In March of 2023, I took a significant turn away from my usual novel and screenwriting projects to immerse myself in the world of AI. Followers from the past year will recall my deep dive into this burgeoning technology. Despite initial skepticism, I was ready for a change and fully embraced AI.
Admittedly, I'm somewhat disappointed for not accomplishing more writing during these ten months of AI exploration. It was a deliberate choice, one I don't regret. Why? This journey has equipped me with invaluable insights, streamlining my story development and writing process more than ever before. It's also opened doors to diverse storytelling formats beyond traditional books or screenplays, my mainstay for over two decades.
Reflecting on my journey, I acknowledge my role in not reaching a wider audience. I've often sidestepped advice, pursuing story ideas perhaps too avant-garde for their time. My penchant for complex anthologies or multi-decade-spanning epics has been a hallmark, yet simpler stories often faced feedback that dampened my enthusiasm.
The truth is, the main obstacle to my writing goals has been, more often than not, myself. There's a certain comfort in avoiding the pressures of success, in continually creating new material without the rigorous public scrutiny I once endured.
Since 2012, my focus has been on publishing books and collaborating on screenplays. This decade-long process has been fulfilling. Last summer, a new collaborative screenplay emerged, based on a TV series I created. It's this series I'm preparing to pitch this year. Originally, I planned to pitch four TV series, but that never materialized for various reasons.
Now, my plans have evolved. From the original four, only two remain. The other two? They're taking new shapes, thanks to AI. One is morphing into a two-part illustrated novel series, the other into a digital comic, eventually culminating in a graphic novel.
If 2023 was the year of the AI pivot where I learned all that I could about the tech, 2024 is the year of implementing that knowledge. The illustrated novel and graphic novel projects are ambitious, with uncertain timelines, especially as I juggle pitching TV series and writing new stories. Last year's singular project focus has left me eager to leverage AI in crafting stories from the ground up.
AI has its critics, some outright rejecting its role in the creative process or questioning the authenticity of AI-assisted writers. I see this as fear and ignorance. The stories I craft, AI-assisted or not, remain fundamentally mine. AI simply offers efficiency and new dimensions, like imagery.
My fascination with interactive storytelling goes back to childhood "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. Cinemas have experimented with immersive experiences like "Smell-O-Vision," "InterFilm," and haptic seats that sync with on-screen action. We're inching closer to technologies like Star Trek's Holodeck and lightweight Augmented Reality devices, offering fully immersive, customizable experiences. Gaming is already pioneering this narrative freedom.
I've always considered myself a worldbuilder first. This mindset might explain my gravitation towards intricate, fictional universes under extreme conditions. Perhaps in another life, I would have been a game developer. And who knows? That might still be in the cards. As I contemplate diving into interactive story creation, I anticipate a deep dive into game development research.
This newfound realm of possibilities is a direct result of my ten-month AI exploration. Had I not ventured down this path, I'd still be fixated on the four original TV series and a novel concept that has been gathering dust for five years. Not now. Now with the help of AI, I'm playing biodigital jazz, man.
