Heroes, Quests, and Whisper
Reframing Goals, Crafting Heroes, Storytelling a New Favorite AI Tool
Hey guys, here’s some things that stood out from my past week:
On the Writing Process & Rules
I read THIS INTERVIEW with writer Katie Cotugno which talks about her creative process. It covers how she creates first drafts, and how she gradually adds depth and characters. It’s always useful to me learning about character development, and strategies that different writers have for this. Some writers do have a lot planned out ahead, some others figure out things as they appear as on the page. Katie, is on this last camp, as she mentions on this quote:
“I can never tell exactly who my characters are before I see them walk around on the page, before I put them in situations and move them around.”
Another thing that stood out from this interview was the importance of balancing creative work with self-care. It may appear obvious but taking breaks, getting enough sleep, and spending time outdoors can impact productivity and mental well-being. This, in turn, has effects in creativity. You have no idea how many interviews and lectures I’ve read and listened from artists and creatives that emphasize the importance of this. Burning out or running out of ideas is a thing, and inspiration comes—not only by doing what you love to do—but by being in the right mental space.
A couple of more highlights I found insightful:
“I always feel like my first objective and obligation as a writer is to keep your attention for as long as I have asked for it."
“I love rules. I find rules incredibly freeing, and I think that’s why I gravitate toward romance."
On Heroes
I watched THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO which talks about crafting the “hero character” when writing stories. As someone who enjoys storytelling—and since a lot of my personal interests are related to the human condition, thinking, learning, art, expression, and knowledge—I’ve always been drawn to complex characters. Listening to this topic gave me a few insights about how we, as the audience, psychologically map ourselves onto the hero of stories.
In my own personal writing practice—mostly short fiction stories—personally sometimes struggle with making my characters too perfect. Learning that it’s not only okay but necessary for heroes to have flaws is liberating. The concept of interior conflicts mirroring exterior conflicts is something that I also found super useful.
A highlight which conveys the top insights from this video:
“The most important thing to understand about a hero is that their whole reason for being, their entire dramatic purpose, is to give the audience either the reader or a viewer a doorway into the story."
On Quests or Goals
I read THIS ARTICLE that talks about how reframing goals as quests can be a powerful mindset shift. Instead of seeing them as rigid expectations, quests can become "adventures.” This resonated with me because I personally do struggle with the pressure of goal-setting and the fear of disappointment. Viewing aspirations as quests feels more inviting and less daunting.
I appreciate how the quest mentality emphasizes personal transformation over achieving a specific outcome. Atomic Habits—an incredible book you have to read if you haven’t—goes more into detail about this idea. It’s about who we become in the process, not only what we want to accomplish. This perspective feels more aligned with personal growth and self-improvement, which I find more motivating than traditional goal-setting.
A few of my favorite highlights:
“The first problem is that goals are things you expect to do later, because they aren’t strictly necessary, and you’re currently busy with the to-do list stuff. You’ll do them, soon, but not quite yet. There must first be a lull in the noise and stress of normal life, in order to make goal-achieving feasible.”
“A quest changes you, not just your situation. Goals are practical attempts to change your circumstances. A quest is personally transformative – the endeavor itself shapes who you are, and what you’re capable of."
”Forming and achieving aspirations is how life gets easier and more spacious. It’s how people build skills, gain experience, invent things, declutter their homes and lives, start businesses, and enrich the mind with art, exploration, and creative work."
On Quicklook Plugijns
After trying a lot of open source alternatives, this past week I decided to get Peek from the Apple Store. I gave it a lot of thought because I’m not even sure the app is in active development, but being able to quicklook text or script files with syntax highlighting makes a huge difference for me. It makes everything so much more readable. I deal with a lot of JSON files, for example, and I couldn’t get something nice-looking with any free plugins I tried.
I learned about Peek from THIS REDDIT THREAD. If you’re interested in enhancing your Mac’s QuickLook functionality, I recommend checking it out. There are some useful free extensions mentioned there that you might want to try before investing in a paid option like Peek.
On Whisper AI
This past week, I discovered SuperWhisper, an AI voice-to-text app that got me very excited. I already have my own Alfred workflow (Kiki) for everyday AI tasks, TypingMind for more in depth-chats or requests, and MacWhisper for general transcription and subtitle needs, and still, SuperWhisper stood out.
I’d seen SuperWhisper mentioned before—it uses AI to transcribe audio and enhances dictation through LLMs. Initially, I thought, "Eh, I can already do that with Kiki.” Yeah, it’s true, Kiki can do “a lot” of what SuperWhisper does, but out of curiosity I downloaded it and gave it a try. After five minutes of trying it out, I was sold.
I really want to make a video about this app and tell you how I use it. For now, I’ll say that Kiki—my Alfred workflow—is excellent for users who want to pay for AI per use with their own API tokens or Local LLM models. It also uses a Shortcut for integration with Whisper’s API. SuperWhisper, on the other hand, is great for users who want to use local or cloud models without worrying about APIs and limits, and for users who want to do most by voice. SuperWhisper is not really meant for keeping back and forth conversations with AI (there’s workarounds for that though), but you can still do advanced one-time requests and you are not only limited to dictation.
Unlimited Sonnet 3.5 or GPT 4 was what attracted me initially. Then I discovered that even though you do a lot with your voice with this app, there’s a lot you can do with text. SuperWhisper can perform tasks on clipboard text, and it uses Apple’s accessibility features to read the text in your current app (this means I can ask anything about a note in Bear without worrying about $$$ because of context limits). There’s features that make this amazing, especially since there’s a lifetime option aside from subscription.
I know the AI landscape is changing rapidly and new/better models come out every other week, and $250 USD is not cheap for me, but Sonnet 3.5 and GPT 4 with a lifetime option at this price is something I’ve never seen. To be honest, I am a bit worried because this seems ‘too good to be true.’ I just don’t know how sustainable this can be, especially with power users using SW beyond its simple dictation/transcription capabilities (like me). After seeing reviews, and checking out the communication from the developer over at Discord, I did feel a bit more at ease. I just think that if lots of people get this, the option for lifetime will either become more expensive, or it may be removed, so I grabbed while it’s there.
A similar app to SuperWhisper, if you also want to check this out, is Flow, but their unclear pricing and business structure made it a no-go for me. Also, I have the impression it’s more limited in features that are not related to dictation.
Okay, I’ll wait to tell you more until I have a chance to make that video on SuperWhisper. For now, though, if you use SuperWhisper or want to give it a try, and if you use Alfred, you may also want to check THIS WORKFLOW I created for it.
On Cinema
My First Film (2024). I honestly do not know how to even start describing this film. It’s like a docu-fiction, and at the same time it’s like a collage of ideas and memories. All told from the perspective of the memories (or dreams) of a filmmaker. I really liked it, and if you are into filmmaking you may like it too. Synopsis: A young filmmaker, Vita, revisits her first chaotic attempt at filmmaking 15 years prior. Shooting a semi-autobiographical film starring her friend Dina, Vita’s eager but inexperienced approach causes the production to spiral into chaos, leading to significant disruptions and a near-fatal accident.
Rebel Ridge (2024). I usually stay away from mainstream action film since they often feel repetitive. This film had surprisingly positive reviews, so I decided to give it a shot. To my surprise, it was quite entertaining and offered a fresh take on the genre. Synopsis: A former Marine confronts corruption in a small town when local law enforcement unjustly seizes the bag of cash he needs to post his cousin’s bail.
Coup! (2024). I wasn’t sure what to expect from this film at first, but it turned out to be really good! It kept me guessing about the main character’s identity and the unfolding events. It’s like a unique blend of comedy, suspense, and mystery. Overall, it’s a pretty solid and refreshingly different film. Synopsis: A mysterious grifter appears on an isolated seaside estate claiming to be a wealthy family’s new chef. When a plague descends on the island, the mischievous cook rouses his fellow staff to rebel and take over the mansion.
The Rooster (2024). I never thought I’d see Elrond (or agent Smith) in a character like this. Synopsis: When the body of his oldest friend is found buried in a shallow grave, Dan, a small-town cop, seeks answers from a volatile hermit who was the last person to see his friend alive. As Dan gets closer to the truth, he must confront his own personal demons and he discovers that hope can be found in unlikely places.
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