Flash, Mini Story

Rock Bottom

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for AI Drabble, a new challenge from
Mike Jackson where there are two main rules:
1) all written work must be exactly 100 words;
2) all written work must be AI generated.
We are provided with a word prompt and an image.
All ideas/suggestions are mine as interpreted by Claude AI.

Word prompt: This week we have a phrase. Something quite different to hopefully make AI really ‘think’. William Shakespeare was famous for his insults. So, the word prompt this week is an insult from ‘The Comedy of Errors’ – “The tartness of his face sours ripe grapes.” 

Life Is A Mess
Image from Mike Jackson @ AI Drabble

Look at me now—king of my own festering empire. Every failed draft, every discarded idea—you watch me decay here among my own failures. You think this is rock bottom? This is my palace, built from your pity and disgust. Each rotten banana peel, each broken pen—they’re trophies of my spite. You wanted me to fail. Congratulations! I’ve perfected it. “The tartness of his face sours ripe grapes”, you used to say. Come closer, admire the view. This porcelain throne fits me perfectly. While you clutch your pearls and turn away, I’m marinating in everything you feared becoming.


NAR©2025
100 Words

Nancy’s Notes: As per the rules of the challenge, I provided Claude AI (my app choice) with the prompt quote from Shakespeare along with the image and gave these instructions: “Create a dark and nasty story in exactly 100 words about a man who has hit rock bottom. He is full of rage, contempt, regret, and self-loathing.” What you see above is the finished product by Claude AI; I didn’t change one word. The song choice was my own.

This is “Down In A Hole” by Alice In Chains

All text and graphics are copyright for Nancy Richy and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.

55 thoughts on “Rock Bottom”

  2. I was VERY happy to read your response to Mike – glad it was a one and done. I will admit I was rather surprised you did try it and yet, I must offer you kudos for doing so, especially as it went way against the grain.

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    1. I’m curious about AI and I love that I can create images for my stories. I provide detailed instructions and make changes/corrections when necessary but all the ideas are mine. Having AI write my stories is like buying a frozen apple pie for Thanksgiving and passing it off as homemade. It’s lame! One time was enough for me to realize how boring and unsatisfying it was. If someone is too damn busy/lazy to write their own stories, then maybe they shouldn’t be blogging. Just saying.

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      1. Yes and good on you for using it wisely.
        I like that analogy. Frozen pie indeed. Exactly! You are a writer or not? You are definitely a writer who needs no help from no machine.

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  3. Susi did one of these (of her own, not as part of a prompt) and it is thrilling to see what AI can come up with. However- if I let AI do the writing- what am gonna do all day? I love AIC though you had to know that already!

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  4. Being such a creative writer I’m quite surprised that you took this challenge on! I’m concerned that in time the human brain will become nothing more than an unnecessary lump of gray matter!

    Having said that, the story’s OK and the track is great!

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  6. Thanks for joining in with the AI Drabble Challenge, Nancy. I know a lot of my writer friends won’t have anything to do with AI written stories, which I feel is a great shame. This technology isn’t going away and will only get better. I firmly believe that, as creatives, we need to be curious about what it can do and, more importantly, what we can create with it.

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    1. Thanks, Mike. I was very curious about trying The AI Drabble Challenge; in all honesty, I’m only experienced with a couple of AI apps to create images for my stories. This was something I had to do and now that I have, I won’t be doing it again. The thrill is gone, as the old song goes.
      You may not agree but this felt like I was cheating, like handing in someone else’s homework as my own. There was no thrill in the challenge, no sense of satisfaction in the finished product.
      I started blogging because I believe I am creative and can put words together to form a beautiful poem or an exciting story and I’m proud of my talents. With AI, I didn’t feel that usual rush as an idea came to mind. I felt no pride in words that weren’t my own.
      Writing is not just a way to be creative; it’s a way to exercise our brains … a vital activity at any age. As soon as we stop thinking and have an app take over for us, our brains begin to rust.
      Last but in no way least, my friends and followers visit my site to read what I write …. not something AI produced with a few of my suggestions. They’d lose interest pretty quickly and I wouldn’t blame them.
      I’m always up for a challenge but after trying The AI Drabble Challenge, I can honestly say it wasn’t very challenging and it’s not for me.
      Good luck and great success with this, Mike. Thanks for the opportunity.

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      4. Amen Sis I could have written this myself… But I will not touch AI. with a barge pole!

        That said I get why you tried it and I get your “cheating reaction I’d feeling the same.

        your work is far more interesting and has so many twists and real humanity. Let’s keep writing ! Let’s keep thinking.

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        1. Thanks, Penn! AI definitely has its place; I use it to create images for my stories because I don’t have the ability to do that myself. However, I’ve seen enough AI to find myself questioning everything … “Is this real or is it AI?” If’s rather disconcerting.

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      7. Thank you, Nancy. I really value how thoughtfully you’ve shared your feelings about this. I see AI as one of many tools we can use to explore creativity, not a replacement for imagination, but a companion that can nudge our curiosity in unexpected directions. I understand completely why it might not spark the same sense of ownership or satisfaction, but I think there’s still value in the experiment itself, in seeing what it makes us think and feel about our own creative process. I’m so glad you took part and prompted this discussion; curiosity like yours is exactly what keeps creativity moving forward. I hope our blogging paths might cross again in the future.

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  8. Great quote. Just a sidenote, having taught, affairs for years that insults actually from a different Shakespeare play, Coriolanus. But I’ve noticed AI often gets Shakespeare wrong.. but I love the quote and love how you used it

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  9. Wow! It’s damn worrying, Nancy, how good AI is, … hopefully we’ll always be able to tell the difference, … at the very least, at the moment, it (AI) needs instruction, …phew!! …and has no music sense, as we do, … or does it? ….(🎶 cue mystery music tones🎶) ….💙

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      1. I just read them, and agree wholeheartedly with what you say. It made me admire you even more, both for taking on the challenge and for recognising why it wasn’t for you. Proud to call you a friend 🩷

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