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 A blog about music from my unique perspective (also a spot for some poetry I’ve written) |
A blog, generally about music, usually for projects hosted by Jeff is Gru in #2343485  . I may also write about the 48-Hour Media Prompt Challenge if I don't feel like writing a story or poem inspired by the given song. Other bits of poetry or different topics of discussion might end up here as well.![Merit Badge in WDC Media Prompt
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| Petra's prompt 2: The difference with last year's celebrations is the implementation of Artificial Intelligence. Al/ChatGPT: A pest or a blessing for writers? Give us your thoughts. The rise of AI chat tools is like the pandemic: it has affected everyone, whether we are aware of it or not. Our Google searches now summarize information and feed it to us via an AI “explainer,” and we have to dig deeper to uncover the sources and accuracy of what it's found. When we open a PDF file in Adobe, the first thing it asks us is if we would like an AI summary of the contents. And of course, content creation is now nearly instantaneous: type a prompt into ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or a dozen others, and they will provide us with anything from a brief bedtime story to a PhD level thesis, all supposedly unique and tailored to our request. This is not even considering the strange and unnerving things that can happen when humans attempt to have conversations with AI. For the purposes of this blog post, I will focus on my thoughts and opinions about written AI content creation, rather than the issues of interacting personally with chatbots or image/video/voice/music generation. First and foremost, I reiterate my promise to never post AI generated text as my own. I may be pressed against deadlines, or at a loss for ideas, or lacking energy or enthusiasm, but I would rather scribble down an extremely lame piece of my own work than to present some soulless piece I did not actually write by my own labor. I don't have conversations with AI, either. Once, I asked ChatGPT for help when I had a pile of disorganized ideas for a detective story, but I didn't use any of what it offered me, and I still feel silly for doing that. Over the years, I've come to accept AI as something we're stuck with. We can choose to use it in different ways: we can ask it for advice, we can tell it to “review” our work, it can help us brainstorm ideas, we can prepare an outline to follow to organize our thoughts, or we can use it to straight-up write stuff for us. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of this: it is merely a new way to gather, sort and present information. What is wrong is when the created content is falsely presented as being something one wrote without assistance. This is cheating, whether one uses it to get an A in college or to win first place at an Official WdC Contest. Even if one never “uses” AI generated content to gain an advantage (financial or otherwise,) it is still dishonest to share it without proper labeling and disclaimers. This causes one to distrust the written word, to question everything one reads. It puts a damper on sincere interaction between writers when one does not know if the other's words are truly their own. Sometimes, there are well-meaning reasons why someone uses AI chatbots to help them write. There may be a language barrier, and they need AI to translate their work. Or there might be a disability of some kind, and AI helps them gather their thoughts and arrange them coherently, with objective guidance and feedback. As long as there is transparency and an acceptance of the boundaries and limitations of these digital assistants, this shouldn't be an excuse for us to ostracize or judge others. I have long since given up trying to be the “AI police,” at least on WdC. I've found most people who posted what was likely AI generated content had no intention of staying for very long anyway. My ongoing thoughts on the matter, subject to modification in a rapidly evolving environment, are that AI chatbots are a tool, to be either used with care in a controlled situation or avoided entirely. The good or bad of it largely depends on one's abilities and intentions. In a world where almost every tool in a writer's toolbox can be used for good or bad, one must hold oneself to the highest standards of creative integrity. I know I always will do my best. Words: 676. |
| My second of seven tracks for Barrel of Monkeys is the Imagine Dragons song Ferris Wheel. It's track #25 off of their 2022 double album Mercury Acts 1 & 2. A deep cut, it has no music video and tends to sink into the shadows of their lesser-known discography, especially since the lead singer's divorce. What it Sounds Like Ferris Wheel is an acoustic song, with no drums. It's one of the low-key tail end tracks from Mercury. Dan's voice is high, but steady, without any shouting or vocal acrobatics. It's a simple love song on a guitar, in the style of Ed Sheeran. What It Means Ferris Wheel is a song of devotion, promising to maintain the feeling of youthful innocence in the relationship and to always be there for her. Dan Reynolds frequently tells us his songs are like journal entries… Perhaps he shouldn't encourage us to read so much of his personal experience into what he writes. It can get awkward. For instance, Dan's words “you've always been afraid to claim this town,” give me pause. Aja Volkman moved from his beloved hometown of Las Vegas to Los Angeles after the separation, and I sometimes wonder if she did so partly because she didn't think the kids should be raised in Vegas. Personal Significance Quite honestly, I tend to forget this song exists. My experience of the Mercury double album was “up close and personal,” as I established my old phone as an iPod and settled down after the pandemic and a toxic job. I wore the album threadbare, designed my own cover art for many of the tracks, got tired of it, joined WdC, and pretty much quit listening to it at all after the first half of 2023. Ferris Wheel, in particular, was a song I soured on because of the divorce. The tail end of Mercury Act 2 has a handful of corny love songs, and I could hardly bear to listen to any of them knowing the words were no longer true for Dan. I felt like he lied to us and to Aja when he promised he'd be there forever. “I know we'll last, I'm confident…” Indeed, I daresay it's been about two years since I listened to Ferris Wheel. The only reason I'm listening to it now is to write about it for this blog challenge, because it happened to be the 25th track on the only album of such length I'm familiar with! Equipped with better quality earbuds, I can pick up the subtle panned audio effects. It's not a bad song, far from it. I only have my own feelings to deal with, which are altogether too closely tied up to my perceptions of the artist and his family. Words: 460. |
| Kiya's Wonderland Prompt: In 25 sentences, tell us about your journey into Writing.com and why you have remained until this day. (each sentence should be a bullet point - a list of sorts - do not send it in paragraph format) Petra's Prompt: 25 years of Writing.com. Let's celebrate! Guide us through your writing life at WdC. Ups, downs, hiatus? What happened with you being part of this wonderful community?  1. I joined WdC July 11th, 2023, a little over two years ago, ultimately because of AI. 2. It all started when I wanted to track down the title of a short story I'd read many years ago; the AI lied to me, but it recommended a collection of short stories by Roald Dahl, and I found it was free to read as a PDF, so I did. 3. I was amazed at his bold, zany, unabashedly weird writing style, and it inspired me to finally write down a kidnapping drama that had been stewing in my head for at least a decade. 4. Once I had it written down, I asked myself what the next step was: to get feedback on whether it could actually be considered “literature,” or was simply scribbled, pulpy ravings from a cobwebby mind. 5. I found WdC, posted the story "Virus"  , received wonderful, affirming, helpful, thoughtful feedback that validated my hopes of being a “real” writer, and within two days was gifted a year's Upgraded membership. 6. I never expected to keep writing stories, especially within the limits of a free account, but when I was anonymously upgraded, I knew I had to earn my keep and make their gift worth it, so I threw myself wholeheartedly into the community and never looked back. 7. At first, I was a fumbling Newbie, writing reviews a few stumbling sentences long, asking people to send me beautiful exclusive MBs when I barely knew what GPs were, and not entirely sure what I was supposed to be doing, but I made friends super fast and found myself embraced by a patient and loving circle of members who showed me how WdC works and encouraged me to reach for the stars. 8. The first ribbon award I received was for "Christmas in July" written for a contest hosted by Lilli ☕  9. The first story I wrote specifically to enter a contest (hosted by Gaby  ) was "Whose Side Are You On?" 10. I have entered every single Official WdC Contest since joining (except for the January 2024 Dear Me) and have placed in at least seven. 11. In February 2024, I was promoted to Preferred Author (Yellow Case) in under a year, an honor previously unheard of. 12. I've seen dozens of members come and go, and I'm determined to be loyal and stay on for as long as I possibly can, leaving a meaningful legacy for others to learn from. 13. I've met and befriended people from all over the globe, from all walks of life, from many different religions and perspectives and writing styles and abilities. 14. I'm in the process of learning how to be a better human being, navigating interpersonal communication challenges and doing my best to abide by the rules. 15. My experience hasn't always been rosy; sometimes I am to blame for pushing people away by my impulsive or even obnoxious behavior, for which I apologize and promise to do better, leaving the door open for reconciliation. 16. I constantly strive to improve myself and my writing craft, maintaining consistent goals and always ready to take on a new challenge, an untried genre or a new style, no matter how daunting it appears. 17. Unbelievably, I have not yet spent a single penny of real money on WdC, supporting myself through my hard work and the generosity of others. 18. WdC has helped me grow and mature from a solitary, inward-facing, obsessive, parasocial person to someone who values real relationships, who can look objectively at myself: my hobbies, quirks, opinions, and worldviews; and write about them in a clear and sane way so others can see me as a fully developed, thoughtful and relatable human being. 19. I've learned countless tips, tricks and best practices for writing compelling stories and heartfelt poetry; if I had to tag everyone who's taught me something about writing since I've been here, it would be a very long line! 20. In the same vein, if I had to tag everyone I consider a friend here, the list would stretch across the room! 21. Some of the delightfully frenzied content creation and reviewing activities I've participated in here include: Game of Thrones, Musicology Anthology, Tour de Ports, the 23rd Masquerade, Resurrection Jukebox, Soundtrack of Your Life, Poetry Pals, seven straight days of Writer's Cramp, Kiya's Wonderland, Rachel's Beatles Challenge, I Write, 48 Hour Media Prompt, and probably several others I've forgotten about! 22. One of my favorite standalone stories I've written so far is also one of my longest: "Tools of the Trade" 23. One of the most wonderful, exciting and challenging projects I've taken on was the 2025 Musicology Anthology, where I traced the life of a detective and his family across fourteen short, interconnected yet independent stories inspired by an album full of newly released demos from my favorite band "Reflections" 24. I own one exclusive MB, commissioned via funds donated by Sung'manitu  "Love is Best When Shared" 25. I want to finish by wishing The StoryMaster  and The StoryMistress  the very best in everything they do, blessings for their family, and a heartfelt thanks for creating such a wonderful, supportive and educational environment for writers of all stripes to grow and thrive!Words: 844. |
| This is the first track in my blog series of seven songs for Jeff's 2025 edition of the Barrel of Monkeys challenge. We're required to choose songs related in some way to the number 25. I've chosen OneRepublic's Beautiful Colors because it was released this year, so fits the rules. Beautiful Colors marks several milestones for OneRepublic as a band: their 20th anniversary, their first single released under a new label, an adjustment in their public image indicative of an upcoming album, and their third and final song released for an anime soundtrack. What it Sounds Like With a slow, emotional buildup, sweeping synths, Ryan Tedder's signature melisma, and a backing cello, Beautiful Colors has “all the feels” of a classic OneRepublic song. It particularly reminds me of tracks from their 2016 album, Oh My My, which I chose as my 2024 Musicology Anthology collection. Ryan, lead singer and producer for his band, explained the professional decisions behind the song's production style in a Billboard interview prior to the release. He pretty much described exactly the kind of song I prefer to hear from 1R. This was good news, because I didn't care for the other two songs they made for the anime series, Nobody and Invincible. The production on those was too slick: modern, prepackaged pop. Even the acoustic version of Nobody doesn't click, because Ryan didn't bother rerecording more muted vocals over the admittedly pretty guitar line. Beautiful Colors, however, is designed to be the “perfect” 1R song, the kind that gives you chills and vibes a certain way. What It Means Lyrically, it's a theme written to resonate with as many people as possible: “you're beautiful. I see you. Don't hide your light under a bushel.” It's a gentle affirmation of one's value in a world where people are measured by how many Instagram followers they have or how much hustle they can squeeze into the day. If one doesn't fit into the boxes, one tends to feel invisible. Especially these days with so much AI content going around, it's important to remember the true value of a human being. The music video is rather ridiculous, in my opinion, and bears no connection to the lyrics. I will not be embedding it. Personal Significance I'm too mature these days, and Ryan is too much of a polished professional, for me to attribute a whole lot of personal meaning to the song. There was a time when I would have listened to Beautiful Colors with starry eyes and said “it's like he's talking to me!” and read my own story into his words. As it is, I find it comforting to hear because it's a style I know and love. I was beginning to wonder if OneRepublic was going downhill stylistically, with formulaic, soulless sonic patterns produced mostly to make viral TikTok soundbites out of. After all, their tracks are definitely getting shorter and simpler. Beautiful Colors runs only two minutes and forty seconds, plus a mysterious fifteen seconds of silence at the end. Like most 1R songs lately, it has no bridge, lyrical or otherwise, nor even a hint of where one would be. I'm happy with it because it shows me Ryan Tedder is well aware of what the fans enjoy and what kind of music best fits our perception of his band. Even if he's doing it more commercially and formulaic-ly, twenty years down the road from where he began, he still knows how to cut “all the right moves.” Words: 585. |
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I’m fortunate that wasn’t my “calling” phone, just my “scribbling“ one. Hope I didn’t sound overdramatic 
