It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.
To visit the IWSG website, click here.
To become a member of the IWSG, click here.
Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are
Stop by their posts and thank them for hosting.
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Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.
Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.
Remember the question is optional.
This month's optional question is:
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?
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Happy September, Everyone!
I hope all is well with each of you.
I am conflicted about this month's question, after my experiences visiting
all the casinos in Colorado with our friend Jon in late August.
Furthermore, I am not very knowledgeable about AI Apps like GPChat,
and I thought a Raptor was a dinosaur.
I have not deliberately used AI, but I know that I am using it unwittingly,
and I'm quite certain it has been using me.
AI is everywhere! I google anything, and an AI summary pops up.
I thoroughly researched the origin of the gold deposits in Cripple Creek last week,
and now Google is interrupting on my iPhone with alerts about mining all around the world.
Actually Google's AI summary of the origin of the gold in Cripple Creek
is pretty good, if you can look past the fact that it changes slightly every time you ask.
(And, whatever AI puts together, you should verify with other sources).
And where do you draw the AI line?
I was struggling to smooth out a sentence for something for the IWSG a while ago.
It was late at night, I was wiped out, so I typed the truculent sentence into Grammarly,
and voilà!
A smooth sentence appeared, which I immediately used.
Then, recently, I discovered Grammarly uses AI, and it leaves a detectable footprint.
Now that sentence likely has been tagged for AI content. 😵💫
(Not that I mind. It just never occurred to me that that was AI at work).
In my IWSG post last month, I was convinced that using AI to create content was unethical.
Then our longtime friend Jon came from San Diego
to tackle the next state in his creative retirement quest, Hit 'Em All...
Jon and Terry
Aurora, Colorado USA
August 22, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
of four half hour vlog posts in four days as we traveled about
from Central City and Black Hawk to Cripple Creek and Aurora.
I'm talking serious work: photos and short videos of twenty-five casinos,
brief videos of almost all his bets, a Dick-Tracy-like series of cartoons,
running commentary on the historic towns, critiques of various casinos,
and three or four original songs!
Plus a cameo of moi and numerous glimpses of Terry trying to dodge his camera.
Jon and Terry
Cripple Creek, Colorado, USA
August 20, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Terry and I traveled back in time, compliments of Jon and AI.
Colorado, USA
August 2025
Original photo by Jon McGuffin
I quickly noticed two things.
Jon is not cursed with perfectionism,
and AI Apps helped his creativity and output immensely.
He got her done before he flew back to California on the morning of the fifth day,
and the first post was live on YouTube
when we arrived home from dropping him off at the airport.
A lightbulb went on!
Whose productivity is flourishing and whose is floundering?
Who's embracing the future and who's an old fossil?
Perhaps I need to be more open to using AI, such as applications like GPChat, and Raptor.
Olga Godim, a longtime and active IWSG member,
left a thoughtful comment on my IWSG post last month.
She wrote, "I think humanity is still floundering with AI. We are learning how to use it and how not to. It will take a while, I suppose. But AI is here to stay, in one form or another. We need to harness it to our needs."
Perhaps I need to harness AI to my needs more, rather than avoiding it.
Also, I definitely need to ease up on perfectionism. 😂
I wrote that Jon included original songs with his vlog posts.
As a former frontman for a band in San Diego for twenty years,
Jon is a talented musician and song writer.
He writes the lyrics, and has AI come up with a number of song versions.
Then he chooses the one he likes best for his post.
When he was doing his Hit 'em All Nevada series,
his daughter Tracy challenged him to write a rap song.
And, he did: "Winnemucca and Me."
This isn't his best song, but it's my favorite,
because its catchy beat and clever words always put a smile on my face.
And I've wanted to visit Winnemucca forever!
If you'd like to hear this song, go to 11:04 minutes on this video:
Hit 'em All Nevada Compilation of Songs.
It's about two minutes long.
Jon McGuffin ~ YouTube
I'm looking forward to seeing how others respond to this month's question.
Have a healthy, happy, and creative September!
Take care!
Till next time ~
Fundy Blue
Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com
Copyright ©2025 – All rights reserved.
My next post will be Friday, September 12th 🤞
Just so you know, I monitor my comments before publishing them. This means your comment won't appear immediately. I will not publish mean spirited or commercial comments.
Using it to assist one's own creativity is a good use. It is here to stay and we need to figure out how to use it wisely.
ReplyDeleteThe raptor funnies are indeed funny!
Hi, Alex! I had great fun looking at raptor memes yesterday. I get distracted too easily. 😂 My students could easily "birdwalk" me, and I haven't gotten any better. Enjoy today!
DeleteYeah the summary AI in Google. When it first appeared, I found it annoying but then it became really helpful with my schoolwork- those 100000 doubts about Chemistry and Maths. And AI is here to stay forever- that's a fact that we should accept. We might not even realize how AI would step into our lives and be a part of it:)
ReplyDeleteHave a great September, Louise!!
Thanks, Rida! Since those AI summaries first appeared on my computer this year, they have really improved. We live in an amazing world. Chemistry and math. I've torn my hair out over those two subjects plenty of times. Good luck as you tackle them this academic year! Hugs to you!
DeleteI agree with Olga's comment about Al. And your friend's use of it is a good example of how it can help us and save time. There are a lot of non creative writing tools we can use. I love the picture of you and Terry traveling back in time.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that picture fun, Natalie? It did a great job with my wrinkles! 😂 I've been reading "Philosophy Now" magazine's recent issue on AI, and the philosophical questions are fascinating. Will AI machines become conscious, and if they do, then what are their rights as conscious beings? Have a fun day!
Delete...how true about cars and horses! Have a fabulous day, Louise.
ReplyDeleteYou have a fabulous day too, Tom! I had a hard time picking out my favorite raptor memes. There were some real groaners, and as geologist, I had to point out that that claw was on the raptor's foot (not that I came up with the meme). Take care, my friend!
DeleteHe uses it for his music - that is really interesting.
ReplyDeleteThat image about mining and phones is so true. If green freaks really understood where their cell phones and other vital items come from! (Such as most cell phone components are created in one of the most polluted places on earth, located in China.)
Hi, Diane! Yes, I found Jon's use of AI for music really interesting. He had stopped playing his guitar after he left his band to get a teaching degree, then a Masters in Education. Now he's playing again, and he's having a great time writing songs. My eyes have really been opened. As someone who worked in hard rock mining (a little) and petroleum (a lot), I understand how critical these resources are, and I felt I needed to add that meme to my post. I found the meme deliciously ironic. Have a great day!
DeleteSounds like Jon has mastered using AI for productivity while keeping creative control.
ReplyDeleteRonel visiting for IWSG day Seasonal Creativity For Authors
Hi, Ronel! Yes, Jon has found that balance, and I found it inspiring! Enjoy visiting around today!
DeleteAi is here to stay. We old fossils will "get used to it." The younger generation will take it for granted
Deletehttps://cleemckenziebooks.substack.com/
appreciate your pros and cons and insight on AI. It has good uses, but it will surely be abused by some to the detriment of others as all inventions over time have been. I’m always wary, and I don’t care for so much change so fast, but it’s here, so I will figure out the best way to approach it. thought-provoking question this month!
ReplyDelete=D
Tara Tyler Talks
Lovely photos and illustrations. Grumpy 😠 🐈 cat always makes me laugh. I love ❤️ the image of you and Terry traveling back in time. So true about cars and horses, Louise.
ReplyDeleteIt's true -- it is a new technology and one that isn't going away. Definitely something we need to at least undersand in order to keep our feet under us, eh?
ReplyDeleteThose raptor memes are fantastic! Yup, AI is here, so whether we use it or not, we need to understand it, how it's uses, etc.
ReplyDelete