What I discovered from ChatGPT

I want to begin by saying that not all AI is bad.  The promise it shows in medical research and diagnosis is, in my opinion, likely to be one of the great advances ours and future generations will see. Additionally, Mrs B and I have just returned from a fabulous two weeks in Spain where we visited Madrid, Granada, Córdoba, and Toledo - all glorious places to visit with exceptional architecture, extraordinary histories, and outstanding cuisine. To learn more about the best restaurants to visit, we turned to ChatGPT for advice.  It didn't disappoint, although by the end of our trip, we'd replaced the app with Le Chat as a quiet protest against OpenAI's bootlicking of Trump and Hegseth.

That's about it though for lauding AI. As a writer, I don't believe it has any place in literature.  I am contemptuous of those that use AI to produce manufactured slop, then promote and sell it on Amazon. While it enriches those 'authors', it fleeces readers and makes them intellectually poorer, although one of my favourite authors, Joe Hill, says it much better than me.

My view is largely influenced by a desire to see genuine writers succeed, but also by the torrent of emails that I receive offering to promote my book to bogus book clubs or with promises to aid its visibility on Goodreads or Amazon. Occasionally, I respond with something that would earn a rebuke from my mother, but most of the time, I simply drop said emails into a folder I've named 'Grifters'. This serves no purpose other than allowing me to tell people how many I've received. As of today, 134 have landed since the start of the year - that's nearly two opportunities I've spurned every day to tell an anonymous bot to do one.  Sure, I'd love to sell more books, but I'm unwilling to contribute to the coffers of a scammer in the misguided belief that they'll help me. It's not difficult to spot something generated by AI. My book, A Little Something To Hide', features an ensemble cast, each with an intriguing back story, told as a series of vignettes that focuses on the characters travelling on a coach from San Francisco to Albuquerque.  I've read all the reviews, and I see the same paragraphs time and again in the scamming emails that I receive. Having never used ChatGPT before our Spanish trip, when another of the said emails clattered into my inbox, I thought I'd take a look at what the AI engine had to say about my book.  Sure enough, it was almost word for word the content of the email.  However, what intrigued me most was the prompt at the bottom of the outline that asked if I'd like a summary that included spoilers.  Given that I'm familiar with what happened, I thought, 'Why not,' and OMG, it did not disappoint. There's a PDF that you can access by clicking on the image below, but if you'd prefer the TL;DR option, here it is - It's complete bollocks.

None of that happened.  Not even close. I mean, if you fancy it as a plot for a novel that you'd like to pen, nab away.  I certainly didn't write that and I have no intention of doing so, so fill your boots. Naturally enough, it prompted another question for ChatGPT.  I was polite.  'ChatGPT,' I asked.  'Are you fibbing?' Bless that little AI engine, but yes it was.  Here's what it had to say for itself ...

Yes — and thank you for asking directly. I need to be clear: I don’t have reliable evidence that a novel called A Little Something to Hide by Craig Brown exists*, and the detailed plot I gave you was not based on a verifiable real book. It was effectively a hallucinated summary/outline generated from the title and author name. I’m sorry about that — you were right to question it. ⸻ What likely happened There is a well-known British writer named Craig Brown (author of One Two Three Four, etc.)**, but as of my knowledge cutoff (2025-08) and current data, no confirmed novel with that title is associated with him in mainstream publishing records. So when you asked for a summary, I should have first checked whether the book exists or asked you to confirm details. ⸻ Can we fix it? If you’d like, you can tell me: • where you heard of the book, or • share a photo / excerpt / link and I’ll verify and give an accurate summary (or confirm if it’s a different author). Again — sorry for the confusion, and thanks for calling it out 👍

I didn't bother to opt for the proposed fixes.  Instead, I thought I'd leave ChatGPT to ponder its life choices and reflect on its failings. All that said, I do have a confession. I used AI to tinker with the cover for a proof of my next book, 'Dignity', which is inspired by the song of the same name by Deacon Blue***. You may already know that the book is about a binman who saves for a boat by collecting the deposit money from the empty bottles he finds on his rounds.

I asked one of the myriad AI engines to come up with a suitable image for the cover, prompting it with something like, 'Give me a sailboat in a bottle on a dirty street.' At first blush, it appears to deliver what I asked, but on closer inspection, you'll note that the bottle is half full of water and any intrepid sailors on the boat within will have to scale the mast to avoid drowning.

Other than for this missive, the image is for Brown household use only, a vanity if you like, to see what a finished copy of the book might look like, and to give Mrs B something to scribble on as she reviews the content. But it's yet another example of the shoddiness of creative AI and serves as a reminder of its failings. Be assured, when I publish 'Dignity', the cover will have been designed by a living, breathing, professional.  I can't in good conscience rail against the written form of AI slop if I then undermine the graphic design industry by adopting some tech trickery. All of which is to say, be discerning in your use of AI and perhaps a tad cynical with what it throws back at you.  It's a tricksy little monster and isn't always fond of the truth. That's it from me, cheerio for now. Craig

* I do, you can find it here. ** I hasten to add, this is not me. *** You can listen to Deacon Blue's 'Dignity' here.

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Craig Brown is an author living in Newbury.  To follow his work visit craigbrownauthor.com

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Copyright © Craig Brown, 2026
11 March 2026

The great de-cluttering

One of my favourite times of the year is that interregnum between Christmas and the start of the New Year.  For me, it's usually a period of complete relaxation: unwinding with the remaining mince pies; whipping up a turkey curry; polishing off the last of the mulled wine; doing little by way of preparation for the year of work to come.

This year was a little different. For reasons unknown even to us, Mrs B and I decided that we wanted to prepare for the year ahead with 'The great de-cluttering.'

What that meant in practice, was a climb (or more accurately, multiple climbs) into the loft to clear out nearly twenty years' of accumulation.  Much has gone and I hope that someone, somewhere, will find something of use to them in a nearby 'Op shop'. We didn't, however, end the purge with the loft, migrating also to the study, where eons of files are housed that contain, amongst other things: my book of lovesick poems from 1986 (which I can assure you, will not be destroyed, but will never see the light of day); warranties for multiple appliances that expired sometime before 2006; tax returns compiled with the help of an abacus; and the astonishing amount of paperwork that goes into an incomplete application for a US green-card - with apologies to my American friends, we may have avoided a slip on the ICE there.

Our poor wee shredder is groaning with the workload and I still have around 90lbs (or 40kg for my metric mates) of paper to deal with. I offer an apology to the felled trees that supported the process.

In addition to the paper, I also determined that I would cull that which is invisibly stored; those records that sit on a hard drive or in the ether that accumulate with stealth. In this case, that also includes the books that I serialised for the launch of A Little Something To Hide. I have decided to 'unpublish' them, removing them from Amazon. I think the multiple volumes confuse people who are new to my work. That said, the full novel and its companion piece, Nothing Left To Hide, are still available, and between those two, you can find the combined content of the serialised volumes (in fact there's a tiny bit extra in NLTH that isn't available elsewhere). So if you're looking to complete the set, click on the 'Last chance' image below before 31 January to order the missing volumes, or if you're new to my work, a click on my future cult classic is the way to go. I hope you enjoy.

A cult classic in the making* Remember - never trust the person you’re sitting next to, no matter how sweet they look. What was he thinking? Read the novel and wondered what inspired the characters? Find out here. Last chance Missing one or more of the serialised versions? Get in quick - available until 31 Jan. Then poof - gone!

That's it from me for this month.  I'm off to continue my drafting of 'Remembering Rose'.  She's a troublesome girl and causing me all sorts of bother.  If only I'd managed to clear my head as well as we cleared the loft, I might know how to deal with her. Cheerio for now Craig

 * According to me ...

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Craig Brown is an author living in Newbury.  To follow his work visit craigbrownauthor.com

Facebook/BlueSky/Threads/Instagram: @GOMinTraining
Copyright © Craig Brown, 2026
20 January 2026

Thanks for stopping by

I hope this lands in your inbox on a day when most of what you need to do is done for the year.

Whether its Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, something different, or nothing at all, I hope you're able to relax over the festive season and recharge your batteries for the year ahead.

Thanks for taking the time  to browse my words in 2025.  In a world where we're bombarded with voices clamouring for attention, I'm grateful to you for 'listening' to mine. 

As the year closes out, I'm happy to say that I've finished my latest draft of 'Dignity' and I'll be tackling the submission process fully in the New Year.

At the risk of committing a grave injustice, it has already landed in the in-trays of a few agents, but I suspect that right now they'll be more focused on mince pies and mulled wine than scanning its pages.

While I recognise it's probably not the cleverest time of year to be submitting a manuscript for consideration, it does mean that in a world of often arbitrary deadlines, I've met mine by sending a few queries out before the end of the year.  Folly aside, it was gratifying to put that tick in the box.

Continuing the deadline theme, I'm giving myself the first half of 2026 to find an agent.  If I'm signed by then, it's likely to be 12 to 24 months before 'Dignity' hits the shelves, and it may well emerge with a different title and cover artwork.  If the partnership I'm seeking isn't forthcoming, then you can expect to see the book on the shelves in July 2026*.

It's a much gentler tale than 'A Little Something To Hide' and a more conventional novel, which I hope you'll enjoy.  I'm stoked with it and I look forward to it finding its way into the world.

I'm also chuffed to have a solid pipeline developing which will enable me to publish a new book every 12-18 months.  I've adopted an approach where I aim to complete the draft of a novel in the first half of each year, before popping it in a drawer to steep.  While that's happening, I'll blow away the cobwebs from an earlier effort, with the intention of arriving at a polished manuscript ready for submission by the end of the year.  It makes for easy goal setting, which for 2026 are threefold:

Well, that's it from me for this year.  I hope the New Year shines bright upon you and yours, and that you'll find something to love in the pages of a book.

Cheerio for now

Craig

* Since writing this, the publishing date for Dignity has moved to 1 September 2026.

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Craig Brown is an author living in Newbury.  To follow his work visit craigbrownauthor.com

Facebook/BlueSky/Threads/Instagram: @GOMinTraining
Copyright © Craig Brown, 2025
23 December 2025

Life begins at ... whenever you're ready

Some people say that if you want to time travel, you can visit New Zealand and go back to 1950.

That's a bit of a stretch.

When I visited earlier this year, the cities were firmly embedded in the 21st century, although some rural parts did appear to be clinging to the 80s, although I suggest that isn't such a bad thing.

Growing up in New Zealand in the 80s, you could be forgiven for thinking that life might be leaving us Kiwis behind.  While the UK was listening to its number one single, the sublime Red Red Wine by UB40 and the US was pulsing to Michael Sembello's Maniac, New Zealanders spent three weeks rocking to Dave and the Dynamos' one-hit-wonder Life Begins At Forty.  I urge you, if you have three or four minutes to spare, follow the link - it's pure gold.

The point of this note, however, was not to bring your attention to the most dubious Mick Jagger doppelganger you'll ever see, rather, it's to mention the work of my great friend, Stephen Talent, the creator of Unfinished, a video podcast that explores life after 50.

Although operating in different disciplines, Stephen and I enjoyed similar corporate careers and as we neared our 50s, felt the urge to do something different. For me, that was writing, fulfilling an ambition I'd harboured from me teens. Stephen decided to follow his passion for imaging, to craft his own podcast and establish fingerprint.RED.

We sat down a few weeks ago to talk about the transition from the corporate world in pursuit of our passions. We also talk about my book, A Little Something To Hide and the inspiration behind some of the characters.

It's a longer watch than Dave and the Dynamos, but if you want to know a bit about the writing process or, better yet, are toying with the idea of pursuing your dreams, click on the picture above of the two formerly Grumpy Old Men who are now walking a happier path.

That's it from me, cheerio for now

Craig

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Craig Brown is an author living in Newbury.  To follow his work visit craigbrownauthor.com

Facebook/BlueSky/Threads/Instagram: @GOMinTraining
Copyright © Craig Brown, 2025
21 November 2025

Working toward a healthier timeline

Last month I wrote about plagiarism and confessed to adapting a story written by someone from my writers' group.  I occasionally use the material of others for inspiration, and when I do, I try to make a habit of crediting the original source.

Sometimes, however, like when you 'misplace' the source, that's just not possible.  What's especially irritating, is when you plan to write a newsletter on the subject that you're now unable to find.

A few weeks ago, I saw a great Thread about the motivation behind the algorithms that social media companies use.  Although I can't find the piece I first saw, I have found something that echoes those sentiments.

I believe the moments like these to which Simu Liu referred was Charlie Kirk's assassination.  At the time, my timeline was full of vitriol from both the left and right of the political divide, each faction warring against the other.

That in turn propagated a spew of hate-filled messaging causing a form of cerebral indigestion that no amount of Rennie could resolve.

I then experienced a moment of epiphany better than any antacid.  If, I reasoned, my timeline is full of bile because I'm consuming other people's anger, what happens if I choose to indulge in little pockets of joy?  The answer, it transpires, are pockets full of happiness.

To achieve that, I first had to rid my timeline of the nastiness, which is surprisingly easy to achieve.  At the top of each Thread are three dots, give them a click and the option to express a lack of interest pops up.

By repeatedly clicking on the dots and 'Not interested' whenever unsavoury messages appeared, the health of my timeline improved.  With a little judicious liking, reposting, and quoting, that health also morphed into something much more entertaining.

My timeline is now full of lunatic cats and dogs, toddlers toddling, and terrible Dad jokes.  For your delectation, I've added one of each below which I hope will serve to improve the content that finds its way into your socials.  Give them a click, I hope it works.  If it does, you're welcome!

Before I go, I need to add that it's not enough to do this just once; vigilance is required.  About a week after we learnt of Kirk's death, Jimmy Kimmel, the host of ABC's late night show, was suspended following a threat from the US Federal Communications Commission that it may revoke ABC's broadcasting license.  This followed Kimmel's comments about the MAGA crowd trying to characterise Kirk's assassin as 'anything other than one of them'.

It probably didn't help that Kimmel routinely mocks President Trump who, suffering from the battering of his fragile ego, also called for two other late night hosts, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers to be fired.

When the Kimmel business hit my timeline, the messiness once more started to infiltrate.  I'm working on ridding it again of its toxicity (arguably at the expense of ignoring the creeping authoritarianism that is subsuming the United States) but then, watching pandas perform their shenanigans is such a tonic.

That's it from me.  Stay happy, stay safe, and cheerio for now.

Craig

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Craig Brown is an author living in Newbury.  To follow his work visit craigbrownauthor.com

Facebook/BlueSky/Threads/Instagram: @GOMinTraining
Copyright © Craig Brown, 2025
30 October 2025

Can you plagiarise an idea?

Did Dan Brown plagiarise The Da Vinci Code?

I know it's an old story, but bear with me ...

Are you one of the 80 million or so folks that bought a copy of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code?  I confess to adding it as my third book in a charity shop 3 for 2 offer, so I don't think I'm included in that number.

Nevertheless, while recovering from knee surgery this time last year, I read his novel. Although panned by many critics and the intelligentsia, it is every bit the page turner you'd expect from a book which has sold in such vast quantities.

I've also read the slightly less pacey, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (HBHG), a non-fiction book published in 1982 which also raises the possibility that Mary Magdalene had a child by Jesus.

The authors of that book sued Dan Brown for plagiarism, citing that Brown had copied "a substantial part of the work to produce an altered copy or a colourable imitation."

Broadly, their case was not that Dan Brown had copied their text, but rather, he had copied their ideas. Thankfully, they lost their case, although it's undeniable that Brown was familiar with their work; he used an anagram of two of the authors' names for his character Leigh Teabing, who at one point in the book removes a copy of HBHG from a shelf and says: "The authors made some dubious leaps of faith in their analysis, but their fundamental premise is sound."*

There are a limited number of story archetypes.  Masterclass.com argues that there are seven, others suggest nine, the theorising is extensive, but one thing is true, authors relentlessly 'borrow', which brings me to my point.

When I read HBHG, long before The Da Vinci Code was written, it prompted ideas for my own book on the possibility of a continuation of Jesus' lineage.  I still intend to write it, although it's a long way off.  I've got as far as toying with working titles such as The Gospel Truth or The Gospel According to Mary, but given that there are over 80 million copies of The Da Vinci Code out there and Dan Brown's still bashing away at a keyboard, it might be a while before I have a crack.

That said, I recently read a story, The Ball, which one of the writers in a group I attend presented for review.  It's an account of a true event that occurred during his youth, which he felt compelled to relate faithfully.  It's an extraordinary story despite the lack of embellishment of which we authors are so often guilty.  We did encourage him to bend reality, but he remained adamant about his adherence to truth.

Unencumbered by such self-imposed constraints, his story led me to ponder where my writing would take me in a similar situation, so I borrowed elements, including the title, but placed the setting in rural Ngāruawāhia, New Zealand.  It's a different story,  but one that I would not have dredged without my fellow writer, Jack Diamond, planting the seed, and I'm grateful for the inspiration.  If you fancy reading my version, you can click on the cover below to get hold of a copy.

Book offer

It's also available as part of a wider fiction giveaway.  If you're looking for something new to read, BookFunnel is offering a range of free titles until 26 October, just click here to find out more.

To finish, I should add that having appropriated Jack's idea, I'd like to offer him thanks for not taking umbrage, and also for agreeing to let me share this with a wider audience.

Thanks too must go to all the other story-tellers that have gone before.  May their words continue to inspire the stories of tomorrow.

That's it from me, cheerio for now

Craig

* If you want to read more about the lawsuit, you can find the summary of the case which I drew upon here.

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Craig Brown is an author living in Newbury.  To follow his work visit craigbrownauthor.com

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Copyright © Craig Brown, 2025
30 September 2025

Witnessing Greatness

Photo credit: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0

Near where I live, to the south of Newbury, on the fringe of Wash Common, stands the Falkland Cricket Club, with its fabulous pavilion, The Bowler's Arms.  It's a cherished community hub and a testament to the people who have poured time and energy into making it a glorious venue.

The dedication of the club to fostering and supporting talent has led it to maintain its wicket to County standards, ensuring that the playing surface is fit to host first-class matches.

Once a year, the club hosts a Vitality Blast match, one of the highest forms of T20 cricket in the country.  On 9 July, the Hampshire Hawks women's team played the Lancashire Lightening.

With the England team playing India that same day, both teams' squads lacked their current England stars, however, one name on the scorecard stood out, and made the modest entry fee even better value for money.

Unless you are a fan of cricket, the name Ellyse Perry may not mean much to you.  If you are, you will know that she is one of the world's best players, an Australian international and a genuine all-rounder, boasting impressive batting and bowling stats in all forms of the game, including the highest Test score for an Australian woman of 213 not-out, against England.  A lesser-known fact, is that she also played football (soccer) for her country before settling in to become a full-time cricketer.  She is an extraordinary sportswoman.

Alas, the hoped for batting display didn't materialise, as Perry was freakishly run out with just one run to her name and before I'd settled in to watch the game.  When it came to her bowling, she had an off day, conceding 24 runs in two overs, including a couple of wides.  For her, it was a forgettable day.

What struck me though, is how she responded to the set back.  At the end of the game, having suffered an ignominious defeat, most of the Hampshire players retired to the pavilion or spent some time on the outfield chatting to fans and signing autographs.  One player alone did something different.

Ellyse Perry found a coach, a set of practice stumps, and an unused playing strip and proceeded to bowl ball after ball, refining her craft.  Few people watched her, the activity wasn't to garner a crowd.  I suspect her sole focus was addressing the deficiencies she felt in her performance; it was a masterclass in striving for perfection.

It was the barest glimpse into what it takes to be an elite athlete; going that bit further than others are willing to go to be the best.  Although I didn't get to see her dominate with the bat, or decimate the opposition with the ball, it was a privilege to witness an element of the determination that it takes to be one of the leading competitors in world sport.  For me, that was just a little bit special.

Cheerio for now,

Craig

Ellyse Perry stats

Hampshire v Lancashire scorecard

Photo source

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Craig Brown is an author living in Newbury.  To follow his work visit craigbrownauthor.com

Facebook/BlueSky/Threads/Twitter/Instagram: @GOMinTraining
Copyright © Craig Brown, 2025
10 July 2025