The fan was adoring, half bending from the waist in a stiff posture that must have been uncomfortable. Probably, he wasn’t aware of anything but being in the presence of the Master.
“I don’t know how you do it,” he babbled, “thinking of these ideas for your books.”
On a whim, I decided to tell him the truth. He’d never believe me, anyway.
“Life. I encode a simple story into a bacterial genome. Let it evolve randomly over millions of generations. Read out the results. An AI selects the most surprising viable outcomes.”
The fan tittered.
.
Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge set by Rochelle Wisoff Fields to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here
Neil MacDonald Author 
The Muses of this world had better watch out. We’re all replaceable in one way or another. Great idea.
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Thanks so much, Sandra
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You couldn’t let it be, could you!
Clever idea, expertly delivered.
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Thanks so much, CE
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Truth is stranger than fiction!
The fan clearly doesn’t know his master!
There is so much going on! 🙂
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Thanks so much, Anita
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Perhaps AI could give my muse a noodge.
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It’s coming to a store near you
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Please master let your fan relax, 😉
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Fans enjoy the contortion
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I do like to let my stories evolve organically, but I think you take it to a new level 😉
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Don’t forget the AI
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Ah, so maybe that’s it, my stories are missing that intelligence…
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Interesting perspective. I like to let my stories tell themselves, too. Some grow quite a bit with many plot twists … a bit like this tree. 🙂 ❤
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I’m more for pleaching my stories
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pleaching? Never hear that term before.
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Nice play on words to go with the image!
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Sounds like cheating…
The story should scare muses into action. Mine just shrugged “idol threat”
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Muses aren’t cheating?
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Shhh you might start a rebellion 😀
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I’m worried about the fan. I hope he straightens out soon
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Thanks for being worried about the fan
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Very cool use of the prompt. And the giggle at the end? Pure genius 🙂
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Thanks so much, LInda
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Fans will believe anything!
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Anything except the truth
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I tittered too! Excellent.
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Thanks so much, Keith
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An insight into your own writing technique Neil?! Good use of the prompt.
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Just me and my microbes
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Well, that’s one fan’s gas at a peep! I love the story. What an original idea.
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Thanks so much, hen
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I knew there was something “special” about your stories, Neil. Your tale is science fiction at its best.
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Thanks so much, Jade
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You’re very welcome, Neil.
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Where can I find a fan like that? All I have is a 3-speed oscillator and a cardboard picture of Jesus with a popsicle handle.
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Pray to the plastic Jesus. Pray with all your heart
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So that’s how you do it, eh? (R)Evolutionary in the extreme. ;>)
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The bills for bacterial growth broth are exorbitant though
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interesting concept. like they say, all the ingrediends are out there and all you need to do is cook them up into a palatable dish.
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An infinite number of monkeys and infinite number of typewriters
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What a fun idea! I do hope there’s more to human creativity, though, otherwise there’s no justification at all for our presence on the planet.
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I think there may be a little more to it than that. Have you looked at the rubbish that computers write?
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Yes. There’s some quite interesting ‘poetry’; nothing I’d particularly read for pleasure, but with some unusual ideas.
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Sometimes, I wish it were that easy. Most of the time not, but sometimes.
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Just follow the formula
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Sounds perfectly plausible.
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Of course. How do you think I thunk up this idea
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A truly haunting tale. Wonderful!
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Thanks so much, Susan
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Looks like Muses are cheating with AI.
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Or perhaps the Muses are a cosmic AI
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Never thought about it that way 🤔
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Now, this is an AI I would be interested in!
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They already exist. They’re not very good though
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I like that the fan tittered, proving his/her point that anything he says will be taken as an all-adoring fan (;-) ) would!
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Thanks so much, Dale
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Now I need to read a story or possibly a scientific paper on this process! Fun read.
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Thanks so much, Anne
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if only they knew the truth. Let your mind fall into a trance and then type. When you wake up, sort out the mess.
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Yup, that should work
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This process explains a lot about some of the books I’ve read recently. What an original story, I love it.
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Thanks so much
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Great story. The life of a writer.
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Thanks so much
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Hahaha love it! What a concept.
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Thanks so much, Laurie
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Ha! Ha! Count me as a fan….walks away tittering
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Thanks so much
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The purpose if books. Considering all that come from trees, it does indeed bogle the mind to think of all the ideas planted.
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And to think of what carbon has become
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Love the scene you conjure up, the Master of AI and the babbling fan., very satisfying.
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Thanks so much. I was a bit hard on the fan here
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