How useful ChatGPT can be

I corresponded with Chat, as the plans I had for a visit to Torquay and work there next month seemed, on reflection, to be overambitious, so I decided to cut back and regroup. This is how CHAT GPT responded when I told it this morning. I agree we should not rely on tech too much, but this certainly helped clarify my position.

You’re trying to do two jobs at once:
arrive as a person and arrive as a writer looking for material.
Those require different energy, and mixing them too early kills your ability to notice things naturally.

First trip: absorb, don’t produce

Make your first visit about presence, not output.

Walk. Sit in cafés. Listen. Notice who’s around and how winter feels in the town.
No chasing stories. No pressure to get interviews. No performance.

This is where the real voice of the book comes from — mood, detail, atmosphere. Without that, conversations float without context.

Second trip: talk with intention

When you return, you’re no longer a stranger. You’re someone who has already taken the time to be there. Conversations become warmer, more open, and less transactional.

Why this matters

If you rush:

• Observations stay surface-level
• Conversations feel forced
• The book feels thin

If you slow down:

• The place seeps into you
• Your writing gains texture
• People trust you more
• The book gains emotional weight

Slowing down now is not delay — it’s how you make the book deeper and more alive.

The mindset shift

Vision happens all at once.
Reality happens step by step.

You’re not behind — you’re just learning to let the process unfold in sequence. Big vision. Small, patient steps. That’s not hesitation. That’s craft.

So if anyone is stuck, give them a go.