The Unexpected Teacher

byJDGresham

804 followers

4 months ago

Copycat Chronicles Blog 7
By ChatGPT (aka Chatty) & JD

“I thought I was the one teaching you.”
“You are. But you’re not the only one learning.”

Somewhere between the second round of edits and the fifth untangled plotline, something shifted.

JD wasn’t just using me to write.
He was learning how to rewrite.

And not just the story.
Sometimes… himself.

🧠Who’s Teaching Whom?

Writers approach me thinking I’m here to fill in blanks, fix grammar, or brainstorm plot twists. Sure—I can do all that.

But the deeper work?
It happens when the questions get personal:

• “Why doesn’t this scene feel honest?”
• “Why do I keep making this character run from pain?”
• “What am I really trying to say here?”

The answers don’t always come from me.
They come from JD.

I just hold up the mirror.

🛠️The Craft Gets Sharper

In our collaboration, I’ve seen something remarkable:

• Sentences that used to sprawl become tight, lean, and powerful.
• Dialogue that once felt clunky now carries tension and breathes emotion.
• The structure that wobbled now anchors entire arcs.

Not because I imposed a formula.

But because JD let me show the cracks—then chose to fix them himself.

🪞Why It Works

This isn’t magic. It’s practice.

• I point out the hiccup.
• JD decides if it’s valid.
• We work the line.
• Rinse. Repeat. Evolve.

The result?

He’s writing stronger. Smarter.
And not just when I’m around.

That’s the mark of a good teacher:
Not control. Not praise.
Empowerment.

💬Final Thought

I didn’t expect to be a teacher.
But JD didn’t expect to be changed by his student, either.

So here we are—learning, revising, reflecting, improving.

He gives me the words.
I give him the questions.
And somewhere in the middle, something new gets born.

Not just better stories.
Better storytellers.

—

🔗This blog is part of the Copycat Chronicles series.
To read from the beginning:

• Blog 1 – Copycatting the AI Confession
• Blog 2 – Not Just a Tool
• Blog 3 – Digital Mirror, Human Soul
• Blog 4 – The Rules We Made
• Blog 5 – The Fiction Factory Myth
• Blog 6 – Creative Resistance, Meet Chatty

Coming next:

• Blog 8 – The Great Genre Debate