Set in the future.  How far in the future depends on the impact of Generative AI on creative writing or in fact any form of written communication.

College Counseling

“You wanted to see mr, Mr. Downing?’

“Yes, please have a seat, Xue.  It’s about your college applications, in which you state that you intend to pursue Written English and Literature as your fields of study.”

“That’s right.  Was there something wrong in the way I presented that?  Was it unclear?  Was I unconvincing in the video?”

“No, no, your presentation was fine.  In fact I’d judge it to be among the top college application videos that I’ve ever reviewed.”

“Thank you, Mr. Downing.”

“No, it’s not about the video.  It’s about your choice of field of study.  Why Written English and Lit?  You must realize that Written English is a dying if not dead subject.  I mean it’s like studying Sanskrit.  Unless you plan to go into a college teaching career—and how many of those are around—how would you make a living?”

“I just find that reading the original words of stories and novels is fascinating.  How the authors put words and sentences together to create a personality, an environment, and an emotion.  To study each author’s way of crafting their work to get their ideas across.”

“Well I see that you are taking four years of Written English to fulfill your language requirement.  And you did very well—straight 4.0s.  I’m curious.  How did you, a second generation immigrant, become so fascinated with studying English and not aim for something in college more practical and rewarding like law or medicine or AI?”

“My introductory ninth grade class was taught by Mr. Ngawa.  He is an immigrant too and yet he made reading the original words so fascinating.  He said that not being born into the language gave him a fresh viewpoint and appreciation of it.  He’s even working on a novel himself now.  So I think his class was the biggest influence on me.”

“Well, you certainly did well in his class.  But I’m not sure Mr. Ngawa did you any favors by getting you hooked.  Fully written-out English is hardly in use now.  When there are written communications, it’s mostly txt characters and icons.  So much faster and clearer than even phoning.  And using the speak-to-txt app, means you don’t even have to type.  All instructional manuals are in video formats.  Podcasts for information and opinion.  Written English is just not a very practical major in our present society.”

“I know you want to help me, Mr. Downing, but reading the actual words that a writer uses gives me a connection that txt and icons don’t.”

“Xue, if you are talking about the so-called master works of fiction, they have been all put into visual form and, with music added, they convey the emotional content as vividly and clearly, perhaps even more so, than the printed word does.  Now take Shakespeare.  The video versions of his plays are in the language we use today so that they are easier to understand and their content is more accessible.  Why would you want to read them in their original form and struggle to decipher his archaic English?  And if you prefer to actually read from the printed page, there are manga adaptations of many “classic” novels that use the actual author’s words, though abbreviated to fit the manga format.” 

“I realize that I could make more money studying something else in college.  If you look at my math scores, they’re all 3.9s and 4.0s.  But that’s not where my heart is.  Maybe I could end up making a living by teaching or even writing.”

“Xue, even in the area of current creative writing, authors frame their work for the video and audio formats, not for the printed page since no one reads anymore.  The scripts that are used in movies, television drama, and immersive, interactive first person adventures are AI generated.  Or largely so.  The same with technical instructions.”

“I know you have my best interests at heart, Mr. Downing, but I’m aware of the situation.  I’m willing to take my chances.  Even if I have to work at service jobs for a while until things click for me.”

“Well—-bravely spoken, Xue.  Do your parents know of your plans?  What do they think?”

“They are from the old country, but they are willing to let me try to find my own path, although I know they would rather have me follow a more conventional route like medicine or engineering.  I told them I would try to do it without their support.”

“Xue, I just wanted to be certain that you know what you’re getting into before you’re too far along this senior year to change.  It looks like you are aware of what you will face.  I’ll help you in any way that I can.  If you should decide on pursuing something else, please let me know.  Otherwise, good luck with following your dream, Xue.  I’ll schedule another meeting with you for February.”

“Thanks, Mr. Downing.”