Saved by Keely Adler
What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
When I write, I imagine reaching up to a higher plane to access my thoughts and assign words to them, yet the words I find are approximate and never capture the ideas as fully as they appear in my mind. This is why writing feels so hard to me: Its labor involves grasping for a perfect translation and always falling short. But ChatGPT reminds us tha... See more
Laura Hartenberger • What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
In other words, good writing isn’t about sophisticated sentences or complex ideas; it’s about unifying all elements into a coherent whole. You can write a poignant, lyrical, oblique sonnet about the rain, but if your purpose is to inform newspaper readers about the weather forecast, that’s not good writing.
Laura Hartenberger • What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
a certain energy exchange, a sense of connection across individual minds, a balance of surprise and familiarity.
Laura Hartenberger • What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
Good character impressions delight us because they illuminate something fundamental about the person they imitate
Laura Hartenberger • What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
We appreciate literary prowess, but engaging the reader matters more — we seem to want more than just spectacle from good writing. As readers, we need to feel like the writer is paying attention to us, trying to connect. ChatGPT cannot build a real connection with its reader — it can only imitate one.
Laura Hartenberger • What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
“You silly humans,” the chatbot seems to be saying. “Using the greatest technology of our generation to create funny memes. But okay, I’ll play along.” These moments convey a sense of energy that makes it hard for me to believe I’m not chatting with a sentient being. Perhaps having a strong voice simply means writing in a way that makes you seem al
... See moreLaura Hartenberger • What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
ChatGPT is a collective voice, not a specific one, and so even as the algorithm improves, we will likely continue to find its writing emotionally inadequate
Laura Hartenberger • What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
“So what?” is the common refrain of writing teachers. “Why should your reader care?” A key way that good writing achieves connection is by creating stakes, or engaging the reader by showing them why your ideas matter.
Fiction creates stakes through establishing consequences — what does the protagonist stand to lose in their journey? Argumentative w... See more
Fiction creates stakes through establishing consequences — what does the protagonist stand to lose in their journey? Argumentative w... See more
Laura Hartenberger • What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
We write in conversation with what we read, and good writing balances our own words with others’. We summarize their ideas, using them as springboards and support for our arguments.