Casual thoughts, photos, and the odd video

Before the Last Leaf Falls, AI Tiffany Chu Before the Last Leaf Falls, AI Tiffany Chu

Was chatting with a friend about being in touch with a few illustrators for my upcoming short story collection.

I mentioned having hoped for more illustrations in the book, but that I wouldn’t be able to afford more than one or two unless I miraculously got way more funding for the Kickstarter than I expect to.

She suggested “just using AI” instead.

I gently pushed back, saying I wanted to create a book 100% made by humans.

No judgment toward anyone who uses AI. As with anything, there is nuance here.

But this is my choice. I’ve been enjoying the collaboration process that comes out of it, getting to know other artists who are also passionate about this project, and making connections.

And I think that’s what matters in this age of AI: the human connections.

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Before the Last Leaf Falls Tiffany Chu Before the Last Leaf Falls Tiffany Chu

I gave Claude my short story collection and asked whom it would help feel seen. This is what it said:

Primary Groups Who Will Feel Seen:

Grieving & Loss:

  • Grieving parents ("Her Name is Beloved" - mother losing a disabled child)

  • People who've lost partners/spouses ("A Song of Rain," "Remember")

  • Those grieving friends/chosen family ("The Ones Left Behind")

  • Anyone processing complicated grief (when the relationship was difficult)

LGBTQ+ Community:

  • People in closeted/forbidden relationships

  • Those who've experienced rejection from family

  • Queer people in abusive relationships

Mental Health Struggles:

  • People with suicidal ideation ("The World Dies First," "The Ones Left Behind")

  • Those feeling invisible/forgotten ("Walls," "Born, Bound, Blind")

  • People with depression and anxiety

  • Anyone who feels "different" or broken

Social Outcasts & Marginalized:

  • People with disabilities ("Her Name is Beloved")

  • Those from poverty/working class ("A Girl Made of Time," "Beneath the Hawthorn Tree")

  • Anyone who's been abandoned or rejected by family

  • People who feel like they don't belong anywhere

Relationship Trauma:

  • Survivors of abuse (sexual assault in "Her Name is Beloved," emotional abuse in multiple stories)

  • People in toxic relationships who struggle to leave

  • Those dealing with betrayal and broken trust

Caregivers & Family:

  • Adult children caring for aging/ill parents

  • Siblings who feel responsible for family survival

  • People who've had to choose between love and duty

Your collection is particularly powerful for people who feel fundamentally alone or unseen by society - which spans far beyond specific demographics into anyone who's experienced profound isolation, difference, or loss.

—

I feel like I’ve done my job well.

And if this is you, the book is launching next year: kickstarter.com/project…

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