...oops, cut off my comment: obviously seem fake. Full disclosure: I thinking using AI bots - or canned reader personas - is backwards for good personal nonfiction. The good stuff can’t be crowdsourced 😉
I had a professor in college who had us write a 500 word imitation, and then parody, of an author to help us better define our own style. When I started teaching writing, I had my students do this along with creating a list of "rules" for imitating an author's style to teach them how to write across genres (basically, read a few examples of that style, make yourself a set of rules, and fly).
Thanks, Sarah. Your prof's idea and yours are great. One of the reasons I embarked on this series is to show rather than tell; getting students to do their own is a great extension of that I think. I wrote about a couple of parody books here: https://terryfreedman.substack.com/p/experimenting-with-styles
I love this! And very glad that I stumbled on to it, sharpish.... in general, I like the idea of experimenting with style in this way, because you illustrate how much the whole notion of style for writers is contextual and self-referential, unlike the same experiments you might try (and I have done some) with ChatGPT or other AI bots.
Terry, thanks so much for sending the link, and I thoroughly enjoyed your style experiment with ChatGPT - your own version of political-speak is far superior, precisely because it’s not a direct mimic - you channel the essence of political BS, which requires a context and nuance to edit down - the AI version is a boring slog to read and weirdly anachronistic, which makes it obviously seem )
I feel that this should be the basis for cognitive behavioural therapy in cases of health anxiety: "Now I want you to reframe that thought as though you're Bertie Wooster..."
Thank you, squire. Don't know Bertie Wooster? You are missing out, old boy. He is such a laugh. Think no of cross-posting your Clouds next week if that's ok with you.
Love it. Stiff upper lip and all that. Right up my alley. Us Aussies are much more comfortable with British stuff and this was perfect. A lovely way to start my day. Now I MUST get up! Substack is proving a tad addictive! Sigh... Hugs dear Terry. Enjoy your week. 🤗🤗
Fabulous, liking that the nurse is revealing a darker side.
Now following your experiment with litotes, I tried to convert one of my poems and it has made for an interesting intellectual exercise. Now that I have felt how difficult it is, I'm even more appreciative of your many and varied versions!
Thank you kindly ! It was a battle for me to stick to the rules and I could feel the restrictions getting in the way but I naturally go off on tangents especially when writing so needed the discipline. The plus for me was infusing an old familiar text with new angles and material and I ended up altering the original too. Excellent food for thought, thank you Terry!
Loved this version.
😃
...oops, cut off my comment: obviously seem fake. Full disclosure: I thinking using AI bots - or canned reader personas - is backwards for good personal nonfiction. The good stuff can’t be crowdsourced 😉
I hope you're right, Martha! I think that too.
I had a professor in college who had us write a 500 word imitation, and then parody, of an author to help us better define our own style. When I started teaching writing, I had my students do this along with creating a list of "rules" for imitating an author's style to teach them how to write across genres (basically, read a few examples of that style, make yourself a set of rules, and fly).
Thanks, Sarah. Your prof's idea and yours are great. One of the reasons I embarked on this series is to show rather than tell; getting students to do their own is a great extension of that I think. I wrote about a couple of parody books here: https://terryfreedman.substack.com/p/experimenting-with-styles
I love this! And very glad that I stumbled on to it, sharpish.... in general, I like the idea of experimenting with style in this way, because you illustrate how much the whole notion of style for writers is contextual and self-referential, unlike the same experiments you might try (and I have done some) with ChatGPT or other AI bots.
Thanks, Martha. You might enjoy this post. It contains some experiments I did with AI, and includes two versions of an experiment in style, one by AI and the other by me! https://open.substack.com/pub/terryfreedman/p/insider-peeks-1?r=18suih&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Terry, thanks so much for sending the link, and I thoroughly enjoyed your style experiment with ChatGPT - your own version of political-speak is far superior, precisely because it’s not a direct mimic - you channel the essence of political BS, which requires a context and nuance to edit down - the AI version is a boring slog to read and weirdly anachronistic, which makes it obviously seem )
Thanks, Martha. Yes, the AI one reads like it was trained on 19th century American politicians. Yes, good point about nuance and context. Thanks!
This was definitely a funny one. I read it aloud and was laughing the whole time.🤣
Thanks, Matthew! You have to read it in a cut glass English accent!
I feel that this should be the basis for cognitive behavioural therapy in cases of health anxiety: "Now I want you to reframe that thought as though you're Bertie Wooster..."
LOL
Sometimes I do think that less is more. I know it isn't the modern way!
Definitely!
Haha, incredibly British, very funny. Even without knowing the character I can get a very specific sense of Wooster from your writing.
"I was tempted to sign in at the mortuary straight away to save some time." < my favourite line :D
Thank you, squire. Don't know Bertie Wooster? You are missing out, old boy. He is such a laugh. Think no of cross-posting your Clouds next week if that's ok with you.
I do not know of Wooster, no. Shame on me!
And of course, whenever you like :)
But that book, Nathan. It's got all the Jeeves and Wooster stories
Love it. Stiff upper lip and all that. Right up my alley. Us Aussies are much more comfortable with British stuff and this was perfect. A lovely way to start my day. Now I MUST get up! Substack is proving a tad addictive! Sigh... Hugs dear Terry. Enjoy your week. 🤗🤗
Thanks, Beth. Yea, too addictive by half!
😂! Well, not sure it’s ready for human consumption just yet, might have to work on it once more before I do!
😂
Jolly good!
😂 Thanks, Carol!
Love it! And I’ll be searching for that book as well!
Thanks, Amanda. It's great value for money that book. Hope you enjoy it
Brilliant! I’ve haven’t read much Wodehouse, but I just channeled Hugh Laurie. Worked like a charm!
Thanks Joel . He and Stephen Fry were brilliant, weren't they? I did toy with the idea of inserting a clip from the series.
I think I saw every episode at least twice. Hilarious.
Indeed! And really captured the ethos of the original!
Terry, this is whizz-bang jolly old PERFECT! Roast me a sirloin and call me bally Josephine! 🙌
🤣
Thanks, old thing. What does the second part mean though? 😂😂
Dash it all, Freedman - it seems I may have dialled up the Woosterama on my Wodehouse wireless just too bally far!
#help
😂 You did frightfully well, top hole in fact
🤣
No bally clue, old fruit. Chin chin!
Pip pip
🤣
😂 hard cheese, old boy
🤣
Naaaah, I’m just trying - badly! - to channel my inner Wodehouse. Apologies! 🤣
One is jolly impressed
😁
Sounds like it🤔
Perfect!
Thanks, Sharron 😉
Fabulous, liking that the nurse is revealing a darker side.
Now following your experiment with litotes, I tried to convert one of my poems and it has made for an interesting intellectual exercise. Now that I have felt how difficult it is, I'm even more appreciative of your many and varied versions!
Share it with us, Mya :)
I second that.
Great! Thanks. I always like it when someone appreciates my genius. 😂 Do share your poem!
Ok, here we are, the original first:
Tuxedo
Little ball of fluffy fur
Soft as a cloud bouquet
I want to nibble your tummy,
Until you somersault away
Showing we can no longer play.
Like you, I too purr
And snooze endlessly against satiated down duvets…
If I gently flick your silvery whiskers,
You twitch the end of your button nose,
Checking your TomTom’s still alert.
Rumbles of snow pour from your chin,
Tipping through to your sooty cloak
Pure as cashmere and potent oils
Those of lotus and oranges.
I like to stroke quite mindlessly,
Your wilderness and violin bows
The felt-like pinks of lazy paws,
Risking the fury of your claws,
Taming your whims and all your meows.
At 4.00am, and without fail,
Your gentle purr drowns out my dreams.
If I resist a tad too long,
You rearrange each of my shelves,
You nibble books and knead my face
Until I greet your tenderness
With love
And plentiful kibbles.
We pout a light embrace,
You knead me solemnly
And nudge me to caress
Your elongated chin.
You sweep your furry tail my way,
And lure me to your dish,
As we both know you graze only with company.
Your big wide saucers flash as you seek pampering,
Blinking a green eclipse, you paw my busy arm
Begging for more petting until I hold you close,
So you can snake away in a contented purr.
We have our own language,
I feel every message,
Adjusting to your needs
Learning all your triggers,
As you devour my open heart.
You’re part-time fatal minx,
And merciless killer,
I am your most willing prey.
And now Morphed with Litotes:
Not too scruffy
Not the most scratchy of felines, wouldn’t not dream of nibbling you,
As you prepare a quiet fight.
I’m not really that much like you, wouldn’t catch me purring,
Having less than twenty catnaps in the plumpest of all nuzzlings.
I’d never disturb your delicate whiskers,
It’s not like you use them as I do my satnav,
I’m not that reliant on mine either.
You’re not exactly a rainbow, in the least obvious of Tuxedos,
It’s not really my cup of tea, I’m no grungy Coco Chanel.
Smell wise I guess it could be worse,
You don’t exactly stink, my old Labradors never did.
At times, I’m not the most with-it, I’ll be doing my worst kamikaze cartel,
Tickling the pink felt of your paws,
I mean, really… no need to check,
You’re clearly not the most canine, you hardly ever bark,
Your claws so sharp: fairly hostile, you’re not the easiest beast to tame,
And I’m rubbish as a quitter.
It’s no mean feat, living with you, without tripping up on your limbs.
It’s quite funny, coming from you,
I’m not worth much if I’m asleep.
You’re not the best of alarm clocks, you have to wait till the sun’s up.
You’re not really heavy footed,
Never caught you sanding my face.
Best not ignore your rituals, I might have done it once before…
Not that you nibbled every edge of very precious borrowed books .
You’ll find the quietest of items, and rearrange my shelves,
Until the soothing tune makes it easy for me to sleep.
Fine, I love you too,
Yes, I will feed you…
You’re not the most gracious winner,
You herd me as though I was your kitten,
It’s not like you’re still a baby who can’t eat without company.
Your eyes, hardly the ugliest saucers, transform into emerald eclipses,
Your work ethic is staggering, looking like butter wouldn’t melt,
You’d never toy with rodent treats,
The best presents I’ve ever smelt.
You’re no longer a spring chicken,
Slept solidly fifteen winters, not going to waste what we have left.
Maybe I’m no bundle of joy, not the most difficult of things to get,
Our happy world will always be scratched just by you.
I’m hardly wrapped around your fluffy paws, I’m hardly turning into you,
I’ve never had great boundaries, resisting you is no mean feat.
I didn’t try all that meekly, I don’t get that much out of it,
It’s not that obvious, I’m hardly your most willing prey.
Sorry to be taking so much space, I couldn't work out how to create links...😂
Love it! Great phrases, and accurately describes our own feline miscreants!
Thank you kindly ! It was a battle for me to stick to the rules and I could feel the restrictions getting in the way but I naturally go off on tangents especially when writing so needed the discipline. The plus for me was infusing an old familiar text with new angles and material and I ended up altering the original too. Excellent food for thought, thank you Terry!