I Told the AI to Edit My Book

7-40 Challenge | Round 4, Day 23 Earlier this year, I finished my first novel — 105,000 words of a YA superhero story set in the 1990s. It needed editing. I had Claude. I figured this would be straightforward. I said, essentially: let's edit this. The AI started rewriting my story. Not editing — recreating. … Continue reading I Told the AI to Edit My Book

The Wing-It Tax

7-40 Challenge | Round 4, Day 17 I was 19 and a bit unobservant. I signed up for what I thought was personal finance. I wanted to learn how to balance my checkbook. I ended up in fundamentals of business finance, learning bond valuation. I did what I always did in college — I winged … Continue reading The Wing-It Tax

Dare Mighty Things (Fifteen Years Later)

7-40 Challenge | Round 4, Day 16 In 2011, I wrote a short passage about a prisoner escaping a cell. He finds a footprint on the floor — proof that someone walked this path before him. He picks up a sword and feels something pulse through his arm. He remembers: I am a warrior. I … Continue reading Dare Mighty Things (Fifteen Years Later)

The Surgery

7-40 Challenge | Round 4, Day 14 I used to think that when I finished writing something, I was done. The story was out. The work was complete. Move on to the next thing. That was shortsighted and a little arrogant. I'm sitting in a coffee shop tonight working on the editorial pass for my … Continue reading The Surgery

The Volume Group

7-40 Challenge | Round 4, Day 12 There's a story about an arts professor who split his pottery class into two groups. The first group only had to produce one piece for the entire year. One shot at perfection. The second group was graded on volume — they had to produce as many pieces as … Continue reading The Volume Group