He did it! My son graduated high school last night! After years of hard work, then months of anticipatory events like the Senior-Alumni lunch to Baccalaureate Mass and finally graduation! The ceremony was meant to take place at the school football field, but the cold and rain moved it indoors to a nearby church. Nothing else changed, it started at the same time and arrival times were the same, but it was much more comfortable inside the church than it ever would have been if the outdoor ceremony went as planned.
My parents and my sister-in-law and nephew also attended, too, so he had plenty of family support than he did when we lived in Arizona, away from most of our family. It was a normal ceremony – speeches by the valedictorians and salutatorian, some programming by the faculty and staff, the calling of names and receiving of diploma covers. After that, there was a presentation of academic medals – and he earned one for his work in the broadcast journalism class he’s taken the last three years. It was a nice surprise and a great feeling for him (and for us) that he was specially awarded for such hard work.
After the ceremony, we met for pictures and for him to talk to the family that came and take pictures. Between all the cameras we probably have hundreds of pictures. When family left, we went home, changed, and went out for a celebratory dinner at one of his favorite restaurants.
I could go on and on talking about every single moment of the evening, but I won’t. If you’ve been following my blog at all this school year, you know this is the ultimate event.
Do you remember your high school or college graduation? What’s your fondest memory of your time in school? Let’s talk on Facebook!
I guess it’s my turn at this blog thing. I really should have one for my law firm, but no business really needs an online presence in a town like Glass. Everyone knows everyone, and the town news website makes sure everyone has the news on the latest events and goings on. Even when it comes to The Glass Creek Murders.
They’re the first major crime this town has seen in over 20 years. It seems every lawyer in a ten-mile radius is involved. Seems strange for such a small town incident. It must be bigger than that. Either way, I know Ell is on it, so everything will turn out for the best.
What I’m concerned about in the case is my client. They are a minor, and one of the only potential witnesses to the crime. This person is really between a rock and a hard place, and the case has spoiled what should be a memorable time in life. I hate that their memories will be sullied by this.
So, I suppose you want to know more about me, right? I could give you the bio that I provide for business dealings, and what would probably go up on a website if I had one. My name is Jefferson Concord, but people call me Jeff. My parents told me it’s a mix of the name of the street they grew up on and the name of the street we were living on when I was born. Personally, I think it sounds like a stuffy upper-class name like some of the other lawyers in town. (Don’t tell any of them I said that). I do wonder if it’s part of the reason some of them became lawyers. I know it’s not, but could you imagine a guy named Jefferson Concord being a high school math teacher? Or someone who drives a trash truck, or some other badly perceived job because it doesn’t require an advanced degree? I guess we land where we land though, right?
I love the law, and not just because of my name or my social status. It’s always been interesting and a passion of mine. I knew in high school after my government class junior year that I wanted to influence the law somehow. Whether it was judge, lawyer, or legislator, I’ve always wanted to make a difference. Sure, you can say anyone can make a difference in any job or career, but these careers have a direct impact on how society is run.
You probably think a lawyer doesn’t have much fun, but you’d be wrong. I have hobbies, albeit somewhat boring ones. But they keep my mind engaged while not necessarily working. I love to read, play tennis and golf, kayak and boat, or go hiking and camping. I haven’t had much time for those since this case began, but I’ll get back to it.
What else would you want to know? I’m so wrapped up in this case right now I can’t really think about anything else, not even myself. Just work, and my young client. If you do have any legal needs and are in the area, my door is always open and I’m always taking on new clients. Wait, I don’t want my last words to be an advertisement.
A lot of lawyers are so wrapped up in their work they forget to come up for air. I try. I really do. I aspire to a family life one day, I just need to find the right person – who’s not a lawyer or other busy professional.
I won’t go into my childhood or anything, but like most other people who live or work here, I grew up here. If you do escape to go to college or a job for a while, somehow we all end up back here. It must be a magnetic force that pulls us all back. I don’t mind. I love it here and wouldn’t have it any other way.
AI. Artificial Intelligence. It’s taking over much of the creative processes in our world, and writing is no exception. I substitute teach at my son’s high school, and students are talking about writing essays during class periods so teachers can be sure no one is using AI. My son himself was accused of using some sort of AI for an English paper, only because his research and outlining methods were scattered. He was writing notes and portions of his paper in various places whenever he was working on it. He had bits in Google Docs on his iPad, he had another part in an app on his desktop at home, and yet another location he’d written in. Rather than re-writing it all in a single spot, he copied and pasted each section into the main document. RED FLAG!
Sadly, rather than speaking to him first to get his side, the overuse of AI had the teacher automatically assuming he used AI and was ready to mark him down without even receiving an explanation or proof. Thankfully, he was able to retrace his steps and show his thought and work process and the teacher accepted it, albeit still questioningly.
So, Am I AI? The short answer is no. I have a writing business where I write website and blog content for businesses. My name is not typically on the work since I’m ghost writing for these companies. However, with my 30 years of writing experience and 2 years of professional writing experience, my work takes on the perfectionism achieved by AI. I’ve never been accused by a client of using AI, and while I may need to research their industry to write with authority, I’ve never used AI.
This story comes from a client where one partner solicited a website build without consulting the other. The other partner had intended on building the site himself, and employing me to do the content writing. I hated missing out, but I understood. However, the partner who solicited the website neglected to have the website building company separate the two websites the company needed as their two businesses are unique enough from one another that each deserves its own site. I was once again commissioned to do the writing.
This previous website design company apparently had some sort of deal to use the client’s website as part of their portfolio for future clients to check out. An employee of that company logged on to find that the site had been changed, by the clients as well as myself posting blogs. They assumed the site had been hacked and their work had been replaced with a bunch of AI articles! I have a feeling they didn’t read these articles, as they all apply directly to the businesses and industry and aren’t “sample” or “placeholder” articles they had left.
I wanted to laugh, but also couldn’t help but be offended, too. It’s nice to know my work is perceived as so well-done it seems to be AI, but at the same time it’s insulting to both me and the client to assume the unique work on the website is AI because it wasn’t done by them.
To be clear, I’ve never used AI writing tools. Everything is mine, and if it’s not, I will site my sources. Have you had any incidents with AI accusations with your unique work? How did you handle it? Let’s talk on Facebook!
I announced last week I have a new work in progress, or WIP. This WIP will actually be organized from the get-go, so hopefully it won’t take nearly as long to outline, draft, or write. I’ll get into a groove and be producing books on a tighter, more predictable schedule.
While the book is in the hands of an editor and I work on this new WIP, there are some other tasks to be completed for Midnight Splash. Like finalizing front and back matter (the title page, dedication page, acknowledgments, etc. that everyone flips past), and the cover.
I’ve been talking about firsts, lasts, beginnings, endings – whatever you want to call them, this week. Because a lot of that has been happening. As I’ve said before, it’s my son’s senior year of high school and all of the activities that go into the end of that particular year are starting to take shape.
I didn’t think things for my debut novel would be happening at the same time. In 2024, I had hoped to hit Publish on Midnight Splash the morning of January 1, 2025. But since books aren’t my first and only income, life and work got in the way. But just this past Monday I arranged to have the book undergo a professional edit and proofread. I’ve done those things in the past, but I just can’t catch all of it in my own work. I’ve found someone I like and trust, and if you look hard enough, you’ll see her and her company mentioned in the acknowledgments for Midnight Splash.
But enough about that for now. I have to not think about it so I can move forward with the new. Yes, the NEW! I have started a new book. It’s still taking shape and in the outlining phase, so I’m not ready to spill the beans quite yet, but Detective Ellison will be getting a virtual workout when it comes to solving this one!
