So for awhile now, I've been using ChatGPT in my writing endeavors. I know there's a fair bit of controversy over using AI in writing, and GPT in general, so I wanted to write this blog entry to explain how I use it, and how I think it can help other writers as well.

What I do NOT use GPT for
It's important to start here. While GPT can certainly write an entire story for you, that's not what I'm using it for. The quality of such a story is debatable, and using AI in such a way would be completely negating any creative aspect of writing. I'm no longer writing a story, I'm just using what is essentially a highly advanced article spinner to write one for me. I don't want to do that, and at that point, it isn't even really my work anyway.

I also don't use GPT to come up with characters or plot. There's a gray area here, which I'll get into, but again, I don't use GPT to just write for me. I decide the plot, characters, stakes, and everything else. ...

TGRF's Writing Updates - April

Another month is coming to a close, which means it's time for another writing update. Let's get to it.

Fan Fiction
As is fast becoming normal, no fan fiction is in the works. Ideas for fan fiction continue to come and go, but with progress on my novels continuing, I don't want to divert attention to pursue them. With the recent revival in competition interest, I will continue to participate there. Hopefully that can scratch the HS itch satisfactorily.

Novels
Progress has continued on the novel front. This month was almost entirely devoted to answering a plethora of unknowns I had accumulated while constructing the plot. Some were easy, some were hard, but they are all dealt with now. I will say that ChatGPT has become an incredible tool for me, as it is capable of understanding complex plot scenarios and providing solutions.

At this point, I'm considering what I can add to the story...

TGRF Reviews: the Alloy of Law

I was able to get my hands on the continuation of the Mistborn world - the Wax and Wayne series - over Christmas, and was able to sit down and read the relatively short first book recently. I wanted to get my thoughts down before I started the second book.

Since my recent ratings have been generally lower than I felt they should be, I've opted to stop rating individual sections or aspects of media in these reviews, and instead simply provide an overall rating which I feel is more accurate. I'll still offer my thoughts on the individual aspects as usual.

Ratings:
5: Amazing, above flawless.
4: Flawless, but doesn't really stand out.
3: Might have some issues, but works fine.
2: Has some issues which might detract from the media.
1: Flawed, bring the media down noticeably.

Title: The Alloy of Law
Author: Brandon Sanderson
My Rating: 2.85/5 - mostly...

TGRF's Writing Updates - March

It's been a bit of a busy month, and while my writing endeavors took a backseat a few times, they are still there, making progress slowly. So it's time to update you on where we're at.

Fan Fiction
There is sadly no fan fiction planned at this time. The DoD sequel is still there, but I have chosen to remain focused on my novels rather than divert attention to it.

So for now, there is still no fan fiction on the way. That may change with the possible revival of HeroScape and hopefully renewed interest in the fan fiction competition - time will tell.

Novels
Last month we ironed out a lot of the plot for the novels, and spent a good amount of time working on the stakes. This month has been almost entirely devoted to characters.

I have created and developed the main protagonist and main villains (there are two). However, upon attempting to flesh out a supporting cast,...

TGRF's Writing Updates - February

February is nearing it's end, so that means it's time for another writing update. I know, your month is now complete.

Fan Fiction
February started off with an actual idea for a possible fan fiction, namely a sequel to Dawn of Darkness. It's a good idea, with quite a bit of potential. It has some issues which I could likely fix pretty easily, but doing so - and working on it in general - would require me to take time away from working on my novels.

There could of course come a time when I need some time away from my novels, and at that point, a diversion into a DoD sequel might be just what is required. At the moment however, I am not working on the story. I've written down the premise and important details, and will keep it for if I return to fan fiction.

I will say that it would likely feature an adult Taelord, several years into the war, after all the units we know and love have been...