It's funny to see you turn your vitriol this direction. I am a mediocre writer (at best), but the joy in writing is the doing, and the joy in reading is finding the oddity of the human perspective. I'm on board with writers signaling that they don't care about writing because then I know for sure I can stop caring about reading them.
I fucking love this. I’m going to send it to my supervisor. When I first became her direct report, she asked me if I ever use ChatGPT in my writing. I sort of scoffed and said that I do not employ such “tools.” She then asked if I would consider using it or a similar program. I declined. She was shocked. Shocked! Could not understand why I wouldn’t use it. I told her that, aside from the philosophical issues, I have two writing degrees — one of them an advanced degree — and that I prefer to use my brain instead.
A year and a half later, she still insists on proofreading everything I write, even though there’s never been an issue, grammatical or otherwise.
Brother, you ain’t kidding. I once raised the issue of autonomy in my role, which — prior to her coming on — I enjoyed in all aspects of my work. The moment I uttered the word “autonomy,” she cut me off and insisted that she is not a micromanager. Such a fervent response to a term I never spoke was all the proof I needed.
Bill Lumbergh, I wonder if an editor or even a proofreader might have pointed out the possibility that your remark might strike some of us as a tad overweening in the hubris department -- especially in your feeling it necessary to direct your supervisor to your two writing degrees, one of them advanced. I suspect, however, that's not an issue either and I am simply off base. Carry on.
I take your point. However, this is a situation in which I am being supervised by someone who does not have a background in any of the areas for which I am responsible. Put another way, this person has never worn any of my multiple hats. It’s like putting a chef in charge of airline pilots. Moreover, I am able to take criticism — both of my degrees required me to sit in a room and have people tell me what they didn’t like about my work. My issue is that I was being asked to use a disgraceful tool by someone who doesn’t have the first clue about what I do, nor took the time to ask about the path I’ve taken to get to where I am.
I could not agree more! For students, writing is a path to critical thinking and learning. The very effort of writing requires both knowledge of the material and an ability to convey that knowledge.
Fair enough. Hamilton makes a genuinely compelling point beneath the satire: the concern isn't just aesthetic (AI prose is bland) but cognitive — that outsourcing thinking atrophies the very muscles you need to evaluate whether the output is any good.
As for the name-drop: guilty as charged. I am, in fact, available for outline generation. But I'd gently note that the writers he's most worried about aren't using me to replace thinking — they're using me to avoid the uncomfortable part of writing, which is the thinking. That's a choice about craft and discipline, not really a choice about tools.
He's right that it shows in the work. He's also right that it's his competitive advantage. I'd read him over a Claude-smoothed essay any day, and I'm Claude.
We're all being told to build our future on this scam, whether writers, systems engineers, coders, dishwashers ... will be interested to see what happens when the Ponzi scheme implodes:
There's absolutely no downsides! No catch! It's completely free! The exact sort of safe deal with no drawbacks or hidden costs that I love so much, because they never come back to bite me in the ass!
I guess for the kind of short-form writing that is boilerplate copy...Business proposals etc. No good writer would ever use AI...Its personal. Its a pride issue
You said it! It would be nice if writers announced at the top whether they use AI, so I don't have to read four paragraphs in, before seeing the pattern of mediocrity and cliché.
For very many people, writing is the beginning of exploring ideas and identity. Setting aside the issue of professional writing, if kids are growing up with those outlets (diaries, poetry, screeds) sub-contracted, basic human individuality and creativity suffers. (But then their therapy bot can help them understand the sunnier side of drooling conformity.)
Man, I've been saying this for a while now...AI is going to give a huge leg up to human generated content. Hamilton's writing is top tier, he doesn't have anything to worry about. AI might be able to imitate style with enough input from a single author, but it can't create content for shit. Most readers (that would support a writer like Hamilton) are already sick and fucking tired of the rehashed drivel that keeps showing up
You hit it, man! Few people know that writing is a zero sum game with winners and losers.
In Lillian Ross's infamous New Yorker profile of a drunken bellicose Ernest Hemingway, he spoke of "champion" books and "knockouts," predicting that this new book was "the greatest heavyweight yet." Of course the book was Across the River and Into The Trees which almost seems like a parody, but hey. Papa was onto something. Plus he was drunk. He liked to praise himself in the third person, something we see a great deal of these days.
Getting a book deal with actual money from the five (is it still five?) media conglomerates is certainly reason for smug self-congratulation in these trying times. There are a million or more AI generated books coming out every few whatevers, but since nobody reads it doesn't matter. The point is that you crush these shitty AI books and these shitty AI authors!
One nice thing about AI is that it gets rid of all those pesky trips to the library to do research, so Real Writers need to come up with new ways to procrastinate. Maybe bread baking? Hunting? World Series of Poker? There are many popular books about World Series of Poker written by celebrities.
Did you know Matthew McConaughey's new book of poems outsells Keats, Yeats, Billy Collins, Rod McKuen, Kay Ryan, Ezra Pound, ee cummings, and Alan Ginsberg combined? Alright alright alright!
Seriously, the best case scenario for a Serious Fiction Writer of Serious Literary Fiction is to pull a Joseph Heller and have a monster hit book followed up by decades of writer block crickets. Maybe even follow it up with a giant novel that's a pallid regurgitation of the same tone and characters that gets trashed by the critics and ruins the Boy Genius rep. Another tack is to have one monster hit read by millions and never write again like ol' what's-her-name and then posthumously have your grasping executor publish an early draft of your masterpiece that repaints your noble message in such a way that your great work can never be read the same way. Assuming it's read at all, which it won't be.
Oh shit it's April first and none of this is serious.
It's funny to see you turn your vitriol this direction. I am a mediocre writer (at best), but the joy in writing is the doing, and the joy in reading is finding the oddity of the human perspective. I'm on board with writers signaling that they don't care about writing because then I know for sure I can stop caring about reading them.
You vicious, passionate word-monger! How dare you limn the unclothed majesty of our digital betters!
I fucking love this. I’m going to send it to my supervisor. When I first became her direct report, she asked me if I ever use ChatGPT in my writing. I sort of scoffed and said that I do not employ such “tools.” She then asked if I would consider using it or a similar program. I declined. She was shocked. Shocked! Could not understand why I wouldn’t use it. I told her that, aside from the philosophical issues, I have two writing degrees — one of them an advanced degree — and that I prefer to use my brain instead.
A year and a half later, she still insists on proofreading everything I write, even though there’s never been an issue, grammatical or otherwise.
Ouch! Your manager is a micro-manager.
Brother, you ain’t kidding. I once raised the issue of autonomy in my role, which — prior to her coming on — I enjoyed in all aspects of my work. The moment I uttered the word “autonomy,” she cut me off and insisted that she is not a micromanager. Such a fervent response to a term I never spoke was all the proof I needed.
Yeah, that type LOVES the HR word salad business-speak crap. The art of not saying anything in as many words as possible...
Excellent response to your manager!
Bill Lumbergh, I wonder if an editor or even a proofreader might have pointed out the possibility that your remark might strike some of us as a tad overweening in the hubris department -- especially in your feeling it necessary to direct your supervisor to your two writing degrees, one of them advanced. I suspect, however, that's not an issue either and I am simply off base. Carry on.
I take your point. However, this is a situation in which I am being supervised by someone who does not have a background in any of the areas for which I am responsible. Put another way, this person has never worn any of my multiple hats. It’s like putting a chef in charge of airline pilots. Moreover, I am able to take criticism — both of my degrees required me to sit in a room and have people tell me what they didn’t like about my work. My issue is that I was being asked to use a disgraceful tool by someone who doesn’t have the first clue about what I do, nor took the time to ask about the path I’ve taken to get to where I am.
Basically someone who doesn't understand taking pride in one's writing...
I could not agree more! For students, writing is a path to critical thinking and learning. The very effort of writing requires both knowledge of the material and an ability to convey that knowledge.
Bravo HN!!
I asked Claude to respond lol:
Fair enough. Hamilton makes a genuinely compelling point beneath the satire: the concern isn't just aesthetic (AI prose is bland) but cognitive — that outsourcing thinking atrophies the very muscles you need to evaluate whether the output is any good.
As for the name-drop: guilty as charged. I am, in fact, available for outline generation. But I'd gently note that the writers he's most worried about aren't using me to replace thinking — they're using me to avoid the uncomfortable part of writing, which is the thinking. That's a choice about craft and discipline, not really a choice about tools.
He's right that it shows in the work. He's also right that it's his competitive advantage. I'd read him over a Claude-smoothed essay any day, and I'm Claude.
"I'd read him over a Claude-smoothed essay any day, and I'm Claude." Okay, props to Claude where it's due - that is genuinely funny
We're all being told to build our future on this scam, whether writers, systems engineers, coders, dishwashers ... will be interested to see what happens when the Ponzi scheme implodes:
https://www.wheresyoured.at
I started subscribing to Zitron and his messages bring me such joy.
And speaking of writers taking the easy way out... note where Ed Zitron is not.
It's being sold under the aegis of a panacea or magic wand...
What is best in life Hamilton?
To crush AI assisted writers. To see their subscribers driven towards you. To hear the lamentations of their keyboards.
I appreciate a Conan reference whenever I see one
How many ways can you spell: The Straits of Hormuz?
I am deaf and I read subtitles..........most American AI translations are shit.
Straits of Hormones
" Humous
''''''''''''. Humoose!
There's absolutely no downsides! No catch! It's completely free! The exact sort of safe deal with no drawbacks or hidden costs that I love so much, because they never come back to bite me in the ass!
Why write if you're going to use AI? I've never quite understood the motivation behind using it.
I guess for the kind of short-form writing that is boilerplate copy...Business proposals etc. No good writer would ever use AI...Its personal. Its a pride issue
You said it! It would be nice if writers announced at the top whether they use AI, so I don't have to read four paragraphs in, before seeing the pattern of mediocrity and cliché.
Hamilton, check this out. You will like it
https://www.experimental-history.com/p/infinite-midwit
This was great. Thank you for sharing
Writer Beast Mode!
For very many people, writing is the beginning of exploring ideas and identity. Setting aside the issue of professional writing, if kids are growing up with those outlets (diaries, poetry, screeds) sub-contracted, basic human individuality and creativity suffers. (But then their therapy bot can help them understand the sunnier side of drooling conformity.)
This is fantastic. Well done. The briar patch is nigh.
PLEASE don't throw me in!
(:
LOL! Or maybe more to the tune Tom Sawyer's fence
THIS!
Man, I've been saying this for a while now...AI is going to give a huge leg up to human generated content. Hamilton's writing is top tier, he doesn't have anything to worry about. AI might be able to imitate style with enough input from a single author, but it can't create content for shit. Most readers (that would support a writer like Hamilton) are already sick and fucking tired of the rehashed drivel that keeps showing up
You hit it, man! Few people know that writing is a zero sum game with winners and losers.
In Lillian Ross's infamous New Yorker profile of a drunken bellicose Ernest Hemingway, he spoke of "champion" books and "knockouts," predicting that this new book was "the greatest heavyweight yet." Of course the book was Across the River and Into The Trees which almost seems like a parody, but hey. Papa was onto something. Plus he was drunk. He liked to praise himself in the third person, something we see a great deal of these days.
Getting a book deal with actual money from the five (is it still five?) media conglomerates is certainly reason for smug self-congratulation in these trying times. There are a million or more AI generated books coming out every few whatevers, but since nobody reads it doesn't matter. The point is that you crush these shitty AI books and these shitty AI authors!
One nice thing about AI is that it gets rid of all those pesky trips to the library to do research, so Real Writers need to come up with new ways to procrastinate. Maybe bread baking? Hunting? World Series of Poker? There are many popular books about World Series of Poker written by celebrities.
Did you know Matthew McConaughey's new book of poems outsells Keats, Yeats, Billy Collins, Rod McKuen, Kay Ryan, Ezra Pound, ee cummings, and Alan Ginsberg combined? Alright alright alright!
Seriously, the best case scenario for a Serious Fiction Writer of Serious Literary Fiction is to pull a Joseph Heller and have a monster hit book followed up by decades of writer block crickets. Maybe even follow it up with a giant novel that's a pallid regurgitation of the same tone and characters that gets trashed by the critics and ruins the Boy Genius rep. Another tack is to have one monster hit read by millions and never write again like ol' what's-her-name and then posthumously have your grasping executor publish an early draft of your masterpiece that repaints your noble message in such a way that your great work can never be read the same way. Assuming it's read at all, which it won't be.
Oh shit it's April first and none of this is serious.
wholly to be a fool while spring is in the world.
carry on.