This is an alternate place to post my writing. Not sure about it, seems a little sparse. Grab the rss feed, subscribe to the mailing list, or browse some of the posts if you wish.
I do leverage AI for idea validation, building and adhering to worlds, and if the story has an AI character it may or may not be written by an AI. But the humans and narrators are all written by me. I started and probably will dual post for a while on substack, and I have my own blog where there are more technical posts.
About me #
I'm a retired software engineer. I'm writing my first sci-fi novel (and documenting the bugs). Here you will find the novel as it is written, notes on writing sci-fi, wrangling AI, and thriving in retirement. This project is part of my thriving, and I don't care if it goes anywhere. So no stress for me, or you.
I’m free. What do I do with that freedom? #
Well, the obvious answer is: write a book. Or a series. Or just some random chapters/novellas/posts. The less obvious answer is - about what, exactly. I figured out the about what… a couple of different ways.
Why this, why now? #
I’ve always enjoyed writing. I even wrote (and actually published!) four programming books. You’ve never heard of me or them? Yeah, because they’re from the 90s, about very niche topics. How niche? Try CORBA for Dummies. Yeah. It was a different time. Anyway, yeah - a lack of financial reward for months of no sleep while writing and having a full-time job and a small child eventually killed the desire for more of that. And then work, that glorious thing we give a huge chunk of our life to, did have lots of writing. Some code. Some prose. All scratching the writing itch. And then, four years ago, retirement and freedom. I’ve done quite a bit in those four years, but I have not come back to writing until now. Why? Because I started getting some coaching around retirement. Just to be hip and all late ‘20s AI-driven, the coaching is via The Retirement Strategy. Lots of good learning there, part of which was discussing passion and purpose. Writing, it turns out, is sitting right there on top of both. If I write “for fun” that’s passion. If I write “to contribute” or “teach” that’s purpose. I have writing ideas that fit into both slots, so NOW is the time.
Who are my monkeys? Where is my circus? [Who is this for? (And what's the genre?)] #
I’m going to be writing science fiction. It’s the genre I enjoy reading, it leverages my knowledge and experience, and it’s the first story line I thought up. If you’re a scifi type, you’re in. I’ll be exploring some AI themes because (a) it’s the latest amazing thing and (b) I’m actively engaging with AI on multiple technical and personal fronts in my copious free time - so I’m learning. In addition to the fiction, I’ll be capturing and writing up how I am leveraging AI, working with it, learning from it, teaching it, etc. If I can pass along ideas, through notes and articles and whatnot - that checks some boxes. If I build a tribe of folks, that checks another box. If nothing happens but I still write a bunch of stuff, that still checks some boxes.
What can you expect? #
It’s free for now, because I am just getting started and I don’t know how successful I will be at writing either fiction or experience pieces haphazardly as the mood strikes and time permits.
Here is what you’ll get if you stick around:
- Serialized Sci-Fi: Chapters of a four-part (or more!) story exploring AI themes.
- AI Field Notes: Real-world examples of how I’m learning to leverage, teach, and work with AI.
- Life & Retirement: Musings on purpose, writing, the weather, and 42. If you got the 42 reference, you’re in.