The following questions and answers detail some of my thoughts and experience with reading, writing, and AI (which I have mostly interpreted as generative AI). I present this as a rather informal Q&A format, but to see how ChatGPT attempted to weave the same information into a more cohesive narrative, here is the link:
https://chatgpt.com/share/678a72be-1d2c-8004-8539-5a6595b495f8
I think the language of my responses below better captures the essence of my personality and experience, but the ChatGPT-constructed narrative does do more to create cohesion, as my prompt specifically instructed.
For what it’s worth, ChatGPT identified the central theme of the narrative as “the transformative power of language—how writing, reading, and thinking shape personal identity, intellectual growth, and teaching practices. It explores how these elements intertwine to create a lifelong journey of discovery, reflection, and connection, both with oneself and the broader world.”
Writing
What is your earliest memory of writing?
I remember writing “themes” in high school, probably 10th grade, late 90s. These were short essays on a given topic or with a given form. I don’t remember completing specific steps of the process, but they were handwritten. At least some of the process was done in class. Computers weren’t really an option from what I recall—not in the classroom. I don’t remember much writing on computers until college.
What is your earliest memory of being taught to write?
I remember learning to write in cursive when I was in third grade. It was difficult for me, and being left-handed seemed to make it worse. The pencil or ink would smear across the page and get all over my hand that didn’t have anywhere to go but all over the freshly scribbled letters.
*Note to self: It takes a bit of mental energy to dig around the closet of my mind’s memories to find this kind of stuff. I don’t poke around in this closet much—probably because the memory of learning to write might reside on top of some poorly hidden metaphorical skeleton.
Did your parents read to you?
I remember my mother reading to me. My grandmother and aunt more so. I cannot remember my father ever reading to me.
Did they have books lying around the house?
A few here and there, self-help type books maybe, but I rarely saw them read.
Did you have an influential school teacher and if so, what do you remember of them?
Since I have reading and writing on the brain, I do remember that my fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Reif, was a fantastic out-loud reader of fiction. She helped stories come alive and probably helped influence my relationship with reading/literature.
What part did reading play in your development as a writer?
Dr. Suess and Shell Silverstein books gave me an appreciation for verbal gymnastics and rhyme and meter when I was young. I have written a few short pieces of poetry in my life, and in some distant way, those children’s books influenced them all. Later in life, I was drawn to The Divine Comedy for both its story and style—same with Homer’s epics. If I write creatively (which is rare), then those works are serving as some kind of inspiration and maybe even archetypes.
Did you ever read a precis or watch a movie instead of reading the book?
Hell yeah, but I would prefer the gift of uninterrupted time and quiet brain space for reading the book.
Did you have an influential professor and if so, what do you remember of them?
Undergraduate: I had a film professor who I liked, maybe because we just got to watch movies most of the time and talk about them instead of the harder work of writing papers. He may have planted a seed in my mind that the job of a teacher/professor might be a decent way to make a living. He seemed pleased enough to be getting paid for what he was doing. I didn’t really understand the other responsibilities of a higher-ed professor though.
Before I committed to a concentration at GSU, Dr. Pullman convinced me to choose rhet-comp instead of literature and that I would have an avenue to study AI. He was right, and I am thankful for his influence.
Describe your writing processes and behaviors.
Part of my process is to internally think, think, and think some more. This often resembles what I would call an internal dialogue with myself. I would like to think of it like a dialectic where I am desperate to uncover the information I need to write and make appropriate/logical/original connections between that information and prior knowledge. It’s getting harder and harder to compartmentalize my writing project(s), and they tend to dominate my brain space. Honestly, I have had dreams recently where the topic of my writing/thinking has been the subject matter, and when I wake up, I even feel like I have worked something out while I slept. I really wish I could do more pre-writing in my sleep for no other reason than efficiency, but I am impossibly far from realizing that. Other than that, my processes vary and can be either relatively linear or more scattered. I sometimes feel like I get trapped writing a never-ending introduction as my thinking faucet remains open and active as write.
How do you teach writing?
Frequently. Is the short answer. It depends on the course though. For co-req/remedial English, I start by focusing on writing at the sentence level and then expand to the paragraph and essay—and then the research and documentation components of academic and/or persuasive writing. That’s the sequence, anyway.
For second semester freshman, I am taking different approach this semester. I am having them write one short first-drafty piece every week that is a response to an idea/quotation from the assigned course text (a self-help type book). I hope to teach them something about writing as we look at their works together as a class.
Reading
What is your earliest memory of reading?
Jurassic Park when I was in 5th grade—at the community pool in the summer. What a book.
What part does reading play in your writing?
Reading the way I do currently is probably way too analytical and inefficient, but the thinking patterns I develop doing that might be beneficial as a writer because I am used to mentally and linguistically trying to, for lack of a better terminology, figure stuff out.
Have you ever read a summary or watched a movie instead of reading an assigned book?
I wouldn’t have my degree in English if I didn’t. I don’t read efficiently enough, and I didn’t love most of the assigned literature enough to give it the time and attention it probably deserved.
Does listening to someone read a book provide you with the same experience as reading it yourself? Elaborate.
No, not at all. Two very different experiences. When I read, I am more in control of the pacing, which allows for more internal dialogue with myself about what I am reading. I also take notes when I read. I do not do that when I am listening, although I probably could if I really wanted to. Listening would be more efficient for me, but it would not allow for same depth of connections as reading does for me.
Opining
Do you have an opinion about the present state of the economy?
I am trying not to. I only have so many effs to give right now, and I am actively trying to give up politics. The state of the economy is too close to politics for me. I recognize that I am very privileged to be able to tune out like this. I am mid-way through a stable career that pays the bills. I choose to teach partly as insulation from concerns about the economy. Since I am studying AI, I feel like I might be further insulating myself (at least a little bit) from the potential negative impact AI might have on employment in higher ed. That’s what I have to tell myself anyway.
Do you have an opinion about NATO?
It seems to have served an important purpose of thwarting expansionist dictatorial powers. That seems worth preserving to me, even at a significant financial cost to the US.
Do you have an opinion about the relationship between sacrifice and faith?
I have plenty of both satisfying and unsatisfying opinions about faith. I suppose if you choose to have faith in one thing (particularly one conception of God), you could be sacrificing the chance to have faith in another–depends on how all-encompassing your conception of God is though. The faith I wrestle with for myself requires an acknowledgement of sacrifice made on my behalf and the duty to love sacrificially, so I see a strong relationship between the two ideas.
Do you ever use words you can’t define?
Yuval Noah Harari talks about how difficult it is to define fundamental concepts. I use words like love, faith, AI, writing, literature, American, and learning, all the time, but I cannot define them as well as clearly as I wish I could.
How comfortable are you with saying, “I don’t know.”?
It depends on the day, but I hope that I am getting more comfortable with it as time passes and I learn just how much is out there that I don’t know.
Thinking
Do you have an internal monologue?
I do, and I want to learn more about it. The theory of linguistic determinism says that the internal dialogue I have with myself in English could completely shape and constrain my thoughts. I know alternative theories say otherwise, but they still indicate a relationship between thoughts and language worth exploring and understanding.
Do you ever edit as your narrate to yourself?
Sort of. I think there is constant editing going on. It might be very similar to how LLMs predict the next word. I have to shuffle through my vocabulary to choose the right word in real time, so there could be considerations taking place that one could call edits.
What is it like to think wordlessly?
Probably some kind of combination of internal visual and emotional processing would be my guess. I am pretty sure my dreams are devoid of actual language, so there may be some wordless thinking going on there.
Is there a difference between rationalizing and thinking?
Rationalizing seems like a specific application or direction for thinking.
AIing
Have you used AI?
Yes. Specifically ChatGPT, claude.ai, and perplexity.ai, but AI is so embedded within other technologies that I probably use other forms without even knowing it.
How many times?
Intentionally, at least a few times every week.
Toward what ends?
I am using it (perplexity.ai especially) much more often as a search/research tool. I used to use it more experimentally out of curiosity.
Current thoughts about it?
It is terrifying and fascinating. Knowing what many of the experts say about it’s destructive potential and harmful present impacts on the environment, labor forces, and artists, I wonder if using it (even for educational reasons) could be contributing to a world that doesn’t align with my own values.