“And yet the generator allowed me to create images by describing scenes with words. This is not diminishing human creativity, this is expanding new possibilities.”
Sarah Mankowski
I’m going to be honest. As somebody born legally blind, who has attempted to negotiate a fully-sighted world for some 66 years, I tend to look at new technologies as potential aids for leveling the playing field. Of course I know that new inventions often carry risks. Because AI will become such a powerful tool, the possible dangers will increase exponentially. Isn’t this reason enough to become acquainted with the technology? The better you understand a thing, the better position you’re in to evaluate benefits and risks.
As a writer, the near-future interactions between humans and machines suggest all sorts of intriguing plotlines. All the same, unless I’m relating a conversation between a human and a machine, I can’t think of any reason to use AI in my writings. I enjoy crafting stories far too much for that. There are plenty of other uses for the technologies, however. If they are helpful for me, you bet I’ll use them.
Text To Speech
For several years now I have found TTS helpful while editing. The technology has certainly made impressive improvements over the past decade. I am particularly impressed with the voices developed by ElevenLabs.
While proofreading and editing I am capable of missing typos after reading a passage a dozen times. For example, if I accidentally type “our” for “out” I will almost certainly miss the mistake. When listening to the words spoken, I’ll catch it right away. TTS is also helpful in finding repetitions in sentence structure, or a word or sentence accidentally repeated. ElevenLabs has a new app called ElevenReader that I find very helpful to have on my phone.
ChatGPT Image Generator 40
When I started to design this website, I wanted to liven it up with some of my photos of marshbirds. I have always used photography to bring nature closer to my limited eyesight. My Garden-Fl website is full of my photos. The images are helpful to me, but I have never considered my photos art. I respect the true artists too much to make that comparison. In my hands digital photography is just one more tool to help level the playing field.
Back to the website, I would need to take more photos to achieve what I wanted. We are fortunate to have a wetland preserve fairly close to our home. Problem was, my knee has been giving me too much pain lately. A hike was out of the question. I would have to accept what I had.
Then I found out about ChatGPT’s new image generator. For a one-month subscription of $20, I could find out what I could do. The results were a mixed bag, but still better than I could have hoped. Unsurprisingly, the image generator has sparked controversy—this is one reason I want to write about my adventures in AI. I cannot draw with pen and paper, but the generator allowed me to create images by describing scenes with words. This is not diminishing human creativity, this is expanding new possibilities. I believe that a creative spark resides within each of us, and may be expressed in countless ways that would never be considered art.
In the Machine’s Own Words
Among the questions Amazon asked when I uploaded Touching Grass to Kindle, was about the use of AI. Was the book written by AI? Were sections written by AI?
As I mention in the book’s front matter, I used MetaAI for one passage. At the beginning of “Incident at the Waffle House” the narrator Kevin says:
“Last night I asked my favorite LLM, “How do I get the girl of my dreams to like me?” This was the response.”
“Well, that’s a tough one. Have you tried being charming, witty, and ridiculously handsome? No? Just kidding, those things are overrated. Try being genuine, respectful, and not creepy. That might work.
“The girl of your dreams, huh? First, make sure she’s not a figment of your imagination. If she’s real, ensure she’s not already married to her cat.
“Transform into Ryan Gosling circa The Notebook, develop a British accent, and learn to play the guitar. If none of that works just be nice, listen actively, and don’t stalk her – that’s just creepy.
“Need more?
“Step 1: Don’t ask a Large Language Model for dating advice.
“Step 2: Be yourself.
“Step 3: If all else fails, consider joining a monastery or taking up extreme knitting.”
This was my prompt to MetaAI: “In my story a shy young man asks his favorite LLM how to get the girl of his dreams to like him. How would you respond to that question? Humor or sarcasm would be great.”
I liked the response. It worked. I used the response exactly as I might have done, if I asked my software engineer husband a technical question.
If the current AI tools can supplement my work in some way, I’ll give them a try. Here are some other tools that I have found helpful this past year.
The Songs with Suno
Experimenting with Suno.AI had nothing to do with my writing, but I thoroughly enjoyed playing around with the music creator. While I love many types of music, I have absolutely no musical abilities. I can’t sing. I can’t play an instrument. I can’t even whistle! As I reason it, there should be space in the universe for music lovers who can do little more than to listen and clap. That much I can do. Happily. Whenever I start thinking about a new story, I put together a playlist that reflects the mode. Suno gave me the ability to create songs connected to the stories, with varying degrees of success. I was surprised by how much they helped to bring characters to life.
No doubt anyone with even a little musical ability could have done far better. Knowing my starting point, I was pleased with the results.
Soulmates Ever After – While writing the story of the same name, I needed some lyrics I could freely use. I wrote the lyrics, such as they are, and then let Suno do its thing with the music. Having my lyrics set to music brought the song to life, so that I could really hear it playing in the background at Tai’s Alterations.
Eye of the Storm – I asked MetaAI to help me with a song about two cousins from Florida who enjoyed storm chasing. The song became a great accompaniment to “Phantom in the Wind.” With my brief prompt, the results were surprisingly right on target.
The Calico Sisters – For “Fight or Flight” I asked MetaAI to help me with a song about three calico sisters. I went with a playful children’s song style on Suno.
The Ballad of Maine Man Gone Wrong – For a song about a man from Maine who earns a Florida Man headline, I wasn’t explicit enough with my prompt. Never mind. I liked the results, and the country ballad style from Suno.
Patterns – To accompany “Cardboard Dollhouses” I used a combination of lyrics by MetaAI and some by me. I had a lot of fun playing with various musical styles on Suno.
Hidden Heart – Kevin’s song, with lyrics by MetaAI.
Cooper’s Guidance – I wrote the lyrics based on various bits of Cooper’s Hawk symbolism.
Touching Grass – For the entire collection.
Could I have done better if I had written all the lyrics for the songs? I doubt it, and I never would have spent the time trying. I could never have created the music anyway.
NotebookLM
Tools such as Google’s NotebookLM can be useful for writers. I wrote the following about my experience in November 2024. For all I know it would do much better today. At that point in development it did better with some tasks than others. It did pretty well at analyzing texts and picking out main themes and notable quotes. On the other hand, it confused minor plot points, and became fixated with details that most human readers would not find very important. With the current speed of development, however, I suspect these issues will improve soon enough.
Here is NotebookLM’s briefing Doc for Touching Grass. I removed a few lines that gave away spoilers.
Briefing Doc: Touching Grass in Seven Stories by Sarah Mankowski
Main Themes:
- Small Town Life: The stories are deeply rooted in the dynamics of Grapefruit Grove, a small Florida town where everyone knows everyone and gossip spreads like wildfire. The characters grapple with the limitations and comforts of this environment, exploring themes of belonging, reputation, and the desire for something more.
- The Power of Women: The collection showcases strong, independent female characters who challenge expectations, pursue their passions, and ultimately shape the future of their community. From Destiny’s resilience in finding her place to Nia’s entrepreneurial spirit and Ella’s environmental advocacy, the stories celebrate female agency.
- The Importance of Connection: Throughout the narratives, characters navigate complex relationships, grappling with friendship, family ties, and romantic love. The stories explore the challenges of communication, the need for understanding, and the strength found in genuine connection.
- The Unexplained and the Supernatural: Mankowski weaves elements of the unexplained into the fabric of Grapefruit Grove, from ghostly encounters to the suggestion of alien-like invasive species. These elements add an intriguing layer to the stories, blurring the line between reality and the supernatural, and contributing to the unique atmosphere of the town.
Most Important Ideas/Facts:
- Destiny’s Journey: The collection opens with Destiny, a young woman who arrives in Grapefruit Grove seeking a fresh start. Her journey highlights the challenges of finding belonging in a new place, the importance of self-reliance, and the unexpected connections that can reshape one’s life. Her encounter with the ghosts of Ray’s ancestors introduces the supernatural element that persists throughout the collection.
- Invasive Species as a Metaphor: Morgan’s struggles with invasive species act as a powerful metaphor for the challenges facing Grapefruit Grove. The insatiable, destructive nature of these creatures reflects the potential threats to the town’s identity and way of life as external forces seek to exploit its resources.
- The Everly Family Legacy: The Everly family’s influence looms large over Grapefruit Grove. Their history, marked by both responsibility and recklessness, shapes the town’s present and future. Ella’s struggle to protect her family’s land from exploitation reflects a growing awareness of the need for environmental stewardship.
- Nia’s Rise as a Leader: Nia’s transformation from a quiet observer to a powerful force in Grapefruit Grove demonstrates the potential for personal growth and leadership within a small community.
Notable Quotes:
- “It’s Grapefruit Grove, Natalie. Nothing interesting ever happens around here.” – Kevin’s repeated statement highlights the perceived normalcy of the town, contrasting with the strange and unsettling events that unfold.
- “They are the Burmese python, the Cuban tree frog, and the cane toad. They are the wild boar, brown rat, walking catfish and lionfish…They are just one more invasive species waiting to build their numbers sufficiently to reshape Florida.” – Morgan’s description of the invasive species serves as a metaphor for the external forces threatening to overwhelm the town.
- “My instruments can measure wind speed and pressure, but I’m not naïve enough to believe that we understand everything about the atmosphere, or that we won’t invent tools to tell us surprising things about our world. Ghosts seem unlikely, but some people think we’re living in a giant computer simulation. If that were true, why shouldn’t there be ghosts? All I’m saying, I know enough to know that I don’t know everything.” – Kim’s statement encapsulates the collection’s exploration of the unknown and the limitations of scientific understanding.
- “If your ancestors go back far enough in Florida, your kind is pretty much every kind.” – Nia’s reflection on the interconnectedness of the town’s inhabitants challenges narrow-minded perspectives and celebrates the state’s diverse heritage.
- “We may be small-town girls, but we dream big. We know what matters to us. We have an opportunity to impact the future of Grapefruit Grove.” – Nia’s declaration embodies the collection’s message of female empowerment and the potential for change within seemingly ordinary communities.
My Comments: I cannot argue with the selection of Notable quotes. Interesting, when I fed the manuscript to NotebookLM I had already selected Nia’s line, “We may be small-town girls, but we dream big,” as the tagline for the collection.
In Most Important Ideas/Facts it highlights The Everly Family Legacy. I think there is a broader point about how the lives of the various families are woven together. The Everlys are a longtime citrus growing family. In selling their land, they are making room for more development. They are repeating a trend that Floridians have witnessed repeatedly over the past few decades. If I had seen NotebookLM’s comments beforehand, I might have asked Professor Foley to comment on this development.
While NotebookLM–like all the AIs I’ve tried–is programmed to be enthusiastic about whatever it analyses, the responses may still be helpful in suggesting areas where more explanation is needed. No doubt many more tools will appear online during the coming year. As a writer, even if you reject the use of AI completely, I think it is helpful to spend a little time learning how they work.
Wishful Thinking
I wish I had found a tool that allowed me to create a map of Grapefruit Grove. I made a very crude text-only map, which was helpful, but nowhere good enough to include in the book. Each story flushed out the town a little better. By the time I finished the collection, I felt I had walked down every street.