You may have noticed that I read a lot. I’ve outlined my reading plans for 2023…
Read Moremy reading plan, by Terry Freedman
Can ChatGPT Create Good Course Outlines?
I’ve been experimenting with using ChatGPT to write course outlines, and for one of the courses I compared the result with the outlines I had already written (and taught to). The results were interesting.
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Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
I asked an artificial intelligence bot to write advertisements for my newsletter
I asked ChatbotGPT to write an advertisement for my newsletter in various styles. Here’s what it came up with…
Read MoreThe great American language
Who would have thought that an article inspired by the description “long ass” would go viral? Certainly not me. I hope you enjoy reading the article and, especially, the discussion in the comments section. You’ll get a good laugh if nothing else!
Read MoreCan AI write book reviews?
in Bookshelf, News & views, Reviews, Research
I thought I would test ChatGPT’s mettle in a rather self-interested way. I write a lot of book reviews — a lot. I have three books I need to review for an education magazine by 21st January, plus two books I need to review for other websites soonish, and I have to write a review of an exhibition for a different education magazine by next week <gulp>.
Therefore I have two (competing) concerns.
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writer, by Terry Freedman
How I earned $9000 from a free paper
Not many writers can make a living solely from their writing. (Figures released this month in the UK put the figure at only 19%.) Therefore, think creatively of other ways to make money.
Read MoreSeason's greetings!
Christmas greetings from Freedman Towers.
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Aurora and Terry, by Terry Freedman
Creative writing: My attempt to write a Carolean Verse Romance
I’m not known for writing poetry, much less in the style of the 16th century. But I’ve had a go, and I like to think that my poetry is a bit better than my art.
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Epistolary writing: an update
As you may know, I’ve been exchanging letters online with Rebecca Holden. We agree that we’d write three letters each. We’ve enjoyed the experiment so much that we’ve decided to continue with it after the Christmas break.
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Snow in station by Terry Freedman
A Sunday break
Here in England it’s cold, though not quite as cold as it has been, and walking and cycling are treacherous.
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An outdoor cafe, by Terry Freedman
Some creative non-fiction
I’ve written a piece called My Life in Cafés. I wanted it to be bittersweet, a mixture of pathos and humour.
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Review: Breaking the News
in Journalism, Reviews
It is easy to believe that ‘fake news’ is a modern phenomenon, brought about by social media and promulgated by politicians. Yet as the British Library’s event, ‘Breaking the News’ exhibition demonstrates, fake news – or that unforgettable phrase ‘alternative facts’ – have been features of news reporting for at least 500 years.
Read MoreReview: How to Teach Economics to Your Dog
You might wonder why I’ve included a review of it at all on this website, given that the target readership of the website is writers, and people thinking about writing.
Read MoreReview: Blurb Your Enthusiasm
I was commissioned by Teach Secondary magazine to review this book. I’ve included here both the review I submitted, and the lightly edited version published in the magazine.
Read MoreWriters Earnings in the UK 2022
in News & views
A couple of days ago I attended the launch of a new report into writers’ earnings in the UK. The quick summary is…
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mail, by Terry Freedman
Epistolary writing -- it's in the post!
Have you read any works written in the form of letters? Or have you written anything like that yourself? I've been interested in that genre for a long time, so I was delighted when, a few weeks ago, a course came up at the City Lit institute looking at epistolary fiction.
Read MoreQuick looks: Oulipo and the Mathematics of Literature
in Bookshelf, Quick looks, Oulipo, Reviews
Berkman has written an interesting and very academic examination of the links between maths and literature.
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Bookcase, by Terry Freedman
7 books set in 6 different countries: England, Colombia, France, Germany, Spain, USA
The news a few months ago that Annie Ernaux was going to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature prompted me to think that a round-up of reviews of books by non-English authors, or set in foreign countries, would make quite an interesting article. Some of these have been reviewed here before, but I thought you might enjoy having them all in one place according to a theme. Enjoy!
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Reference books, by Terry Freedman
5 reference works for writers, and 4 kinds of useful works
Specific books, and general categories. Some of these books have been reviewed here before, but I thought it might be useful for people to have all of them in one place.
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Someone suffering from FOMO, by Terry Freedman
Course: Writing For Blogs -- A Taster Nov 2022
in News & views
If blogging was a person I can imagine it saying, like James Cagney, "I ain't dead yet!"
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