I write under a curse that requires me to experiment and revise as I create. Despite considering ideas, creating outlines to guide me and re-reading my initial work to improve it, the quality of my writing is not consistent. Unfortunately, I can always make my novels better. However, I can tell when I’ve produced an intriguing chapter that only requires minimal editing to remove the grammatical mistakes I introduced in my frenzied editing.
So why do I ignore the perfect output of Microsoft copilot, ChatGTP or Grammarly’s Writing Assistant when I am stuck? Surely I want to get over that delay quickly. I also know when I have composed a chapter that is errorless and bland. For that reason, I avoid relying on AI for content. When I change tiny details that don’t matter and shift the order of events I realize that I am heading nowhere, and need a new idea for that chapter. However, I don’t want the new version of machine learning to find the average of most popular ideas. I need to reveal a character’s action or trait that will cause the reader to wonder “What will she try to do next?”
It does not matter if I must scrap some chapters and start over again.
What helps me move forward in a novel is deciding to put the manuscript away for a while. The problematic plot and characters stay on the back burner, simmering. Often I am surprised at how soon inspiration comes and I am ready to serve up scenes that unfold with natural tension. It does not matter if I must scrap some chapters and start over again. The parts of my book that were written with delicate care may not require any more than a spelling and grammar check. I am willing to use AI driven software to find those errors. After all, if I invent my own grammar and usage rules, that will make my writing unintelligible to others. So, I am willing to stick with the average for this. But, not when it comes to creative ideas.
People tend to use AI for those tasks that they don’t do well. This may mean letting predictive text write emails for you, which will pad the word count as well as transform your words into socially polite phrases. That is not what readers want to see in every book. Authors should work to break this mold and create a unique experience for the reader.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
Write about what? 
If others assume writing is merely a task and not a craft, they will consider AI to be a useful ‘tool’. We as writers know otherwise. Find grammar mistakes? Cobble together a blurb? Sure. Create a landscape and fashion characters that are real? That should be the sole domain of the writer’s mind.