use them myself when my own instinct is that a piece of work is entirely artificial, and know that even then the result is tentative.
A solid commitment to take the issue seriously and to do whatever you can is quite enough, so as far as I'm concerned everything is cool and copacetic
Happy to wish you well in your project. My friend Sandolore assures me she'll take an interest in making sure quality work gets highlighted as much as possible, and we're all only human after all - except those of us that aren't ;)