I really believe constraints and creativity go hand in hand.
"Write anything" is much less of a nudge than "Write a cursing rap verse about a cat stealing paperclips from the office supply room."
That's most creative writing classes have specific writing prompts, etc.
I find this with prompting AI models, too. The more interesting constraints you give them, the further you push them outside the comfort of their training data and away from generic, boring outputs.
You know what exists now that didn’t exist 50 years ago?
Cookies and Cream ice cream. Or even the original proprietary infringing name Oreo ice cream. Some of us remember the dark days when legal battles were threatened and many of us feared the loss of something truly great from the world. But thankfully, a compromise was made that satisfied the lawyers, corporations, and consumers alike.
I read most of your essays. This is probably my favorite. You are always a thoughtful writer.
I really appreciate that! I'll keep it up.
Of course you will!
I really believe constraints and creativity go hand in hand.
"Write anything" is much less of a nudge than "Write a cursing rap verse about a cat stealing paperclips from the office supply room."
That's most creative writing classes have specific writing prompts, etc.
I find this with prompting AI models, too. The more interesting constraints you give them, the further you push them outside the comfort of their training data and away from generic, boring outputs.
That's a great point about prompting with constraints!
You know what exists now that didn’t exist 50 years ago?
Cookies and Cream ice cream. Or even the original proprietary infringing name Oreo ice cream. Some of us remember the dark days when legal battles were threatened and many of us feared the loss of something truly great from the world. But thankfully, a compromise was made that satisfied the lawyers, corporations, and consumers alike.
Cookies and cream seems almost eternal. That's just eerie.