ChatGPT

Sunday, January 22nd, 2023 - Blog

Abstract pencil and watercolor art of a lonely blond robot holding a balloon in a winter field

As a writer, experimenting with #ChatGPT has been interesting and thought-provoking. The potential uses for this technology in the field of writing are vast, and it can generate coherent and sometimes impressive text (exactly what you’re reading now, in fact, although I’m jumping in to add my own words now!)

Playing with it a little bit, it seems to be a tool that can enhance and supplement human creativity and imagination. I have no idea yet if it’s a replacement for human creativity, just as AI-generated art is getting us to question the definition of human-created art (the picture was created by AI, too, by me, this morning, while procrastinating).

Is it a new medium with its own unique characteristics and possibilities? When I asked it a few questions, it said: As a language model, I do not have personal preferences or feelings, but I can understand and respond to requests related to it. As a writer, understanding feelings is key, but also having personal preferences and feelings, too. So far, at least, that’s been my experience.

Where do the words I wrote end and the words ChatGPT wrote blur and belong?

Spending just a little time with all this made me think about the importance of approaching it with a critical and nuanced perspective. And then I got myself a coffee and sat down to write all by myself, because that’s what I love to do. Have any of you played with it? Thoughts? #AI #writingtech #writing #technology #love #experience #creativity #language #coffee

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Wrapping Up the Year with Roses and Ribbons

Wednesday, December 21st, 2022 - Blog, Places for writers, Thinking

The Rose of Your Year

Every night, when I put my kids to bed, I ask them what the rose of their day was. It’s a little soppy, but lovely, too. And today, I want to ask you what your year looked like through this lens. We spend so much time thinking about the future and forgetting to reflect.

I thought I’d share a bit about my year with you, and then invite you to look over what you’ve achieved in 2022.

I started my year dealing with a lot of family stress. One of our sons was diagnosed with ADHD in the summer, but as 2022 began we were on a trajectory where his anxiety and rage (and mine!) were consuming family life. I had a lot of work to do as his parent—some of my top-down I’m the boss ideas just weren’t helping him. As always, I turned to books to find my answers (I bet that’s what most of you do, too), and dug deep into Gabor Mate, Positive Discipline Theory, and lots of absorbing crime novels to distract me from life. Tana French became my solace.

What does this have to do with my writing life? Well, as I learned and changed, I found that writing made me feel better. I knew that, but I came back to it. I started to write daily again, completing four books. Two will come out next year (Dropped! with Orca and Journey with University of Regina Press—I’ll share updates with you on those in 2023). I had a fierce rejection letter, which started with the line: This is not a winner. And the fourth I decided to put aside for what it had taught me, freeing me to begin a novel I adore using the wonderful lessons at The Novelry.

And that has led me to a new job. In 2023, I start working as a writing coach for this incredible team of published writers and incredible editors. I hope some of you join me in this new space. But more of that in the new year.

For now, I want you to take some time to look at what you’ve achieved. Recognise your successes and your moments, and how they’ve got you here. Take fifteen minutes out of the busy holiday season (perhaps with a glass of something lovely) and write down some or all of what your 2022 looked like. Connect with me @alicekuipersbookclub and tell me what you’ve read and loved, share with me how your writing went, or your creative life. And then pause. This season pretends there isn’t time for a pause, but I refuse to believe that. And so I’m making this little space for us to share, where we celebrate, mourn, reflect and pause, before we even begin to renew.

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Back to Work

Friday, September 2nd, 2022 - Blog, Places for writers

Alice and chapter book, laughing, sharing storiesThose of you who are able to get back to work properly today, this blog post is for you.

Three out of four of my kids are back at school and the fall is opening up with writing, reading, events, workshops, a eBook discount on Polly Diamond this month with Chronicle Books, and Word on the Street Saskatoon (September 17th in the Broadway District) with me and amazing local authors– Theressa SlindTenille Campbell, Anthony Bidulka, Jerry HaighKristine Scarrow (who I get to be on a panel with), and many others! I’m excited to read new books, next on my list is by ernie louttit, and I can’t wait. I’m also looking forward to reconnecting with all the charities we have now on One Small Step (46 and counting), and sharing their needs and programs with our city.

I know the summer juggle is a mixture of the lovely and the stressful; silky summer days and the drip, drip, drip of pressure to manage work and those fleeting yet full-on hours with family. For any of you who’ve been trying to get creative though it all, I hope that autumn is full of inspiration, illumination and imagination. Now, time for me to get on to the page… #writing #inspiration #work #creative

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