The past year has been so interesting. A year ago, I believed I would continue on with just writing books and screenplays. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all. I had been doing it for fifteen years. Not going to lie, things had become... stagnant. Why? I knew the outcome before starting: excited about the story, mild response, and repeat. I lacked options and the willingness to change my routine.
GPT-4 drew my attention in February of 2023. And then I dove into research mode about AI. I haven't come up for air since. There is so much to learn and the landscape seems to change every few weeks, often within only a few days or hours. It took me a few months to gain a broader view and see how things were unfolding.
You can see what is possible in the short and long term with just a little research, but you have to be willing to dig. And I love research. A large part of writing is research. It never really stops.
There are different fields that I have an interest in when it comes to the emergence of AI. Not only do I have an interest in how these tools can creatively help me as a storyteller, but I also think about how these advancements may affect the world.
Creative Path: AI images, AI Video, AI Voice, and AI Music
World Path: AGI, ASI, Education, Health, and Security
The Creative Path is self-explanatory. I am a storyteller and these are the tools that I need to tell my stories differently than by just writing them, which is why I started writing in the first place. Not to be read but to have a story fully experienced as a viewer.
Beyond the worlds within my head that motivate my pen, the World Path is more about us as humans being aware of how computer intelligence will affect us more broadly. My own angle will likely focus on Education.
There is a chance we may all become much smarter as a result of these advancements. We may even be able to live longer and figure out ways to have clean energy to meet the world's needs. It would be nice if we could also figure out a way to keep a handful of greedy people from profiting from the destruction of the planet.
I am not saying computer intelligence will change human nature. It may, but it might take some doing. And we can be a stubborn lot. But there may be a chance we can clean up our act and become better stewards of this rock. I'm not sure we can do it without evolving in some way. Maybe if we can better educate all people and extend lifespans, allowing more people to become at least wiser if not smarter, maybe we can keep up with computers. Maybe.
I know my current limitations. I am not the greatest writer in the world. I do not crave the limelight and often move on to a new project before I have exhausted all efforts to sell something. These are flaws I constantly work on. The act of creation is my main purpose. Each evolving story and her menagerie of characters are a mystery for me to solve and the source of my inspiration. The process is the point. Even if I do create a brilliant movie or TV show with the help of AI tools, I will need to be able to entice people into watching, and I loathe shaking my ass. Shake it, Pitters, shake it. Gross.
I try to keep it simple and do no harm to others. Writing is a way of dealing with the world as I have come to know it. And my path has completely changed since the spring of 2023. The simple, well-worn writing path I had been treading for a quarter century has forever been changed.
AI destroyed that path and I couldn't be happier.
I know these tools will update within months, but I am committed to learning what I can about them before they do. The tools I have needed to allow me to realize all the creative dreams I have had for decades are here. I have been released from the shackles of my own creative limitations. I cannot draw the images I need to create the graphic novel I've always wanted to make, and I can't create an entire "REAL" movie or TV show without a ton of help. World-building is one of my favorite parts of writing, and I've always wanted to use that passion to create a video game but lacked the wherewithal to attempt it. The tools now exist to help me compensate for those deficiencies.
For years, I have had images in my head that I have wanted to share, to express in a way that I could be satisfied with and that might allow others to take something away from the experience. The act of writing has had to suffice for a long time. Words are one thing. Images another. Adding images, video, and audio allows me to present stories in ways I have long dreamt of. And they will only improve, maybe even create some new form of entertainment. Would I have loved to have had these tools 25 years ago? Of course. But they are here now and only getting better.
They will soon be so good that I hope to be on the frontline of a new form of creative storytelling. Ever since I started packaging the TV series this year, I've been imagining exactly what that will be like. There is still so much to learn but the tools are here and a path is clear.
While I try to get up to speed with all of these tools, I fear I may have to push out work on the next illustrated novel series and the graphic novel. Since I already knew how to write a book before AI and I now know how to create a graphic novel with the help of AI -- something I learned over the past year, I can no longer just write books and screenplays when I can also get more involved in creating movies and TV shows. In case you weren't aware, I started writing to create the kind of stories I wanted to be cast in as an actor. An actor? I know, right.
However, thinking about the story from a character's perspective has taught me a lot. By the mid-2000s I came to think of myself as a method writer. What the hell does that mean? I was never a "method" actor, my teaching was grounded in the work of Stella Adler who preached personal experience and imagination over emotional memory. Over time, that not only helped me understand the motivations of my characters, but also opened my mind to imagine all kinds of stories.
The sheer volume of writing work I have cranked out over the years has gone largely unread. With 75% of that material meant for the screen, it is not surprising that I always visualize a story for the screen, even if I am writing a book. I see the movie play out before me, all around me. I live those moments with my characters as I write their stories, even to this day. Therefore, to now have the ability to visualize stories for the screen is like turning back the clock to Day 1 of my writing journey. Not that I want to act in anything ever again, but to have control of the sound and images of a story is both exciting and terrifying.
The terror comes from knowing that it's all on me now. I can't just toss a new story onto the dust heap and say, "I tried to convince people to help me create the movie or TV show but there wasn't enough interest. Oh well, I guess I'll try again with something new." No longer. I'm breaking the cycle. The pile is too tall and I have new tools to work with.
While my first objective is to create a teaser and a longer trailer for my current TV series, I would like to try and make the series the old-fashioned way while we still can. The long-term goal is to revisit some of these other stories using AI tools. Whether as movies, TV series, or this new hybrid storytelling format that is emerging. Very exciting!
I mentioned the dusty pile of stories from the past 25 years. That is not a joke. Maybe that's just me laughing so as not to cry. Either way, I have several dozen stories that I can use to build a video library, with new tales waiting in the wings. That is why I have completely changed the path ahead. I can't see myself fully focused on an illustrated novel series while learning how to use the tools needed to create a teaser and a trailer, which may be more like a short film.
Once I have a handle on these tools, I can start to divvy out more time for the illustrated novel series. My hope is that it will only take until August to get up to speed. When considering that I have written, directed, produced, edited, and arranged the music for several short films, maybe that will help me learn on a bit of a curve. We'll see in August. Until then it's time to accelerate my AI video research. Next stop? Teaser.
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