Insider peeks #1

Clues for a puzzle, a book look, a special experiment in style

This post is now open to all. It contains two experiments in styles, one written by ChatGPT, and the other written by me! I’m (re)posting this on the ‘wrong’ day and the ‘wrong’ time because I’ve had to attend to family matters. Normal service will be resumed very soon!

Greetings!

In today’s Behind the Scenes post I give some clues for a literary puzzle I set recently, take a quick look at a very recently published book, and present a special edition of experiments in style with two versions of the same idea.

This post is for paid subscribers only, but you could check it out (and the others) by opting for a free 7 day trial. The annual cost, if you just want to go for it, is just $45 or $5 a month.

But enough of this persiflage. Let’s get on with it.

Some clues for the Deadly at Midnight puzzle

Never let it be said that I would willingly stand by while my readers are floundering in the dark in their attempts to solve the puzzle I set in my Deadly at Midnight review. I wrote:

There is something special about this book review. What do you think it is? Please say in the comments.

Here are some clues. I’ll reveal the answer soon, but do have a go first. I’m sharing these clues with you, paid subscribers, before publishing them more widely.

• The issue is with the book, not the content of the book.

• Think about the name of the character Jason Fox.

• Think about the reported interview with the author.

• Think about the supposed structure of the book, and that of the series as a whole.

Quick look: Retroland, by Peter Kemp

Click here to see this on Amazon (affiliate link)

This book arrived today, and I’m very much looking forward to reading it. It’s a kind of guided tour or survey of the types of fiction that have appeared in the last fifty years (mainly). The subtitle says it all: A reader’s guide to the dazzling diversity of modern fiction.

The author is the fiction reviewer for the Sunday Times, and he has organised the book into the following themes:

• Introduction: Retroland: the prevailing past.

• Ends of empire: the imperial past and its aftermath.

• Scars and silences: the personal past and its aftermath.

• Resurrection writing: the historical past and its afterlife.

• Post-scripts: the literary past and its afterlife.

• Back to the future: the impending past.

From a quick glance through its pages, the book appears to group together novels and novelists into these themes. For example, one of the subjects in the section called Post-scripts is Sherlock Holmes, in which the author details the books written by authors other than Conan Doyle that feature Holmes and Watson.

The underlying idea very much reminds me of The Life of Crime: Detecting the history of mysteries and their creators¹, by Martin Edwards. That is a similar romp through a huge amount of fiction, in this case crime fiction.

The advantage of such books is that they enable you to see the wood for the trees, and the connections one might otherwise miss. I intend to review this book in due course.

An experiment in style with a difference

I for one have no intention of delegating my writing assignments to apps like ChatGPT. However, I do think they can be helpful in particular circumstances. For example, I asked Claude.AI to create some personas for my writing about different forms of writing. A persona in this context is a potted biography of an ideal or typical reader. I don’t think much of this approach myself, but a lot of people swear by it.

When I created some personas “by hand”, as it were, it took me a good half hour to develop one. Claude created several in about 20 seconds. Here are the results:

Prompt

create personas for my writing about different forms of writing

Here are some potential writer personas for different forms of writing:

The Novelist

Name: Samantha 

Age: 42

Job: Full-time novelist 

About: Samantha has dreamed of being an author since she was a little girl. She loves immersing herself in fictional worlds and bringing characters to life. She writes literary fiction novels and has published three so far, to moderate success. Her writing style is elegant yet accessible. She hopes to one day write a bestselling novel. 

The Blogger 

Name: Jacob

Age: 28 

Job: Marketing associate by day, blogger by night

About: Jacob has a passion for writing and connecting with others online. He started a personal blog while in college and has kept it up in the 10 years since. He writes posts about his interests like travel, food, books, and more. His writing is conversational and peppered with humor. He aims to entertain and inform his readers. 

The Journalist

Name: Maria 

Age: 36

Job: Newspaper journalist

About: Maria has always had a curiosity about people and the world. She became a journalist to uncover interesting stories and get the facts. She appreciates the research aspect of journalism the most. She writes articles covering politics, local events, and human interest profiles. Her writing is clear, accurate, and timely. She strives for integrity in her reporting.

The Copywriter 

Name: Mark

Age: 39

Job: Freelance copywriter

About: Mark began his career working at ad agencies but branched out on his own as a freelancer. He has a knack for writing compelling copy that captures attention. He writes copy for ads, websites, brochures, and more. His writing is persuasive yet approachable. He aims to promote brands and engage audiences through his words.

The Poet

Name: Elizabeth 

Age: 25

Job: Server at a cafe, poet in free time

About: Elizabeth has written poetry since she was a teenager. She finds poetic expression comes naturally to her. She mainly writes free verse poems reflecting on nature, love, and the human experience. Her writing style is lyrical and filled with imagery. She's currently working on publishing her first poetry collection while juggling her cafe job.

To be honest, I don’t think much of these, because they’re not detailed enough. However, perhaps you will agree that if you were really stuck for ideas this might help to kick start the flow of your creative juices.

Experiment in style, with AI

Now, I thought I would ask ChatGPT to write A Bang on the Head in the style of a politician. Just to remind you, this is the original story:

Original story

In the middle of the night, I woke up (if you can call being semi-conscious being awake), walked purposely towards the door to go to the bathroom — and almost knocked myself out. 

The reason was that in the twin states of entire darkness and semi-somnambulance I was facing in a different direction from the one I thought I was facing. As a result, instead of walking through the door, I tried to walk through the wall. 

The next few days brought nausea and headaches. After much prevarication I went to Accident and Emergency, where I waited petrified among people for whom “social distancing” means not quite touching you, and who wore their masks as a chin-warmer. 

An hour and a half later I emerged into the twilight, secure in the knowledge that I had nothing more serious than mild concussion. I failed to do much writing, but I was pleased to have read a further 17% of my book. 

This is what ChatGPT came up with:

ChatGPT version in the style of a politician

Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow citizens, let me recount to you an incident that occurred one fateful night, where I demonstrated great resilience and determination in the face of adversity. In the middle of the night, as I stirred from my slumber, or if you may, a semi-conscious state of being, I made my way with purpose towards the door to attend to personal matters in the bathroom. 

Now, it was during this time that I found myself enveloped in complete darkness, and I must admit, in a state of semi-somnambulance. As a consequence, I regrettably found myself facing a direction different from what I had perceived. To my chagrin, instead of gracefully walking through the door, I almost ended up knocking myself out, for I had mistakenly attempted to traverse the solid wall before me. 

This incident, however, did not deter my resolve. In the days that followed, I endured feelings of nausea and debilitating headaches. As a prudent individual, I initially deliberated on seeking medical attention, but finally, I decided it was imperative to head to Accident and Emergency. 

Let me share with you the atmosphere I encountered there. In the waiting area, I found myself amidst individuals who, despite the need for "social distancing," appeared to practice a somewhat relaxed interpretation of the concept, ensuring only a minimal separation between each other. Additionally, I couldn't help but observe that many of them were not wearing their masks appropriately, using them as mere chin-warmers, which concerned me. 

After what felt like an arduously lengthy wait of an hour and a half, I emerged from the facility, bathed in twilight, secure in the knowledge that my condition was not as grave as initially feared – I was fortunate to be diagnosed with nothing more serious than mild concussion. 

This setback temporarily hindered my productivity, and I regret to confess that my writing endeavors were hampered during this period. Nevertheless, I am pleased to report that despite the challenges, I persevered and managed to read a further 17% of the book that captivated my interest. 

My fellow citizens, this experience serves as a testament to the importance of staying vigilant and cautious, even in the darkest of times. It highlights the necessity of seeking timely medical attention when the situation demands it, and, most importantly, it reinforces the value of resilience and determination in overcoming obstacles. 

As your dedicated representative, I pledge to advocate for accessible and quality healthcare services, ensuring that our citizens receive the care they deserve. Let us stand together, united, in our commitment to progress, well-being, and prosperity. Thank you, and God bless you all. 

Evaluation:

As it happens, I think this is pretty good. In fact, my first thought was “Oh dear, I think this is better than I could come up with.” After the initial shock though I came to the conclusion that I was wrong. I think the ChatGPT version has captured the essence of the self-centred BS that politicians are wont to come out with. However, it strikes me as very American (I don’t think British politicians would end a speech with “God bless you all”. Also, it seems rather old-fashioned. I mean, do politicians really use expressions like “that fateful night”?

Not to be outdone, I created my own politicians version. Let me know which you think better, and why:

My version of the story in the style of a politician

Friends 

Since this government came to power, the number of accidents in the home, where, let me remind Ministers, hardworking taxpayers should feel safest, the number of accidents in that environment has increased exponentially. Just recently one of my constituents informed me that because he could not afford to turn on the light to go to the bathroom he had to fumble his way in the dark. As a result, he hit his head on the wall. 

You might think that this unfortunate incident was bad enough. However, you will not be surprised to learn that it was vastly exacerbated by having to wait in A & E for several hours surrounded by people who were not abiding by the laws of this country as far as social distancing and wearing masks are concerned. 

Fortunately, my constituent, despite suffering from nausea and headaches, was diagnosed with only mild concussion. However, he is a writer, and as such was unable to contribute to the economic and cultural wellbeing of this country by plying his trade. Instead, he had to make do with reading under a fifth of his book. 

When the British people act upon their democratic rights and put this lame duck government back into the political wilderness where it belongs, my party will deliver lower energy bills, softer walls, and set up a Covid Rules Enforcement Department to drive forward a lower rate of transition of this deadly disease. 

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That’s it for now. I hope you found this departure from the usual type of behind-the-scenes post interesting, and even useful.

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