Our dog Teddy pretending to work, AKA, stealing my spot on the couch.
I’ve started a new fiction writing project recently, and every time I get into Microsoft Word to write, copilot chimes in and asks me if I want assistance.
I click out of it furiously, feeling almost insulted and hurt. Why would I want assistance with my own creative project?!
And then a few hours ago, while working on a letter at work, I wrote in Microsoft copilot for assistance. Yes, please help me write these generic phrases into new words.
I’m probably late in the game for this conversation, but I guess I’m curious to see what you, my fellow creatives, feel about AI?
I have such a love/hate relationship with it. I get entertained when AI writes in the voice of Shakespeare, and then on the opposite: I feel so attacked as a creative writer that a computer can do what I choose and love to do in two secs or less.
I remember reading an article a while back where an author actually ran an experiment with readers where they were given an AI generated story and one written by someone. In the end, they found that the story written by an actual person was the more popular choice. Maybe it had something to do with AI being too general and using phrasing that didn’t fit with the overall narrative… I don’t quite remember the why.
But in an age where technology dominates and everyone is desperate to get ahead… especially financially, I can’t get rid of this fear that I’ve missed my chance to let my voice be heard.
Am I too late to be a published author? Or will AI-generated material get published, too, and ruin my chances? I need to do more reading on this.
I am interested to know your thoughts!
Sorry, I’m a bit late posting this week, and I missed last week, too. I am recovering from a nasty cold. I hope you are all well!
I hope you had a fan-tabulous holiday season and Happy New Year!
(Our Golden Teddy tired out after the holiday festivities at Grandma’s house.)
Just dropping a quick note to say that I’ll be moving over to Tuesday and/or Wednesday AM posts from now on. Posts will range from poetry, fiction, blogging, and miscellaneous content.
I am looking forward to a productive writing year! All the best,
May is almost here, and the days are flying by like a bird caught in a storm. It’s not been smooth sailing here, unfortunately. Dealing with some mental health issues and with a chocolate lab who is recovering from TPLO surgery and who wants to run and play but can’t. Energy levels have been low.
The sun is out, though, and spring is definitely here! I snapped these on campus the other day. Soo pretty outside!! Annd I’ve included some pictures of poor Koda in his cone. Hopefully, the doctor will give us good news at his check-up next week. 🙏
I hope everyone has a good weekend! I hope to post more next week!
Just some Monday morning inspiration. Being self-reliant can be super lonely sometimes, but no one can choose your path for you. Make your own choices and grow. It’s the only way we bloom.
Hah. I’m really loving the Spring puns this morning. Hope everyone has a great week! ❤️🙂
Hi all! We found ourselves in Vermont to view the solar eclipse and man, it was so worth it! We drove 700+ miles (14 hours in the car,) and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
Let me set the scene…
At a rest stop outside of Newport, Vermont. Cars surround the little patch of rest area. The sky is blue with not a cloud in sight, and the sun beats down with such warmth that you don’t mind the lingering patches of snow on the ground or the cool breeze that smells like pine trees. Some people are there with telescopes, too, and there are a few dogs. Others spread blankets out on the grass and people sit around in chairs under trees or near their cars. A dad and a son play Frisbee while waiting. An older woman walks by. “What a day to be alive!” she says.
Across the way, someone is cooking bacon. There are a few scientists nearby, throwing words around like ‘progression’ and someone asks, “is this your first totality?” Several people are wearing black ‘2024 Solar Eclipse’ t-shirts. On the highway, cars trickle by, as well as some large trucks; the sound of plastic flapping loudly on wrapped cargo as it barrels down the hill. Some trucks honk at the people at the rest stop. In solidarity of the eclipse, perhaps, or maybe they’re annoyed there’s no room for them to stop…too rest…
A few people wander over to Michael at his telescope; curious about the equipment he’s using and at what setting…clearly he must have a camera mounted to that large telescope. (He doesn’t. He used his phone.) Someone starts to play music, but it isn’t intrusive; the light rock just feels like part of the experience; relaxing and playful.
Then, the light disappears completely, and your breath catches. The sun is gone and you’re surrounded by a three-hundred-sixty degree view of what looks like a sunset. Two planets appear in the sky suddenly. They’ve been there this whole time, but you’re so surprised…and the light that glows around the moon feels otherworldly and transformative.
There have been a few sights in my lifetime that have made me cry. Some of the landscapes in Zion, Utah, as well as seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time. This was also one of them. #10/10. #wouldrecommend.
I hope many of you were able to enjoy the eclipse, and if not…I hope you catch the next one. Happy Thursday!
You might have noticed some changes to the blog. I made an impulsive choice tonight and upgraded my blog to premium. After 10 years of blogging content, I can’t believe I still use this site (although not as much as I did several years ago.) So the purpose of this site for me has changed.
When I first created the blog, I wanted to use it as a platform to just keep me writing and I did just that. Several years ago, I started to work on a self-publishing project and I lost heart in it. I started writing movie and TV show reviews, and I decided (although fun), that wasn’t a good use of my time. At some point, I also posted fiction and short stories, but also realized that I’d rather work on longer projects.
So, here we are. Blog version 3.1 or 3.2 or something.
I will continue to blog, but in a limited fashion like I’ve been doing for the past couple of years. And I would like to use this site to promote my novels and other publishable works. (Or I hope to publish!)
I’ve been wanting to type out my thoughts on this past year, but I am struggling to figure out how to organize what I am trying to say. A LOT Happened. Between realizing the world was thrown into a pandemic, there was the election to stress about, and at some point I was also working from home. Both Mike and I were very lucky, as we were both able to keep our jobs, and neither of us has been sick. However, I seem to want to add purpose to this past year…
Did I learn anything in 2020? Is that even important?
I’d like to think that I’ve learned something this past year, but it feels more like observations…not necessarily proof of self growth, but more like observations of myself and things I discovered that helped me through such a difficult year.
Self Discipline:
Not everyone has it. As a writer, I should be better at this, but I’m not. It takes a lot of self discipline to work from home to be productive while there are home distractions (like a chocolate lab who constantly wants to licks your elbow, or tries to leave his ball on your keyboard.)
Staying in Contact with Friends and Family:
With quarantining and social distancing, I haven’t seen many of my family members since the middle of this summer. I think the point here is that there are many other ways to stay ‘in contact’ even when you can’t meet together in person.
Group chats: My sisters and I have a group text conversation which we chime in almost daily; even if it is to simply tell each other what we made for dinner that day. I also have a few other active chats with other friends and family.
Snail Mail: I sent more letters out to friends and family. Sometimes, there is nothing better than seeing a letter in the mail addressed to you that’s not bills or spam.
Facebook Groups: I started a Facebook group named ‘The Resistance,’ (which was named by my niece who is an avid Star Wars fan.) Although not about Star Wars at all, this group is for friends and family to boost each other up and discuss any issues and concerns about mental health.
Although, I miss seeing some of my friends and I miss traveling, I had to find other ways to entertain myself.
A Few Discoveries that Stuck With Me:
Hamilton: In March of 2020, I listened to Hamilton for the first time and then practically non-stop for the next month or so. It was my way to combat anxiety and with all the tongue twisters of words in the lyrics, it kept me occupied singing along and I wasn’t worrying about anything else. Hamilton saved me from a lot of unnecessary panic attacks.
Animal Crossing: It’s very relaxing gathering things and catching fish in this game. It also helped me to avoid panic attacks.
Some Good News: This youtube channel created by John Krasinski was such a treat.
Writing: I feel like I was motivated to write a lot more. I finally broke 50,000 words on one of my stories! Although, I had this mentality: ‘if I die today, what would I have to show for it?‘ (I seemed to have some of the lyrics of Hamilton ingrained into my brain.) It still motivated me. Who would tell my story? What would my story, my history, look like in the future? I want it to show that I’m a writer…that I can get something published.
The truth remains: I will always be a writer, I will always want to be a writer (even if I find myself in a bit of a writer’s block these last few months.) But I always come back to it, like it’s a warm lamp on a cold, dark night.
This past year wasn’t easy by any means, but I take these discoveries and observations with me and try to look at them in a positive light. Here’s hoping 2021 has more discoveries, less hate and love for everyone.
I hope everyone has a great night. Happy New Year and Happy Writing!
Got the Yankee – Astros game playing in the background, the fan is whirling and making a steady shwooo noise, and I’m snuggled in bed with a book.
Everland, by Wendy Spinale. It’s this steam punk version of Peter Pan. I love the cross genre and diving into the realm of fiction classics is always fun, too.
A. J. Morse 