Someone asked me this week about the case for reading fiction (as opposed to science, politics, more weighty genres), and my answer is always the same: stories are how we fuel our ability to make change. And it doesn't really matter if you're reading something that's true in the sense of having happened to real … Continue reading The Value of a Good Story
Author: spitkin
Yo, Robot Bestie, What’s Your Point?
Editing and improving AI-generated writing takes me longer (and costs my clients more) than editing and improving even the sloppiest human-generated writing. Much like I intuitively know there's some kind of linguistic difference between my guy and my dude but can't quite put my finger on it, I've been adamant that this pattern is not … Continue reading Yo, Robot Bestie, What’s Your Point?
AI: the Best Candidate
Please finish the process you start with AI ouptut--especially if you're looking to establish yourself as a standout candidate.
Telling the Right Story
Time for another look at the stories we tell, about ourselves and about our business. As one of the resident Story Folk for our local 1MC community, I give this advice on a weekly basis--though usually I don't have this kind of space to develop my thoughts. When thinking about your story, it's important to … Continue reading Telling the Right Story
Hello, Is it Me?
It seems like every tool I use now implements AI features. Aside from the more obvious questions like why does my window fan need to be that "smart"?, I find myself more and more routinely annoyed by the assumption I might require AI's assistance or editing feedback in the things I do professionally. No, thank … Continue reading Hello, Is it Me?
A Reliable Reputation
I was recently onboarding with a new client, revisiting brand objectives and setting goals for the next quarter. Like many companies, they're investigating the possibility of building a proprietary AI tool for use with their customers--and the founder quipped (without pausing for breath), "not for writing, Sharon" and kept moving. I'm not mad about it. … Continue reading A Reliable Reputation
Storytime
I'm an organizer for my local 1 Million Cups community, and I find myself often repeating the same advice in our weekly meetings: starting with the simple question: what's your story? Several of our organizers are language experts, and we've come to think of ourselves as the Story Folk (I'm trying to make Story Squad … Continue reading Storytime
Finding Your Type
Writing for our businesses can be overwhelming, whether or not we think of ourselves as writers in any other context. Sometimes it's even the last thing I find energy for because I'm more focused on writing for my clients--and I won't find energy for it at all if I don't have a clear motivating goal. … Continue reading Finding Your Type
The Callous Soul of ChatGPT
If communication is, at heart, a connection among people, how does bringing a non-person into the generative mix affect the outcomes? I might argue that, if the point of communication is that connection--or the tangible outcomes like closing a sale that might come from it, AI inputs can muddy our purposes. With all our fingerprints … Continue reading The Callous Soul of ChatGPT
AI Still Isn’t Your Friend
AI can be a useful timesaver, or lose you readers--make sure that you're keeping the people in your process.
Something Polished 