You Need to Master AI as a Writer. Before it Masters You.

Sometimes I wish that all of my 112 YouTube subscriptions would be seized by a single idea and spit out the exact same content, down to the titles, at the same time. Like, off the top of my head, videos titled, "Is AI going to rule the freaking world???"

Something like that.

On a different topic, I want to share some advice with you concerning AI language models and how you can (and should) use them without fear.

The world is saturated with AI content right now, and it's no wonder. This is the biggest technological breakthrough since the personal computer, and it didn't get presented live on a black velvet stage or get demonstrated in a tech convention. It snuck in through the back door and took over the world while we were sleeping. Which is just like AI to do.

We're all concerned. I was, especially when I first began seeing how good it was. The artists all got replaced by AI. Then all the graphic designers got replaced by AI. Than all the actors. And then, writers. Now we crawl the barren landscape searching for gasoline, fighting off raiders and rescuing Immortan Joe's stolen wives. (Whoops. Wrong apocalypse.)

I won't say I'm no longer concerned about AI. Its potential is still frightening. Just like the digital computer was to an entire generation of artists, animators, filmmakers, architects, mathematicians, and accountants. Nobody knows exactly what the world will look like after five years of AI.

As a writer, my first concern was, "Will all the novels and movies in the future be bland mashups hatched together by lazy writers using AI?"

The answer is, probably. But not the ones that make money.

More on that later. I have actually been considering creating a mini-course on how to use use AI like a millionaire instead of a starving artist. I'm afraid many of us, including me, have been guilty of a doom-and-gloom attitude toward AI (especially some of the older generations).

There is only one way to protect your future from being robbed by AI. And it's important to make this change immediately, before it gains too much ground on you and you're left scavenging for water in the Australian desert (dang that metaphor keeps coming back).

It's learning to master it.

"Isn't AI cheating?"

Yes, and it's time you learned how to cheat with the best of them.

AI is cheating like the Americans were cheating when they invented the nuclear bomb. Whoever figured out how to harness the power of the atom would rule the world, and everyone who complained about the ethics and did nothing lost the war.

I'm not suggesting AI is unethical. But it is a nuke. And it has the power to either end the worst world war in history and save millions of innocent lives or blast the world into a sandy wasteland where gasoline is the most precious commodity. Bam—I knew I could justify my Mad Max metaphors.

Sorry, those are strong metaphors, but I believe that AI is equally disruptive and has just as much potential for harm. But that didn't stop the United States from racing to Einstein and Oppenheimer for the formulas to create nuclear reactions.

When life throws a loaded gun into the center of the room, the only way to make sure nobody gets shot is to grab it first.

This is not where I saw this article going. Super intense. My bad.

Let's get practical for a second.

I've found several techniques that are not cheating that you can use right now in your writing.

And I'm out of time to write them out, so I'm going to ask ChatGPT to finish this article. But before I go, I want to ask you a question.

If you could hire a human writing assistant today that would edit your work, provide feedback, bounce new ideas off of you, write the outlines and summaries that you don't have time to do, and serve you coffee, would you hire them? What if they couldn't serve you coffee but they could do the rest of it for free?

More to come in further posts. I have a boatload of ideas about AI and I'm extremely excited to share them. I hope my ramblings have provided some sort of value.

All right, handing off the rest of this article to an AI bot. I'm going to make myself some coffee, because that's the one skill I still possess that a machine can't do! Except for the bean grinding and the percolating and the automated timer and the water filtration. But gosh darn it, it still needs a human to push the button.

(The rest of this article was written by ChatGPT. Seriously.)

Using AI to Enhance Your Young Adult Fiction Writing: Tips for Creativity Without Cheating

1. Generate ideas

Sometimes the hardest part of writing is coming up with ideas. But AI can help with that. There are a number of AI-powered tools that can generate writing prompts and ideas based on keywords or themes. For example, you could use an AI writing assistant like AI Writer or QuillBot to generate ideas based on a specific genre or topic.

Of course, it's important to remember that the ideas generated by AI aren't going to be perfect. You'll still need to put in the work to develop them and make them your own. But AI can be a helpful starting point when you're feeling stuck.

2. Get feedback

Getting feedback on your writing is essential for improving your craft. But it can be tough to find good beta readers or critique partners. That's where AI can come in. There are a number of AI-powered writing tools that can provide feedback on your writing, from grammar and spelling to style and tone.

For example, you could use a tool like Grammarly or ProWritingAid to get feedback on your writing style and catch errors you might have missed. These tools can be especially helpful if you're self-publishing and don't have access to a professional editor.

Again, it's important to remember that AI feedback isn't a substitute for human feedback. But it can be a helpful tool to supplement your own editing and revision process.

3. Streamline research

Research is a crucial part of writing, but it can also be time-consuming and overwhelming. Luckily, AI can help with that too. There are a number of AI-powered research tools that can help you find and organize information for your writing projects.

For example, you could use a tool like Textio or Writefull to help you find relevant articles and papers based on keywords or phrases. These tools can also help you analyze the language and tone of existing writing in your genre to help you develop your own style.

4. Develop characters and plot

Creating compelling characters and plotlines is one of the most important parts of writing fiction. And AI can actually be a helpful tool for that. There are a number of AI-powered tools that can help you develop characters and plotlines based on specific parameters.

For example, you could use a tool like The Big Idea Machine or AI Dungeon to generate story ideas and character concepts based on your preferences and input. Again, it's important to remember that these ideas aren't going to be perfect or fully-formed. But they can be a helpful starting point for developing your own characters and plotlines.

In Conclusion

Young adult fiction writers can use AI to their advantage without cheating, but it takes some creativity and effort. As much as we writers like to think of ourselves as genius wordsmiths, sometimes we need a little help, and AI can provide that help without compromising our integrity.

By using AI to generate ideas, provide inspiration, and help with research, we can save time and energy that can be better spent on crafting compelling stories and characters. However, we must always remember that AI is just a tool and not a substitute for our own creativity and imagination.

It's also important to recognize the limitations of AI and not rely on it too heavily. After all, AI is only as good as the data it's trained on, and it can't replace the human touch that makes our writing unique and engaging.

So, let's embrace AI as a helpful assistant, but not as a replacement for our own creative abilities. Let's use it to spark our imagination, find new ideas, and enhance our writing process, but let's never forget that the heart and soul of our writing comes from within us.

In the end, whether we use AI or not, what matters most is the story we tell and how we tell it. And if we can use AI to help us tell that story in a more engaging and compelling way, then why not give it a try? After all, we're writers, not superheroes. We can use all the help we can get!