New and Improved?

Welcome to the Insecure Writers Support Group - Oct 2023

I appreciate all the feedback from my "AI" post in Sept. Insightful and inspiring!

In a similar vein, I've had to do some upgrades and updates (I hate passwords!) It's made me wonder about "improvements" to writing and to the world in general. Every generation is encouraged to change the world, and many people take that and run with it. But what about the generations that came before? Aren't there some things that work great and should be left alone? Does old = bad?

In addition to the infinite updates in technology, they infiltrate education as well. New people come along (usually not teachers) and think they can revamp education. Unfortunately, they implement new changes before anyone can tell if the previous "improvements" made an impact. Don't get me wrong, I'm always trying to up my game, and I love hearing about and sharing new ideas with other teachers. But after decades of teaching, kids haven't changed. They all have they're own ways of learning--they just need more motivation. They ingest whatever knowledge we can get into them, then figure out life in their own ways.

I guess I've always been skeptical of change. I'm in the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" camp. But I also appreciate innovation and the comforts of life. I couldn't imagine living out west when the US was young. I love electricity and running water. And A/C is a must! I just wish the up-and-comers did more research into the current, tried and true ways before scrapping them.

Which brings me back to books. Way back when, books were revered, authors were celebrated, and reading was the thing to do. As technology evolved giving us radio, then television, then the internet with all-access streaming, books have taken a dive in the hierarchy of entertainment and information choices.

As if writing and getting published then hopefully noticed wasn't hard enough. Recently, Hollywood was on strike for fear that AI will one day take their jobs in writing and acting... The irony is that writers and movies foretold this! The good thing is writing programs can never be original, since the algorithms, though very creative, can only work based on what has already been written. 

Here's my big question: Are they really improving anything? What is the purpose of such programs? Just because we can do something, does that mean we should?

I resist change, but change can also be good. So before accepting it, I analyze it and look for the benefits not just the drawbacks. I accept the challenge of change to keep creating new and unique stories. And I hope you will too!

Sorry if that was a bit much, just been pondering a lot lately. Would love to hear your take!

Happy October!

PS - I just sent out a newsletter with my new CONDUCTION cover! I'll be posting it here in November...