Machine Learning Engineer Writes a Novel (without using AI)

Key Takeaways

deep holy it happened go to charliewalks.com and you can buy my beautiful book anywhere in the world we talked about this for years that book I was writing all done out in the wild you can hold it flip the pages for five years from the first line I started typing the first draft then moved to pen and paper slower but the Rhythm feels better the same feeling as when I first learned to write as a child the Curiosity of the blank page teasing me forward six or seven notepads by the end then I type them up and retype the words four five six seven different times every couple of months going to the printer and printing the next version the printing clerk got to know me you're back they'd say I am getting up earlier and earlier each morning my tools sometimes coffee sometimes tea always walks always other writers looking out the window looking at the wall wondering where I'll go today where I'll go when my pen comes off the page when I pause when I sit back from my screen I care with an increasing amount how things look beauty of the highest standard even with words on a page it sounds silly with writing how can words on a page look good easy compare a legal term sheet and my new book I decorated my whiteboard with edits ticking off one chapter at a time some too long cutting them in two in three my high school teacher gave me a c in English deserved I wouldn't read that much either but this Charlie walks I did it Paulie oh I did it I wrote a book I'd like to read I think you will too you're in it after all those stories we talked about the man on the boat skydiver Rick the women the friends the enemies Raj all Raj all these characters you helped create you'll love the cover too Charlie's a fanamblist do you know what that word means well funus means robe and ambelo means walk in Latin so a phenomlist is a rope Walker or better a tightrope Walker Charlie the phenomlist Charlie the tightrope Walker why no spoilers now come on there's the blurb for that but I prefer fun ambilist a fun Walker I designed the cover with that in mind draw a man walking between City and nature a modern dichotomy many artists submitted their interpretations I went through them all and picked the one you see perhaps I should have gotten my computer to make one use one of those new generative artificial intelligence models Charlie me the main character is a machine learning engineer after all next time the digital version came out on my birthday last year but it's not the same you can't hold it can't smell it can't feel the tactile satisfaction of flipping pages and most important can't show it off on your bookshelf I lost a bet Paulie I bet Dave it would come out three years ago five hundred dollars a reasonable sum I better sell some copies he said not to worry about it but I have more self-respect than that it's here Dave and don't you worry my friend you'll get your money soon when the first printed copies arrived I almost cried my book poorly the book I'd like to read the book I'd like to write I picked one up and kissed it all those days walking past bookstores and public libraries holding the works of my gods and imagining one day my name being amongst theirs Ruby helped me unpack them and I got to work signing and numbering each one the first 150 copies I gave one each to friends and family far and near handwriting letters to put inside just like this one thank you thank you thank you enjoy my book it's the best thing I've ever made I been the accumulation of a lifetime of people and stories around me I as in me Charlie only took the time to put them down on paper hand wrapping the first editions on the floor sweating because of the summer heat because of the fire under my feet one to India Italy Melbourne Canada New Zealand this one's going all the way to Italy Alessandro enjoy my friend we've got a shiny copy here going to Melbourne enjoy surfing leaving them outside for the delivery person to collect one of them even got caught in a local flooding event and to public libraries a Charlie walks Hit List someone converted an old red Phone Booth into one out the front of homes old sheds old fridges saying hello to the caretakers this is a custom book and them saying I've got a book for your library beautiful this one's a custom one okay look at that number four thank you number five Beautiful chapter this one let's read the book to find out Andre Agassi oh my goodness that's quite the provocative book to have in a Children's Center but now we've got this character with a mobile camera I'm six losing count lucky number seven which is 109. chapter 7. first page I opened Another Day downtown Sarah decided to move overseas Germany I'd read Riders go to France the two were close we had a Riders who were technology nerds go it's the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meet Charlie walks I don't even have a DVD player number 10 ever number 11 22 outside of a dog a book Is Man's Best Friend inside of a dog it's too dark to read Groucho Marx oh it's a bit packed my goodness I'm just gonna have to oh will anyone find them wait wait don't answer that the fun is in not knowing like the feeling of watching birds fly behind the Clowns the Japanese call it ugen the enchanting mysticism of the unknown and the reverse Heist what a laugh I'll show you a video next time I see you I'm about to perform a reverse Heist so when you go into a place and steal something you don't ask you just steal it so we're doing the reverse of that there's a bookstore in there shopping center I'm going to take a few books in there and I'm not going to ask anyone I'm just going to put them on the Shelf so it's like a heist but in reverse plant these on the Shelf and walk out clear what up about my group ings man I'm wondering you know I heard later the manager wasn't happy they wanted to sue me oh goodness Paulie what have I done wrong to leave the books perhaps but forgive me for assuming the lightheartedness of a a bookstore owner towards a new author next time I'll just ask excuse me would you like my book I tried it one bookstore said yes another said no it turns out it's that easy you just ask I held a makeshift bookstore of my own near the water the local cafe owner Andrew offered a good deal anyone who buys a book gets a free coffee he said I printed signs buy a book get a coffee people loved it one of my primary school teachers even bought a copy it's incredible how supportive the world seems to become when you support yourself first I'll let you in on a little secret Paulie I'm My Own biggest fan I stood by my book and said hello this is what I've made many people said they'd always wanted to write a book some even had drafts waiting to be finished now they'd seen me seen my novel felt it in their hands it gave them a healthy dose of well if he can do it I fall in love with writing and if you told me a while ago I would I was going to be writing or starting to write a book or trying to do a book in a month I would have said you're insane and I would have been scared because that sounds like a ridiculously big project for me I sold out Paulie and I could order my copies for myself to sell locally but what about my readers elsewhere I asked a publisher to help and they said they'd never done fiction before but there's a first for everything wow again it surprised me what you can achieve by just asking they helped me with the formatting made it look even better than I could on my own we'll get our special printer to print the next copies they said you'll love the quality and I do I do I do the pages like a real novel The feel thick and solid the typeset easy on the eyes plenty of white space to let the reading mind wander the story oh you'll love the story science fiction but not too much Coming of Age love loss an up song and dance for the romantics enough technology for the Nerds I've gone on for far too long but I can't help it I'm sure you can tell how excited I am to finally let these words go and become yours I did it Paulie I wrote a beautiful book A book that's now available to buy worldwide a book I'd like to read and I'm sure you will too love always Charlie