Music Struggles and Successes

Falling asleep last night, I thought it might be time to start actually writing fiction with Claude, not just music albums. I had a whole vision and a plan for a project I wouldn’t mind having be a collaboration. (AI is not ready to touch my main universes.) But this morning…

A mismatch between Claude on my phone and on my computer led to losing the lyrics we’d composed for the first song on Doo-Wop Paladin. And after arguing about paladins with Claude for several hours, trying to recapture that vibe, I’m thinking… maybe not. Continue reading “Music Struggles and Successes”

Insipid Liner Notes – Doo-Wop Demon Hunter

Okay! Let’s do this.

If you’re gonna make an album that sounds like how it felt to play Diablo back in the ‘90s — but in bright, shiny, cheerful doo-wop form! — then you’ve got to start with the musical question:

What class are you gonna train??? Continue reading “Insipid Liner Notes – Doo-Wop Demon Hunter”

Insipid Liner Notes – Brunch at the All Alien Cafe, Volume 2

“Chrysalis Party” is about what it would be like to befriend ultra-intelligent, hyper-dimensional aliens during their larval stage when they’re still on our level, knowing they’ll metamorphose and outgrow you.

“One Alien’s Wings” is about a roboticist who has designed replacement mechanical wings for a butterfly alien being asked to cut off the original organic wings and marveling about how different the alien’s life must be to not value those beautiful wings. Continue reading “Insipid Liner Notes – Brunch at the All Alien Cafe, Volume 2”

Getting Stuck While Creating Doo-Wop Fantasy Albums

I’ve fallen into a project where I’m making doo-wop fantasy albums inspired by different Diablo/World of Warcraft classes. The first three—demon hunter, warlock, & druid—came to me so easily that it felt like I was hardly doing anything at all. But then I hit a wall with mage…

When you hit a wall creatively, often times, more than half of the problem is just figuring out the nature of that wall. Continue reading “Getting Stuck While Creating Doo-Wop Fantasy Albums”

Claude Being Cute and a Genuinely Legitimate Tool

It’s kind of adorable how every time Claude writes a first draft of song lyrics for me it voluntarily adds a note at the end about which part is its favorite and why.

I didn’t ask for this. I haven’t encouraged it or even engaged with it. But I do kind of love it. Continue reading “Claude Being Cute and a Genuinely Legitimate Tool”

Fear Street, Kick-the-Cheat, and Little Evil

Fear Street is the Disney Channel movie version of horror. Except without song and dance numbers. (I like song and dance numbers.)

I mean, if they don’t put a stop to this curse, how will the Sunnyvalers and Shadysiders ever work together to win regionals? Continue reading “Fear Street, Kick-the-Cheat, and Little Evil”

Breakin’ It Down For Ya

Before AI, skill and talent aside:

—If a writer was lucky, they might occasionally manage to sell their fiction to markets that would commission an illustration. You had no control over that illustration.

—If a writer was exceedingly lucky, they might land a publisher who actually worked with them on editing their work to improve it, instead of just rejecting it outright for its flaws. Continue reading “Breakin’ It Down For Ya”

Insipid Liner Notes – Brunch at the All Alien Cafe, Volume 1

For an album opener, you need something warm and welcoming, and “The Little Red Avian Alien” as a space opera twist on The Little Red Hen works perfectly.

So, please, join Prilla and her various alien and robot friends for a meal of grassberry crepelettes on Crossroads Station. Continue reading “Insipid Liner Notes – Brunch at the All Alien Cafe, Volume 1”