Right now, ChatGPT is upending all kinds of art and writing. Yet the core of good fiction is the emotion the writer brings to the table. Let’s wait till AI goes through some trauma and then it might be able to write well. Everyone, AI included, can write decent fiction. But to make the story sing, you need to jerk your readers around because writing is emotion.
Tag: creation
Exploit AI Mistakes to Improve Your Writing
Without a doubt, AI and ChatGPT have forever transformed the way artists and writers create. At this very moment, screenwriters are striking over the use of AI in film and television. And to be sure, AI is a powerful tool, able to churn out truckloads of workable stories and ideas. Yet just as many times, AI can generate some pretty insane snippets of text. Called “hallucinations” these hint at the way AI thinks and interacts with the world. As writers, we can exploit AI mistakes to jumpstart our own creative projects.
Writers Must Harness the Power of Ma — The Emptiness Between Words
Once you get rolling on a good bit of writing, you don’t want to stop. After all, the more you create, the better your end product will be, right? However, you might just be what the Japanese call a manuke, or fool. This is a person without the awareness of ma — a philosophy that cherishes the space between things. In order to writer better, writers must harness the power of ma.
How to Come Up with that Really Great Idea
Why is it that when we hunker down to come up with a new idea, our minds suddenly empty of any interesting thought? As writers or artists, our basic job description is the come up with new and interesting things. It’s the definition of creativity. But how to come up with that really great idea? Sometimes, you have to trick your brain in to being creative.
Will AI Kill the Art But Not the Artist?
ChatGPT is excellent at stringing together plausible sounding writing. But in essence, it is pure BS. In a world where ChatGPT can churn out essays and stories in mere seconds, we need to ask: What does it mean to be human? Is there a difference between the art and the artist? Perhaps we should let AI kill the art.
Use a Glaze to Protect Your Art from AI Mimicry
If you create any kind of visual art in the twenty-first century, you have probably resigned yourself to being mimicked by AI. These intelligent bots scour the web and scoop up your style, ready to replicate it for anyone who types in the right description. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Now artists have their own software to fight back. Glaze is a tool developed in the University of Chicago SAND lab that fools the bots, allowing it to protect your art from AI mimicry.
Weapons for Writers: Compassionate Water
Writer and comic book creator, Alan Moore, has a unique view on writing. He thinks writers should equip themselves with four weapons before trekking into literary battle. Previous posts covered the first two weapons, the sword of discernment and the pentacle of earthly knowledge. His third weapon related to the Tarot suit of cups and the core element of water. He encourages everyone to take up these weapons for writers and fully immerse themselves in the mindset and emotions of their characters, even if those characters are vile and depraved.
Weapons for Artists: The Sword of Discrimination
Comic book legend Alan Moore (known for V for Vendetta and The Watchmen) talks about how artists and writers need weapons to be successful. The first weapon (featured in the last post) is represented by pentacles in the Tarot. The second, more vital weapon, is the sword, which represents intellect. It is this sword of discrimination that allows us to differentiate a good idea from a lousy one.
The Four Weapons of Art: How to Understand the Physical World
Can you weaponize your writing? Perhaps sharpen your skills as a painter or musician? And what exactly are we combating in this metaphorical artistic battle? Writer and comic genius, Alan Moore, relates his creative process to making magic. And the same advice given to magicians can work equally well for writers and artists. He calls these the four weapons of art and relates them to the four suits of the Tarot deck. We’ll focus on the first weapon, Earth, and how it helps the artist understand the physical world.
The Most Important Tool for a Writer is You
Alan Moore, known for his multifaceted comic book characters, dishes out an important nugget of advice to anyone who wants to take up the pen — In order to become a better writer, you first need to be a better person. You, yourself, are the most important tool as a writer.
