Oh, That Universe

In most of my work projects, there is one page for which I must write two single-paragraph blurbs on subjects of my choice. I have to choose the subject early on, because each gets an art spot, which I have to request from another department. But I hate writing the blurbs so much that I put them off for as long as I can. They’re almost always the very last thing I do before handing my projects in.

For years and years, I’ve wished for someone to come along and take this task from me. I’d be willing to pay. No kidding. I’ve even mentioned it in meetings, hoping some other editor might accept the offer. But no. So I’ve had to write them for myself every time.

But now, ironically, my prayers have been answered–by AI! AI could bang out those blurbs in no time. Not only am I allowed to use AI for this task, I’ve been encouraged to. But I can’t do it. To use AI for writing would be to cross an ethical boundary. Darnit.

So, on my latest project, after dragging my feet for as long as I could, I finally, grudgingly wrote the two blurbs and handed the project in. Then, last Friday, just one day before the project was scheduled to go to Typesetting, the art guy contacted me and said, “Art for one of your subjects is not available. Sorry I waited so long to look for it. What should we do now?”

Grrr. The guy had months. Months! If he’d just contacted me a few days earlier, it would have been fine, because I’d postponed it so long myself. And the answer to “What should we do now?” is that I’ll have to choose a different subject and write a new blurb. And I’ll have to do that very quickly, because the thing will be, come Monday, past due.

And I know it’s silly, but I can’t help but feel on some level that the Universe is mocking me with AI and punishing me with this little work snafu, as if it’s saying, “Time to get over your issues with writing.” And the Universe would be right, if that’s the message it were attempting to convey. I don’t appreciate the method of delivery, though. No, I do not.