Generative AI from a Writing Coach’s Perspective

By Dave Harris

Following last week’s conversation circle, I was thinking about the fear that AI may take our jobs. Professionally, as a writing coach, this struck me because fear is one of the great dangers to a writer. Personally, however, I’m not interested in using AI as a tool because I have my own ideas to explore and writing, teaching, and research all help me develop those ideas. My internal curiosity won’t disappear if some AI takes my job, nor will my need to find good ways to occupy my time. For those reasons, I will continue my work as a writing coach, teacher, and researcher.

If you have fears about AI taking your job, I want to encourage you to keep writing, teaching, and researching because it’s worth it. It’s worth it to keep writing because:

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How You Can Experience Your Best Moments at Work or in Leisure

By Angelica Ribeiro

Have you ever lost track of time at work or in leisure? If so, you were in flow, a feeling you should often experience. Let me explain.

In his book Flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi shares that “the best moments in [your life] are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times—although such experiences can also be enjoyable […]. The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.” You can experience these best moments when you are in flow. According to Csikszentmihalyi, flow is “the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”

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Want to Write a Column? Admonitions and Advantages

By Noelle Sterne, PhD

At barbecues with friends or departmental parties with people you want to impress, you love tossing off, eyes modestly lowered, “Oh, I’m a regular columnist for Extreme Anachronisms.” But if you’ve been invited or want to start a column (or regular blog) and continue basking in such glory, realize what you’ve taken on.

A quality column takes consistent effort, thought, faithfulness, and rewriting. Experienced column writers know this. From my experience writing several columns and the advice of several column writers I interviewed, here are ten of the most challenging and important considerations.

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Busy TAA People: Beverly Stein’s New Book Now Available

TAA member Dr. Beverly Stein’s book, Unlocking Meaning in Art Song: A Singer’s Guide to Practical Analysis Using Schubert’s Songs, published by Rowman & Littlefield, is now available on Amazon. Stein, a professor in the Department of Music at California State University, Los Angeles, signed a contract for the book with Rowman & Littlefield in May 2023. She credits TAA for helping her learn about contracts, and now that the book is published, for advice on marketing her book through participation in TAA Conversation Circles and other TAA resources.

Congratulations Beverly!

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Using an Epoxy Glue Analogy to Explain the Usefulness of Generative AI

By J. Anomdeplume

As to AI, here is the Epoxy Analogy. Wood-joiners have always required skill & patience. They use angled cuts & precise drilling to join wood for furniture and more. Then came epoxy glue.

Even at the private-workshop level, not in any factory, speed of production increased. It was a parallel to the Industrial Revolution. With, say, 24 hours of set time, wood-joiners now went on to other Projects, having invested only 10 percent of their “before the advent of epoxy” time on Project One. Economy of scale blossomed.

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Journal, ‘Prompt’, Seeking Site Editor, Associate Production Editor

The editors of Prompt: A Journal of Academic Writing Assignments are seeking applications for two positions: Site Editor and Associate Production Editor. Review of applications will begin on April 19th. Learn more

Prompt is a scholar-run, open-access, peer-reviewed online journal. It publishes academic writing assignments, accompanied by reflective essays, from all academic disciplines. Its articles bring together theory and praxis to promote better teaching of writing as well as illuminate the complexities of teaching writing in context. The journal publishes two issues a year with an average of 4 to 6 articles per issue. More information about the journal, including recently published articles and issue archives, is available here.

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