My mother used to say, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
I’ve adapted it.
When you express negative opinions, the Universe will give you more negativity.
Instead, express gratitude and it will you give you more to be grateful for.
Thanks Mom
from the dedication page of one of my new books, GOLDEN INSIGHTS: Unlocking Extra Income – A Retiree’s Guide to Surveys & Reviews
Book 6 of the EXTRA RETIREMENT INCOME IS SEXY series now available on AMAZON and others.
Artificial Intelligence is everywhere these days and the forces of good and evil seem to be lining up on either side. I am just completing a 6 book series called, EXTRA RETIREMENT INCOME IS SEXY and one of the sources of extra income for retirees is freelance writing. I decided to include a chapter on Artificial Intelligence and am including it here for your viewing pleasure:
“So, the question is, can artificial intelligence help you as a freelance writer? The short answer is yes. The longer answer is yes, but you need to learn how to use it to help you. This boils down to creating the right “prompts” to enter into the search box and then refining until the information you need is useful.
At the time of writing this book, artificial intelligence is creating a firestorm of controversy. Tried, true and established authors, especially those of the fiction variety, seem to take the stance that AI is the devil incarnate. I’m not so sure. New technology has always been challenging on many levels. I recall as a young lad that using an electronic calculator to do math was a mortal sin. I may yet go to hell, especially if my grade 5 teacher, Sister Mary Joseph, knew that I now have one on the phone that I carry in my pocket!
There are some bad actors out there who are asking an AI app to create stories and then they upload them to various book selling sites and sell them as is. They are creating rubbish and attempting to get rich quick. Here is what I know about using AI as of this time: it has a very useful place to assist in research, outlining and defining concepts, especially difficult to understand things. The key to using it successfully is learning how to ask questions and keep asking them until you get a proper answer. When I was younger, we used to call this part of the world a library and Encyclopedia Britannica. Today, the repository of all information is the internet.
The art of wording inquiries, or prompts and then determining how to proceed from there is rapidly becoming a whole new industry and one you might want to learn about. This author recently viewed a question on an AI app that asked it to explain Quantum Physics in language that a 5 year old would understand. The information it created was amusing and I learned a lot. Potential clients for your freelance writing services may want you to generate documentation for them faster and more accurately – AI is probably the answer.
Some people, thanks to the media, have decided that it is a new and foreboding technology and insist on showing pictures of scary looking robots from horror movies in their presentations. Here are a few examples of artificial intelligence at work that you may already know: smart home devices like Alexa, Google Home and more, self-driving cars, Netflix and Spotify recommendations, auto complete in Google Search and messaging apps, Facebook and Instagram, Spell and Grammar check in Word. We have been using it for years.
A recommendation: if you decide to use apps like Chat/GPT and any of the many others, it is essential that you take into consideration any ethical and moral issues. Amazon is now requiring writers to acknowledge if AI was used and how it was used to create books. This author thinks we will come to accept the value and input of AI soon and look at it as a useful tool to increase productivity.
The internet and social media are swirling with articles on artificial intelligence including “how-to’s” and warnings. Therefore, if you are thinking about accessing its help, it would be a good idea to keep up with current thought.”
Series expected to be published in January 2024.
This whole Corona Virus thing has many of us nervous and on edge. In some cases, we have decided to self quarantine and now have too much time on our hands. Anxiety about getting sick, or one of our loved ones contracting this disease, has created total panic around the world (toilet paper anyone?). This might be an excellent time to explore the idea of writing in a journal.
We all know people who write in their journals and sometimes wonder why. I have just published a short Kindle book that explores some of the benefits of frequent journaling. Take a look at the preview or send it to someone who might be able to benefit from the habit of keeping track of their dreams and goals. Perhaps it is as simple as tracking our eating or exercise or something deeper – exploring our meditations and mindfulness exercises. Whatever we do in our lives can be improved when we put pen to paper and and express our thoughts, challenges and gratitude.