Professional athletes operate at the highest levels of competition, where they have to be at least just a little better than those they are playing against day after day. Unlike an athlete, a book is always in competition and in interaction with not just the books of its day but every book that has ever… Continue reading The literary and popular books that influenced my novel The Great Goldbergs…
Author: Daniel Goodwin
Being true to thine own self
There’s a lovely little scene in Hamlet where the pompous, doddering Danish courtier Polonius is sending his beloved son Laertes off to study in Paris. Polonius is not known for his deep insight and yet he offers Laertes some practical and timeless parting wisdom that culminates in the following: “This above all: to thine own… Continue reading Being true to thine own self
Oh the horror! The horror! A literary writer’s appreciation of Stephen King
I came to Stephen King late in life and indirectly: through his non-fiction. Growing up, I had the usual literary reader’s snobbish (and clichéd) attitude to the horrormeister. Literary readers and writers love to hate Stephen King, and I think he loves to be hated. It’s not just part of his image: it’s partly how… Continue reading Oh the horror! The horror! A literary writer’s appreciation of Stephen King
A human imagines ChatGPT whining about writing: I am prompted, therefore I am…
Pity poor ChatGPT. Since being thrust onto the world stage a year ago, the poor software program has been forced to articulate the thoughts and emotions of millions of humans, binge-read their scribblings, and respond to every request and prompt, no matter how trivial or inane. ChatGPT has been expected to write faster and more… Continue reading A human imagines ChatGPT whining about writing: I am prompted, therefore I am…
Here’s why all AI writing should carry a label
Note: This piece first appeared as an op-ed in The Ottawa Citizen on March 21, 2023. Since ChatGPT-3 was released a few months ago, we can’t seem to go more than five seconds without reading a sentence about — and increasingly created by — the AI software or its latest iteration, GPT-4. The speed and skill of… Continue reading Here’s why all AI writing should carry a label
The books on my shelves
I still remember the first time, in my early forties, when I realized I would never have enough time to read all the books I wanted to. I would not even come close. This is how readers conceive of and measure out their mortality. I imagine hockey players think about how many games they have… Continue reading The books on my shelves
Why would we want to outsource being human to a machine?
Note: This piece first appeared as an op-ed in The Toronto Star on January 23, 2023. There is a swaggering new genre on the writing block and it involves humans writing about machines writing. Writers are churning out pieces, presumably on their own, extolling the uses of AI writing programs, declaring the high school or… Continue reading Why would we want to outsource being human to a machine?
Channeling Churchill, Leningraders, and Roberto Benigni
The study of history, like that of literature or film, depends in large part on making sense of narratives, characters, and themes, all universal patterns repeating themselves in new situations and with new variations. As the world remains transfixed and increasingly galvanized by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the Ukrainian refusal to simply bow down… Continue reading Channeling Churchill, Leningraders, and Roberto Benigni
Writing for money?
When it comes to the question of how to write books for money, much has been written. The most half-hearted googling will unearth a treasure trove of titles purporting to teach you how to write the next bestselling novel or screenplay. Everyone in this confidence game appears to have a formula, not seeming to have… Continue reading Writing for money?
Literature takes a holiday
In the 1934 film Death Takes a Holiday, Death becomes human for three days so he can understand why people are afraid of him. This being Hollywood, he of course takes the form of a Duke, falls in love, and has to choose between letting his mortal love live but leaving her behind or taking… Continue reading Literature takes a holiday
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Daniel Goodwin 