Leonard Cohen's songs
are poems distilled in music,
are poems distilled in music,
meditations shaped by quiet
that simplifies meaning
down to the edge of understanding.
His dark, slow voice,
relentless, asks us to
that simplifies meaning
down to the edge of understanding.
His dark, slow voice,
relentless, asks us to
accept some unspoken truth
that we already know and acknowledge
in the rasp at the back of our throats,
at the tears forming in our eyes:
Unrelenting, universal understanding
of all that makes us human,
vulnerable and yet, worthy.
in the rasp at the back of our throats,
at the tears forming in our eyes:
Unrelenting, universal understanding
of all that makes us human,
vulnerable and yet, worthy.
This month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question asks us to consider: What are your thoughts on using AI, such as GPChat, Raptor, and others with your writing? Would you use it for research, storybible, or creating outlines\beats?
My answer comes from the poem I wrote above, about Leonard Cohen, a much revered singer, poet, and song writer, whose work (at least for me) is about human creativity.
My answer comes from the poem I wrote above, about Leonard Cohen, a much revered singer, poet, and song writer, whose work (at least for me) is about human creativity.
Photo by Takahiro Kyono (2013)
AI may be a useful tool. It certainly is changing and will continue to transform our lives dramatically. Even as we applaud AI's ability to carry out complex tasks efficiently, some recognize the inherent danger in a technology that has the ability to self-teach itself new skills -- and that may outpace human control.
Yes, I have used AI indirectly. As a frugal indie writer, I like to use Pixel to create my book covers. And that's where I found my working cover for Honeymoon in Egypt, an art crimes mystery, currently slated to be finished this December. To my surprise, the image was generated by AI.
I have always been drawn to technology, fascinated by its potential and emerging applications. But I want to write my own words. Tell my own stories. No shortcuts here, in this, my own creative space. When I research, I discover surprising links, new ideas and understandings of what I'm writing. Would or could AI help this process? Well, I think I'm just too old to play around with my own writing process that begins each day. If I were 30 instead of 80, I might want to reconsider.
So, let's go see what others think! The awesome co-hosts for the September 3 posting of the IWSG are Kim Lajevardi, Natalie Aguirre, Nancy Gideon, and Diedre Knight! Why not visit a few (or 10) of these wonderful writers to find out what they think? Here's the LINK.
What do YOU think about AI, writing, and the wonderful creative world we make for ourselves!
The purpose of the INSECURE WRITER'S SUPPORT GROUP (IWSG)
is to share and encourage writers at every level.
Any writer can participate by posting on their blog
on the first Wednesday of each month.
I agree with you that Al is a tool. But I wouldn't want to use it to write a story either. Your tribute to Leonard Cohen is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Let's hope that AI tool remains just that.
DeleteResearch is the beginning, not the end. It's what sparks the "What if"s. As a tool, AI is great. But as a creator? No.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by, Nancy, and for emphasizing the difference between 'tool' and 'creator'!
DeleteIt will obviously be with us from now until...who knows when? Forever? I'm sure it will prove useful for many things, and right now I'm thinking about its applications for medicine and the misery of chronic traffic congestion. Turn AI loose to solve some of these modern problems, but stay away from my limited, but cherished creative talents. :-)
ReplyDeletehttps://cleemckenziebooks.substack.com
Thank you for visiting and commenting, C. Lee. Yes, I subscribe to your writings and appreciate your unique creativity. Perhaps the real draw for AI will be corporate applications. I can hope.
DeleteCool cover! Yeah, I don't want AI to write for me.
ReplyDeleteMe either! Enjoyed your post this month. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteI love Leonard Cohen's: 'Hallelujah' song. It's been sung by many talented artists and I could listen to it everyday. I haven't any idea how AI works, but I agree with everyone saying, it shouldn't be used for writing your novels.
ReplyDeleteI also can't listen to Cohen's 'Hallelujah' without getting moved. Thank you for stopping by -- and I agree about AI. My MIL used to say, "Who can see the future?" Well, we still have to live with what comes our way . . . hopefully with grace and courage.
DeleteThat's a really good image for AI. Hard to tell the difference anymore with artwork, but writing still reveals a lack.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Alex. Yes, the image amazed me. Most of the writers I know don't touch AI, but some are beginning to experiment with outlining and research and . . . since AI has the ability to self-teach itself, I am noticing more authors putting a disclaimer to limit AI's use of their books. Interesting.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI love Leonard Cohn' s songs too and I think your cover is excellent. It makes me want to read the book.
Have a lovely month of September.
Shalom shalom
That poem got to me. I couldn't imagine using AI to create "my" words, but I can see that it has uses. I like your cover.
ReplyDeleteI think we all need to be aware of AI and how it is influencing our lives in ways we may never suspect. For example, our family doctor records our medical consultation and uses a medical AI app to transcribe our discussion.
ReplyDeleteHe uses the transcript to post notes on our personal medical page. Often we find errors and it' up to us to notify his staff.