Learning Generative AI Tools for Excel

Appendix A. Before the Nepal Peaks

This appendix is the first in a three-part series where I introduce a teaching approach I call applied fiction, a fresh way to learn through storytelling. In applied fiction, the narrative isn’t just for entertainment; it’s a vehicle for teaching real concepts and skills. As you follow the story, you’ll naturally absorb the how-to knowledge woven into it, learning by experiencing rather than by rote instruction.

The short novel unfolds across three appendices, with each part paired with hands-on activities tied directly to the book’s concepts. You can read all three for the whole arc, or dip into just one and still get a complete set of activities—perfect if you want to focus on skill-building without committing to the entire story.

This appendix reviews concepts from Part I, “Using ChatGPT in Excel”.

Prologue

My name is Helena. I’m 32, and the mountains have always lived inside me, quiet, immense, irresistible. I don’t remember choosing them; they simply claimed me. Over the past two years, I’ve climbed six mountains, standing where the air thins and every breath feels earned, where the world below shrinks into something distant and unreal.

My brother Mark understands that feeling better than anyone. The mountains are our shared language. We climb together whenever life allows it, trusting each other with ropes, with weather, with silence. Three years ago, he finally touched the dream he’d been carrying since we were kids: he landed a job in ...