Field Notes
On the Frontier
This is a living laboratory. It features experiments in human-AI collaboration, creativity, and business management.
Using AI to Build a Political Platform: Let’s Rebuild America
Yesterday, as I was reading Storybrand 2.0, I noticed that Donald Miler naturally gravitated toward political analogies when discussing the importance of putting power in the hands of customers (i.e. the people). So I thought it would be fun to use the AI tools to develop a political platform.
Words I Keep Deleting From AI Drafts
There are words that will appear again and again in the drafts you receive from your AI writing partner. I’ve taken to deleting them all.
Notes on Customer Desire, Story Gaps, and Conflict
The only reason our customers buy from us is because their external problem is frustrating them in some way. If we can identify that frustration, put it into words, and offer to resolve it along with the original external problem, we do more than just sell our customers products; we bond with our customers because we’ve positioned ourselves deeply into their narrative.
Embryonique (2005)
One of the best things to happen to me as a songwriter was to make music using FrutiyLoops. A friend I worked with in the Twin Cities added the program onto my computer and soon I was creating all sorts of songs with the program.
Notes on Customer-Centered Messaging and Clarity
The essence of branding is to create simple, relevant messages we can repeat over and over so that we ‘brand’ ourselves into the public consciousness.
Badlands (2006)
Badlands is the first album where I thought I might be writing legitimately good music. One of these songs (“Deserter”) would show up as the opening track on the second Lower Stacks album Love In All Directions (2018). That version is nearly all instrumental. This one is sadder and slower and has singing. I think this one is better.
Spotting AI Writing Ticks in Fiction Drafts
Thinking of this particular quirk, I suspect it’s because of a lack of dramatic action or emotion. The character is not doing anything other than noticing and thinking, nor does she have any emotion to play off of other than her own desire to suppress her emotions. And in order to make this moment somehow feel important (or deeper), the AI leans on this quirk of the character noticing something and filing it away, a kind of office-like rendering of the act of repression.
Using AI Without Letting It Do Too Much
Even though I didn’t use what AI suggested, I liked the idea of bridging, so I kept that. I also like that idea that the website would be a collaboration between (or a combintation of) the traditional and the new. So even when I don’t adopt the writing, it’s often very helpful to have something to consider and to pick the parts that I connect with, and then go from there.
When AI Starts Writing in Circles
My on-going theory is that AI will write laughable sentences when it is struggling to find interesting things to say. And that’s because the planning is off. The drama has dried up. The characters have flattened. The juice—if it ever existed—has been squeezed out of your story.
What I’m Learning from Donald Miller’s Building a StoryBrand 2.0
Most businesses tell confusing stories and that’s not what customers want. They want clarity. Your story needs to be very clear. The human brain is wired to survive and if you want to make customers pay attention, then you need to tap into that impulse. Eliminate the noise. Highlight what you offer that will help them “survive and thrive.”
Why I Created Multiple Pen Names For Different Genres
Traditionally, pen names have also been a good way to overcome bias or to give your writing career a fresh start or to publish sensitive or unconventional content. For me, it’s fun. And it makes sense to stay in the background, because I feel more like a creative director in this process.
The Trouble With Elara: Using AI for Fantasy Character Names
If you’re writing a fantasy (or a romantasy), A.I. loves to suggest the names Elara, Lyra, Silas, Elias, and Kaelen, among others. I asked A.I. to list the most common names that A.I. provides for fantasy characters and Silas was listed twice. That’s how common it is. Any surname will likely have “Thorne” or “Black” or “Wood” or “Vance” in the name. Stay away from these.
How I’m Organizing and Releasing Over 300 Songs Online
I left the music section of the “Works” tab for last because that is where I had the most content to upload and organize. Over 300 songs! Most of which I wrote in my 20s. I told myself I’d create an album cover for each (using Midjourney), but I wasn’t sure how the process would develop. Today I found out.