The march toward oblivion continues AI and writing.
Is it the Alpha or Omega? Yes.
The debate is just starting the result is inevitable. Like the Luddites, haters of Gutenberg, chalk and slate tablets, calculators, spellcheck, wordprocessing templates, mail merge, answering machines, and 'talkies', to quote a great movie, "It just doesn't matter."
From Picese to Aquarius - Inevitable.
I took a very nice post on LinkedIn about a blue-ish typewriter and sent it through that Great Machine asking for a rewrite in the voice of Stephen King.
Original Content:
"This is a story about AI Writing and typewriters.
Over the holiday break I lifted a curious grimy gray case up off the cruddy floor of an even cruddier secondhand shop. It was heavy and bulky, big enough to house... what? A small motor? A human head?
I don't know why I scared myself with the head thing. But once I thought of it, I couldn't *not* think of it. So crouching on that gross floor, working the latches on the case (it wasn't just grimy, but sticky too)... I felt a creepy dread.
(I also felt like RSV was crawling right off the floor and straight up my sleeves.)
Finally the latches swung open... no heads, thank god.
LOOK! THERE SHE WAS! A gorgeous turquoise Remington typewriter! It was a Sperry Rand Remington Ten Forty, circa 1969-70, the Internet later told me.
I got her home. Cleaned her up. (I don't know what the sticky stuff was on the case. I don't think I want to know.)
She works perfectly. I love the way the clack of each keystroke erupts as a small cheer under your fingertips when you type... Y! E! S!
"CONGRATS!" the Sperry Rand Remington Ten Forty says. "You go! You're writing!" It's like like having your own personal cheering squad, right there on the page. (Writers need cheering squads.)
Which brings me to AI Writing.
The promise of the "ease" of AI Writing is a false trap.
Sure, it's fun to play around with ChatGPT, this infant iteration of an AI writing tool. It's fun to learn how to best prompt it to get decent results.
But the turquoise blue Sperry Rand Remington Ten Forty is a good reminder of two things:
>>> 1) Writing is a full-body contact sport. You need to participate fully. Your brain. Your hands. Your personality. Your voice. All of it.
We writers can't passively sit back and let AI write *for us*. The way to use the power of AI is how a gymnast uses a coach and a spotter: A way to help you create with more confidence. Even fearlessly. Yet it's you flipping and sailing through the air and sticking the landing with AI. You are the gymnast!
>>> 2) The advent of AI makes one thing really clear to me: Your relationship with your audience matters more than ever. *Who* is wielding the tool is crucial.
You write faster first drafts, but you can't shortcut relationships. You can't prompt your way to trust.
Your relationship with your audience starts with your relationship with yourself, as a writer. Do the work to become a better, more confident writer. Find tools that help you feed your writing voice, your confidence, your instincts, your joy.
Maybe that's a journal and a pen. A diary and a Sharpie. Or a turquoise Sperry Rand Remington Ten Forty. It doesn't matter what you choose: Just find a way to connect physically to your writing. Use them often. Play with them. They're FUN!
It's the only way to strengthen your relationship with yourself.
Cheering for you with the same gusto as a typewriter,
Ann"
_________
My ask:
"Please rewrite a 800-word story in the style of S. King:
The Result:
The world of writing had changed dramatically in recent years, with the advent of AI and the ease with which it could produce written works. But as I crouched on the dirty floor of a secondhand shop, fiddling with the latches on a grimy gray case, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. What could be inside? A small motor? A human head?
I shook off the thought and finally managed to open the case. Inside, I was greeted with a sight that made my heart skip a beat - a beautiful turquoise Remington typewriter. It was a Sperry Rand Remington Ten Forty, dating back to 1969-70, and it was in perfect working condition.
As I carried it home, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and nostalgia. The clack of each keystroke was like a symphony to my ears, a reminder of a simpler time when the written word was created with the touch of human hands. But as I sat down to write, I couldn't help but think of the ease with which AI could produce written works.
The promise of AI writing was a trap, I realized. Sure, it was fun to play around with the latest AI writing tools, but the real magic of writing came from the connection between the writer and the words they were creating. It was a full-body contact sport, one that required the participation of the brain, hands, personality, and voice.
"For me, the typewriter was more than just a machine, it was a companion, a confidant, and a reminder of the power of the written word. And as I sat back in my chair, surrounded by the familiar hum of the typewriter, I knew that I was exactly where I was meant to be."
AI could help to create with more confidence and fearlessly, but it could never truly replace the human touch. As I typed away on my beautiful turquoise typewriter, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in the work that I was creating.
But the advent of AI had also brought to light something else - the importance of the relationship between the writer and the audience. With the ease of AI writing, it was all too easy to shortcut relationships and try to prompt our way to trust. But true trust and connection could only come from the work that we put in as writers.
In a world where technology threatened to take over, the beauty of a simple machine like a typewriter gave me hope. It reminded me that there was still magic in the world, and that as long as we held onto it, we would never lose the true essence of writing.
It was about finding tools that helped to feed our writing voice, our confidence, our instincts, and our joy. It didn't matter whether it was a journal and a pen, a diary and a Sharpie, or a beautiful turquoise typewriter - the key was to find a way to connect physically to our writing and use those tools often.
As I sat there, surrounded by the familiar clack of keys, I knew that this was the only way to truly strengthen our relationship with ourselves as writers. It was about finding the joy in the act of writing and allowing that to shine through in our words.
The world of writing may have changed, but the importance of the human touch would always remain. And as I sat there, lost in the rhythm of my fingers on the keys, I couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for the beautiful turquoise typewriter that had reminded me of that.
As the words flowed from my fingertips, I knew that I was on the right track. And as I read back over my work, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and satisfaction. The words may have been created with the help of technology, but the heart and soul of them was all mine.
In a world where technology threatened to take over, the beauty of a simple machine like a typewriter gave me hope. It reminded me that there was still magic in the world, and that as long as we held onto it, we would never lose the true essence of writing.
I sat back in my chair and smiled, knowing that I had found my true writing companion in this beautiful turquoise typewriter. The way it hummed to life under my fingers, the way the keys clacked and whirred as I typed, it was like a symphony of sound, a reminder of the power of the written word.
And as I sat back in my chair, surrounded by the familiar hum of the typewriter, I knew that I was exactly where I was meant to be.
But as the days passed, I couldn't help but notice the creeping influence of AI in my work. The ease with which it could produce written works was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it allowed me to write faster, to produce more content in a shorter amount of time. But on the other hand, it threatened to take away the human touch, the heart, and soul of my writing.
I realized that the true power of AI lay in its ability to be a tool, to aid and assist in the writing process, but never to replace the human touch. And as I sat there, surrounded by the familiar clack of keys, I knew that this was the only way to truly strengthen my relationship with my writing, and with my audience.
The world of writing may have changed, but the importance of the human touch would always remain. And as I sat there, lost in the rhythm of my fingers on the keys, I couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for the beautiful turquoise typewriter that had reminded me of that.
It was a constant reminder that in a world overrun by technology, there was still magic to be found in the simple things. And as long as I held onto that magic, I knew that I would never lose my passion for writing.
For me, the typewriter was more than just a machine, it was a companion, a confidant, and a reminder of the power of the written word.
And as I sat back in my chair, surrounded by the familiar hum of the typewriter, I knew that I was exactly where I was meant to be.
Here is a summary in the voice of Hemmingway:
I found a gray case on the floor of a secondhand shop. It was heavy and sticky. I opened it to find a turquoise typewriter, a Sperry Rand Remington Ten Forty from 1969-70. I cleaned it and it works perfectly. The sound of each keystroke is like a cheer under my fingertips.
AI writing is a false trap. It's fun to play with but writing is a full-body contact sport. You need to participate fully. Your brain, hands, personality, and voice. AI can help you create with more confidence, but you are the gymnast.
The advent of AI makes it clear that your relationship with your audience matters more than ever. You can't shortcut relationships. It starts with your relationship with yourself as a writer. Do the work to become a better writer. Find tools that help you feed your writing voice, confidence, instincts, and joy. It doesn't matter what you choose, just find a way to connect physically to your writing. It's the only way to strengthen your relationship with yourself.
_________
The World is Ending. The World Beginning.
Alpha Omega Alpha.
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