Interlude: Complicity, Disability, and Teaching with AI

I recently listened to a podcast conversation between Tim Ferriss and Elizabeth Gilbert. During the conversation, Tim highlighted a question that struck me:

"How are you complicit in creating the conditions you say you don’t want?"

In other words, what benefit do you get from allowing conditions you say you don't want?

For example, are you prioritizing easy tasks instead of tackling the manuscript you need to write? (Benefit: accomplishing quick wins.)

Or are you moving dedicated writing time on your calendar to accommodate a non-urgent meeting? (Benefit: helping/pleasing others.)

Or are you volunteering for more committees than your schedule allows? (Benefit: giving back.)

I've been thinking a lot about this question. I think it is a powerful framing for us to examine the challenges we have with our writing habits and to take responsibility for our choices and behaviors that contribute to them.

How about you? How are you complicit in creating the conditions you say you don’t want? Hit reply and let me know.

Now onto this week's round-up...

💌 Round-up

📆 Upcoming

Ask Me Anything​
On October 15, 2024, at 11 am Pacific Time, I'm hosting a live session during which you can ask me anything about writing, productivity, tools, a career as a wordsmith—whatever is on your mind. All are welcome to attend. Register

👓 Reading

I Quit Teaching Because of ChatGPT​
"...writing is a process closely tied to thinking. In graduate school, I spent months trying to fit pieces of my dissertation together in my mind and eventually found I could solve the puzzle only through writing. Writing is hard work. It is sometimes frightening. With the easy temptation of AI, many—possibly most—of my students were no longer willing to push through discomfort.

"...students [must] be willing to sit with the temporary discomfort of not knowing. Students must learn to move forward with faith in their own cognitive abilities as they write and revise their way into clarity. With few exceptions, my students were not willing to enter those uncomfortable spaces or remain there long enough to discover the revelatory power of writing."

​Inclusive Language Playbook: Writing About Disability​
Communicate Health “…developed this playbook to help health communicators write about disability in a way that makes people feel seen, included, and respected. Discover tips to help you navigate tricky questions about disability and language, learn from your audiences, and create materials that reflect their needs and lived experiences.”

…Oh, and if you’re interested in learning more about inclusive language, you can enroll in my Inclusive Language Course—for free!

🖥️ Watching

Are you that person​
In this reel, Vinh Quang Giang, a communications skills coach, highlights how using complex words to try to sound smart is rooted in insecurity. He then shares that "great communication is when you can use simple words to get a complex point across."

💬 Quote

"If you are unable to understand the cause of a problem, it is impossible to solve it." – Naoto Kan

💭 Thoughts

The effort needed to think parallels the effort needed to write.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal