A very happy new year to you, my friends! I mean it when I say I'm blessed to have you all on this journey with me. This year is going to be a fascinating one for writers like us. We're facing a moment like no other in the history of our craft. AI has changed the playing field beyond recognition, as writers everywhere struggle to get their heads around what it means for us. I’ve had a few people ask when my book on the subject, The Alchemy of Prompting, is coming out. I wanted to share a little of what’s been happening behind the scenes. When I first began writing it, I imagined a practical guide; a clear explanation of how to prompt well, supported by a few examples and frameworks. The deeper I went, though, the more I realised a simple overview wouldn't suffice. As I wrote, it stopped being merely a book about AI and began turning into the story of where writing itself is heading. Eventually, I realised the book was doing something quite new and remarkable. It was building a bridge between two formerly separate disciplines: the timeless craft of writing and the emerging craft of prompting. The raw material needed for that bridge was what I'd been teaching students like you for the past decade or more, namely, the four ingredients of great prose: simplicity, clarity, elegance, and evocativeness. As the book grew, it became more demanding, as I realised the subject deserved more than just shortcuts and enthusiasm. It required a proper treatment that honoured the intelligence of writers who'd want to use these tools without surrendering their literary voice or artistic integrity. I'm glad I let the idea mature before publishing a "good enough" book too soon. Now, I feel this may well become the definitive book on the subject, at least for a while. The final version is currently in the capable editing hands of our own @Nicolas J. I just wanted you to know that the delay isn’t because the book is stuck, but because it's turned into something I believe is far more valuable.

Facts tell, images move. A reader’s heart generally doesn’t respond to abstractions. It is aroused by images that stir the senses. Consider the difference: “It was cold,” versus, “Frost clung to the windowpane.”

Unneeded words slow a sentence down like sand in the gears. Light prose, by contrast, flies off the page. Learn to feel where the weight sits in a sentence, and then cut it loose. Example: “At this point in time” => “Now.”

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of you wonderful people in my community! Exciting times ahead in 2026, where I’ll have lots of new stuff to teach and share with you! Take care and have lots of fun as the year winds down, my friends! Thank you for your support and love. I really am honoured to know you all.

If your thinking is fuzzy, your sentences will be too. If the thought isn’t clear in your mind, no amount of editing will save it. Example: Before writing, “The system was problematic,” ask yourself: What system? And how exactly was it problematic?