The Writer’s Chisel; or, Writing with AI

Writers Write, AI Capabilities, AI Shortcomings, Temptation, A Tool

I.

Writers Write

Ever since OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT at the end of 2022, the literary world has turned on its head. In a mere matter of months, “writing” transformed from an agonizing, toilsome endeavor (or stolen, plagiarized work) to a task that can be executed in seconds. If I really wanted to, I could ask a chatbot to come up with five big ideas for me each week. It would be simple, painless, and free. I’d just prompt: “Provide five unique topics related to humanity, culture, or self-improvement,” and the chatbot would spit out something like: “1.) Rituals in society, 2.) cultural intelligence, 3.) habit formation, 4.) intergenerational wisdom, 5.) technology and mindfulness.” I could then request a few “original” paragraphs on each topic and some image ideas. I’d copy, paste, and voila! My work here is done.

But instead, I choose to write this newsletter the hard way. I toil and stew over my ideas. I write them and rewrite them. I scrap them and second-guess them and publish them anyway. I use AI as a chisel, but I intentionally choose to be the sculptor of my art. This is perhaps the toughest decision I make as a writer. But it’s a decision all writers must make if they are to survive.

To be a writer, one must write.  

II.

AI Capabilities

For those unfamiliar with using chatbots for writing, this idea is for you. If you’re already familiar, you may want to skip to Idea #3.

Here are some examples of ways AI can assist with writing. The following responses have been condensed for brevity.

Brainstorming

Prompt: What qualities do AI chatbots lack compared to human writers?

AI Response: AI chatbots like myself lack several important qualities, including: genuine creativity and originality, emotional depth and authenticity, intuition and subconscious processing, cultural context, ethical judgement, and intentionality and purpose

(Source: Claude)

Research

(Note: Always fact-check any statistics and citations provided by chatbots, as they are often incorrect. Note that the numbers do not add up in the following example.)

Prompt: What percentage of Americans struggle with addiction? Provide citations

AI Response: In 2023, approximately 48.5 million Americans aged 12 and older (16.7% of this population) battled a substance use disorder in the past year.¹ This includes: 28.9 million people (10.2%) who had an alcohol use disorder¹², 27.2 million people (9.7%) who had a drug use disorder¹, and 7.5 million people (2.7%) who struggled with both alcohol and drug use disorders simultaneously.¹

(Source: Perplexity)

Dictionary

Prompt: What is a word that describes the act of avoiding someone or something?

AI Response: Shunning, Evading, Dodging, Sidestepping

(Source: Gemini)

Thesaurus

Prompt: Alt words for “determined”

AI Response: Single words: Resolute, Persistent, Tenacious, Unwavering. Phrases: Set on, Bent on, Committed to, Devoted to

(Source: Gemini)

Grammar

Prompt: Is this sentence correct: “I believe we all have a purpose (or several) that is intertwined with our life lessons and our gifts.”

AI Response: Yes, the sentence is correct. However, for clarity and flow, you could slightly adjust it: “I believe we all have a purpose (or multiple) intertwined with our life lessons and unique gifts.”

(Source: ChatGPT)

Rewrites

Prompt: Rewrite this: Ever since OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT at the end of 2022, the literary world has turned on its head.

AI Response: The debut of ChatGPT by OpenAI in late 2022 sparked a revolution in the world of literature, fundamentally altering long-established norms and practices.

(Source: Claude)

III.  

AI Shortcomings

While I could consult a chatbot to list all the qualities it lacks compared to human writers, I think the difference is much more subtle than “genuine creativity, originality, and emotional depth.” What I notice AI lacking, more than anything else, is a voice.

My voice is unique to my writing. Susan Cain’s is unique to hers. Ethan Mollick’s his. When we read another’s work, it feels as if we’re in conversation with them. But when we read an AI-generated response, it feels empty. The exchange lacks soul.

Good writers write to the beat of their own drum. They trust their instincts and embrace rhythms that may break conventional elements of style. They care more about how the reader feels reading their work than they do about conveying bland information. Good writers write prose that’s pleasing to read. And they enjoy reading their work.

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I recently had a passage of mine go viral on Substack Notes. The passage was:

The simplest and most effective step to counteract our addiction to attention-shortening media is to consume more long-form content. Books. Podcast interviews. Documentaries. Articles. The more long-form content we consume, the more we recalibrate our brains for depth.

When I asked ChatGPT to rewrite it for correctness and clarity, this is what it produced:

The simplest and most effective way to combat our addiction to attention-shortening media is to increase our consumption of long-form content. Whether it’s books, podcast interviews, documentaries, or in-depth articles, engaging with longer formats helps retrain our brains for deeper focus and understanding. The more we immerse ourselves in long-form content, the more we recalibrate our minds for meaningful, sustained attention.

Yuck. Had I not trusted my own voice, I might have swapped out my passage with the AI-generated one, and you would’ve ended up reading that crap and feeling nothing from it. While I suspect AI writing will get better over time, it’s hard to imagine it ever developing a voice of its own. Our voice is developed through sense, judgement, and intuition. These are qualities that are unique to humans, not computers.

IV.  

Temptation

Because the hardest part about writing is the sitting-down-and-writing part, it can be tempting to have AI do your writing for you. Perhaps you’re feeling tired or unmotivated or insecure, and you begin wondering if AI can help spark your creativity. So you consult ChatGPT:

Prompt: Write a compelling and creative paragraph on the importance of empathy in close relationships

AI Response: “Empathy is the invisible thread that binds close relationships, weaving a deeper connection between hearts. It allows us to step into another’s world, feel their joy, understand their pain, and appreciate their unique perspective. When we offer empathy, we validate the feelings of those we care about, nurturing trust and emotional intimacy. It transforms simple conversations into meaningful exchanges, where words become bridges rather than walls. In the ebb and flow of life’s challenges, empathy is the anchor that keeps relationships resilient, fostering a sense of safety and belonging in an ever-changing world.”

You read the AI’s response, and you envision the “invisible thread” and “weaving hearts” and “anchor of empathy,” and you think, This is it! And as the lazy, careless, and immature writer that you are, you copy and paste this flowery bullshit into a word processor and change a few words here and there and try to pass it off as your own work.

Don’t you dare call yourself a writer.

To be a writer, you must write. You must find and use your voice. AI can be a helpful tool, but it can never say your words for you.

V.  

A Tool

When a sculptor uses a chisel to shape marble instead of clawing at the stone with his fingernails, or when a painter uses a brush instead of smearing paint around with his bare hands, we don’t deprecate the chisel or the brush, and we don’t think less of the artist for using them.

Neal Stephenson

I began writing this newsletter after the debut of ChatGPT. As one who considered herself a writer but had no formal training in fine arts, AI has helped me improve my craft. I use AI to produce this newsletter, but these are far from AI-generated ideas. Here’s a look into my process:

(Total writing and editing time per article = 8-12 hours. Sometimes more, rarely less.)

1. Idea Generation

Many people ask where my ideas come from. The answer is everywhere. I’m always on the prowl for new ideas and carry a small notebook with me everywhere I go. Sometimes an idea comes to me in the middle of a yoga flow—I stop and drop on the mat and let the idea roll out onto my notebook (which I awkwardly bring into the studio). Sometimes it comes while listening to a song or podcast or while reading a book—I pause and write it down. Sometimes it comes while on a hike or in the car or during a conversation—I stop walking, safely pull over, halt the conversation, and write it down. People get great ideas all the time. Not everyone makes the effort to write them down.

2. Shitty First Draft

I first heard about the Shitty First Draft (SFD) in a conversation between Adam Grant and Brené Brown. Every newsletter I write begins as an SFD. Sometimes, I jot my initial draft in a notebook, but mostly, I type it in a Word document using a five-section template—I. II. III. IV. V. Because the SFD is the longest and hardest and most torturous step in the whole writing process (imo), I try to avoid getting further distracted by the internet during this stage and rely on notes I gathered in the days leading up to the sitting-down-and-writing part.

3. Postponed Edits

Throughout the writing process, I constantly re-read my work to ensure I’m on track and not repeating points. I’ll redirect and make cuts as needed. I also use brackets ([ ]) and inequality signs (< >) to draw attention to words or phrases that require editing or further review. For example, I might write the following sentence in a draft using symbols:

I’m showing you who I am: A [curious], [reflective], and profoundly perplexed person. I’m no stranger to unexpected journeys <check reference re: “unexpected journey”>, and I want to understand why people think what they think. I want to understand why I think what I think. That’s why I write.

Here, I am reminding myself to look into synonyms for “curious” and “reflective” (I used “concerned” and “contemplative”) and to check the “unexpected journey” reference (which I changed to “unlikely journey”). By using symbols in this way, I can keep writing my SFD without getting bogged down in edits.

4. Editing with AI

Once I’m satisfied with my draft, I turn to AI for further editing. First, I ask Gemini for idioms and synonyms for the words I’ve bracketed. Then, I leverage ChatGPT or Claude to check grammar and suggest alternate phrasings for clunky sentences. I also utilize Perplexity to double-check any stats or references. (Then, I double-check the AI’s stats/references.)

Lastly, I run each paragraph through ChatGPT, prompting it to “rewrite.” I then compare my original text with the AI’s suggestions. Every now and then, the AI offers a clever suggestion (e.g., an expression or restructured sentence) that I’ll use to further edit my work. While the “rewrite” prompt is valuable for editing minor details, it’s imperative to avoid just copying and pasting the entire AI “rewrite,” as doing so will drown out your voice and make your writing sound mechanical (see example in Idea #3). Cultivating taste—that is, knowing what flows and feels good—is a skill honed through reading and practice. It’s not something AI can do for you.  

5. Rereads and More Edits

Once I sense that the article is as good as it’s gonna get, I run it through Grammarly. While Grammarly is great for triple-checking spelling and grammar issues, almost all its other suggestions are trash. After that, I’ll paste the article into Substack, where I’ll reread and reformat it. Then, I’ll send myself a sample email and reread it on my iPhone. Between reading the article on Grammarly, Substack, and email, I’ll find and make several final edits to polish my voice and flow.

I once came across advice to reread your work in different fonts and formats, as the text reads differently each time. I’ve found this to be true. Some of my most crucial edits came from re-reading the article one last time in my phone’s email app—edits I completely overlooked while reading the article on my computer’s desktop.

6. Send

While I could reread and reedit my work indefinitely, at some point I just have to press “send.” And that’s how my ideas make their way from my notebook to your inbox.

1. https://americanaddictioncenters.org/addiction-statistics

2. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohol-topics/alcohol-facts-and-statistics/alcohol-use-disorder-aud-united-states-age-groups-and-demographic-characteristics