3 ways I use AI (and 3 ways I would never) 👀

Wondering how you can use AI tools to help you write, without selling out?

You’re in the right place, my friend.

Because, although I do rail (rightly) against overuse of AI and the very real issues it’s creating, it can also be a terribly useful tool.

Here are my three favourite ways to use it:

1) “Make it weird”

If I’m feeling particularly dull or I simply don’t have time to mine the clown-car depths of my murky little brain, I’ll feed my very boring sentence into ChatGPT and give it the instruction “make it weird”.

Then I follow it up with “weirder” until it jolts my synapses into coming up with something suitably interesting/ridiculous/funny.

Plus, it’s fun to see what an AI considers weird. Sometimes it’s not weird at all; other times it convinces me that aliens are actually in charge.

2) “Summarise this”

AI is particularly good at summarising long pieces of writing.

I get it to summarise long articles to see if it’s worth me reading the whole thing…

And I get it to summarise my own writing, which helps me to edit it and structure it so it’s more readable and less rambling.

3) “Analyse my writing for gaps in logic”

This is really useful. It’s not a substitute for a professional editor, but I’m not gonna send every article and essay and email and social media post I write to an editor. I don’t have that kind of time or budget.

The AI, though, can do a reasonably good job of finding gaps.

For instance, I wrote a humorous essay on cheese-eating and asked it to analyse my work. It flagged a couple of things that were deliberately contradictory for comedy purposes, so I ignored those, but it also pointed out a couple of useful things — like where I’d left a dangling assertion with no further evidence or explanation, and it just kind of rambled to a close without really finishing.

Those are two things I can (and will) fix, and I might slightly change the direction of the piece given its feedback.

***

So, there are three very helpful ways a writer can use AI without selling their soul and sounding like every other boring fcker on the internet.

But what would I never do?

Aha. Here we go.

1) Ask it to describe feelings.

I just asked AI “what does anxiety feel like” and it gave me this:

Anxiety can manifest differently for each person, but generally, it involves feelings of worry, nervousness, fear, or unease about a future event or an anticipated outcome. People experiencing anxiety may have physical symptoms such as a racing heartbeat, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, dizziness, upset stomach, or muscle tension.

Emotionally, anxiety can be overwhelming and consuming. It can make it difficult to concentrate, sleep, or enjoy activities that one typically finds pleasurable. It might also lead to irritability, restlessness, or a constant sense of dread.

Anxiety can range from mild to severe and can be triggered by specific situations or occur more generally throughout the day. It’s important to note that experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal part of life, but when it becomes chronic or interferes significantly with daily functioning, it may require professional intervention and support.

Which really tells me nothing at all about how someone’s anxiety feels.

Because, yes, I have some of those symptoms and I guess it’s accurate as far it goes.

But as for what it feels like for me? Not even close. And it won’t be able to describe your feelings for you, either. Ever. Even if you get it to mine the poetry of the world and use other people’s evocative descriptions of anxiety, it’ll get it wrong.

Because what’s missing is you.

So if you want to write about anxiety (or love or fear or joy) it’s gonna require you to do some hard thinking and digging around in your own psyche.

And if you’re not up for that, don’t bother, because what you’ll end up with is shallow tripe that nobody connects with and that wastes everyone’s time.

2) Outsourcing my imagination.

I don’t tend to ask ChatGPT to come up with ideas for me, because it bypasses my own imagination.

And it’s lazy.

As writers, one of our jobs is to notice things. In fact, I’d say that’s literally the most important job. Notice shit. Observe it. Write it down or otherwise record it… then refer back to it.

That way, you’ll never be short of ideas, ever.

I might sometimes give it a bunch of my own ideas then tell it to “make it weird” and see what happens… but once you start relying on AI to come up with ideas every time you want to write, it’s a slippery slope to never bothering to think of your own stuff at all.

3) Fact checking.

The other day, my husband asked ChatGPT who ran across the English Channel fastest, and it made up some absolute nonsense. Because clearly you cannot run across the English Channel unless you’re Jesus.

I just asked it the same thing and got this less nonsensical but still daft answer:

As of my last update in January 2022, the fastest known time for running across the English Channel was achieved by the British athlete, Lewis Pugh, in 2006. He completed the swim in 12 hours and 2 minutes. However, for running specifically, the record may vary as the English Channel is more commonly swum than run. It’s important to verify whether there have been any updates or new records set since then.

It’s like some mediocre dude in a meeting who always has to feel and seem like the smartest person in the room rather than admitting he doesn’t know something.

DUDE. JUST SAY YOU DON’T KNOW.

Or point out that one cannot run across the English Channel.

My point is: go to original sources to check facts. Start with Wikipedia, then check their sources. Maybe ask ChatGPT but definitely don’t take its word for an answer. It’s likely to be… inaccurate.

***

AI can be a useful tool, but that’s all it is.

My prediction: while the written world fills with absolute banal shite produced by AI by folks who can’t be arsed to work at it, the people who will make real money from their writing in the future are the ones who have the courage, patience, and will to use their brains and write their truths.

And use AI to make that job quicker and easier.

Anyway — I still have a couple of spots left in August for my Book Coach In Your Pocket programme.

If you would like one, it’s yours! Claim it here:

Claim Your Space

How to work with The MicroBook Magician

​Nonfiction Book Ghostwriting: Idea to book in just 20 weeks

​Buy My Book: How the hell do you write a book?

​VIP Book Breakthrough Day: Make a quantum leap in book progress in just one day

​Book Coach In Your Pocket: Your first draft done (or all but) in just 30 days

​MicroBook Magic: Write your MicroBook in just 6 weeks

​Creative Playground: Write every day + get advice, support, and bonus access to my workshops! (1 week trial for £1)

---

p.s. My Book Coach In Your Pocket service is, in the words of one of my July clients, “incredible” — so let’s do this!