When I first tried AI, I quickly realized that I had to set boundaries. I am the writer - AI is the helper. ChatGPT produces some great graphics according to my instructions.
AI can edit a Newsletter, finding various errors and I choose which ones I agree with.
It does research for me along with SEO descriptions and tags.
I also use Claude because it has a different perspective, but I don't like its graphics. I have told it what it does wrong, what I won't accept, etc., and it has learned.
I am the writer - AI is the helper.
This is a great article, Maryan. Thank you for sharing it.
Thanks for clarifying what to do with AI. I’m a slow writer, but a good editorial pass that would help me move from messy to polished quicker is welcome.
For me, it’s important to be absolutely sure I am doing the writing and the bot is just being a copy editor. The temptation to delegate the brain work is strong, but will, in the long run, dilute your skill and your product.
AI is getting to the point where it feels familiar to most people. I find that it's useful for general feedback, but it tends to encourage a writing style that is most accessible. This tends to flatten out your voice over time, especially if you allow it to rewrite your work. This is why I find it off-putting for others to encourage people to let it write your drafts and have you edit after the fact. It removes the impetus of the act. It's more like you set the speed and hit cruise control, and the only thing you need to do is steer.
So interesting. Thank you for demystifying what seems to be a really hot topic now among writers. There is a certain kind of hysteria about AI. I think we are all still learning how to come to term with the fact that these tools exist and that in many ways they do have the potential of making our life easier if used wisely. I absolutely agree with the fact that moving forward humans will still be behind the writing that will be worth reading but as these models evolve we better not sit on laurels because critical thinking will be more and more sought after. So in conclusion we should write more, read more, think more rather than delegating any of this to AI.
Great observations as usual. I've reached the point where I can see some serious uses for AI for stuff my fiction writing. Not short stories. No need there. But novels are a different beast. Are my timelines consistent? Do my characters stay true to form? I would not **rely** on AI to let me know the answer to that, but maybe it will spot something egregious that I miss.
My most recent novel has a ton of characters. AI can generate a list of them, a cast of characters, that I can include in the back matter of the novel. I already had one. AI can probably generate a better one (I haven't tried).
I'm not interested in things like idea generation. I already have too many of those dancing around in my head. And I have no interest in AI "helping' me write. But there's other stuff it can do to improve my writing.
I was already using Grammarly, which is basically a form of AI. I don't accept its suggestions unless I agree with them, though, and disagreements are many. But it's a nice tool to have, especially for a terrible typist like me.
Well, Maryan, you really hit on the core issue here. The real question is what the fundamentals even are anymore. And how does this technology fit into that ecosystem? Or how do foundational skills fit into the technology ecosystem, depending on who you ask.
Quite welcome A bit over a year ago I worked on an AI vs Human book with a group from Medium. Weren’t you part of that project? Point is, with info gathering, I have shifted my position to center rational instead of rigid “the end is near.” Feels better.
I’ve been reflecting on this lately and totally agree. I use AI to tighten and refine my work, not do the heavy lifting for me. It’s helped me to cut the waffle and get to the point! 🤣😅
Your husband is better looking than the guy on the left or the guy-noid on the right.
When I first tried AI, I quickly realized that I had to set boundaries. I am the writer - AI is the helper. ChatGPT produces some great graphics according to my instructions.
AI can edit a Newsletter, finding various errors and I choose which ones I agree with.
It does research for me along with SEO descriptions and tags.
I also use Claude because it has a different perspective, but I don't like its graphics. I have told it what it does wrong, what I won't accept, etc., and it has learned.
I am the writer - AI is the helper.
This is a great article, Maryan. Thank you for sharing it.
You’re welcome—this technology occupies a fair amount of space in my thinking right now—-it’s something I need to grok.
Thanks for clarifying what to do with AI. I’m a slow writer, but a good editorial pass that would help me move from messy to polished quicker is welcome.
For me, it’s important to be absolutely sure I am doing the writing and the bot is just being a copy editor. The temptation to delegate the brain work is strong, but will, in the long run, dilute your skill and your product.
Absolutely agree.
AI is getting to the point where it feels familiar to most people. I find that it's useful for general feedback, but it tends to encourage a writing style that is most accessible. This tends to flatten out your voice over time, especially if you allow it to rewrite your work. This is why I find it off-putting for others to encourage people to let it write your drafts and have you edit after the fact. It removes the impetus of the act. It's more like you set the speed and hit cruise control, and the only thing you need to do is steer.
Maybe it's the control freak in me. 🤣
Thank you for this.
My favorite statement:
"The tidying can be delegated. The thinking cannot."
So interesting. Thank you for demystifying what seems to be a really hot topic now among writers. There is a certain kind of hysteria about AI. I think we are all still learning how to come to term with the fact that these tools exist and that in many ways they do have the potential of making our life easier if used wisely. I absolutely agree with the fact that moving forward humans will still be behind the writing that will be worth reading but as these models evolve we better not sit on laurels because critical thinking will be more and more sought after. So in conclusion we should write more, read more, think more rather than delegating any of this to AI.
Great observations as usual. I've reached the point where I can see some serious uses for AI for stuff my fiction writing. Not short stories. No need there. But novels are a different beast. Are my timelines consistent? Do my characters stay true to form? I would not **rely** on AI to let me know the answer to that, but maybe it will spot something egregious that I miss.
My most recent novel has a ton of characters. AI can generate a list of them, a cast of characters, that I can include in the back matter of the novel. I already had one. AI can probably generate a better one (I haven't tried).
I'm not interested in things like idea generation. I already have too many of those dancing around in my head. And I have no interest in AI "helping' me write. But there's other stuff it can do to improve my writing.
I was already using Grammarly, which is basically a form of AI. I don't accept its suggestions unless I agree with them, though, and disagreements are many. But it's a nice tool to have, especially for a terrible typist like me.
An extremely rational way to exploit these tools, Charles.
Well, Maryan, you really hit on the core issue here. The real question is what the fundamentals even are anymore. And how does this technology fit into that ecosystem? Or how do foundational skills fit into the technology ecosystem, depending on who you ask.
We’re seeing evolution of a sort right before our eyes.
Just excellent Maryan. Thanks for lighting the middle path.
Quite welcome A bit over a year ago I worked on an AI vs Human book with a group from Medium. Weren’t you part of that project? Point is, with info gathering, I have shifted my position to center rational instead of rigid “the end is near.” Feels better.
No, wasn't part of that project, but glad that you were.
Great article, Maryan.
I’ve been reflecting on this lately and totally agree. I use AI to tighten and refine my work, not do the heavy lifting for me. It’s helped me to cut the waffle and get to the point! 🤣😅
It absolutely has carved out a place in most industries now. Our responsibility is to figure out legitimate, ethical ways to use it.