AI Writing

The universe of possibilities using AI is dizzying. I’ve given a talk called AI Quick Wins for Calgary Economic Development’s Trade Accelerator Program for the last couple of years. I have never once done the same talk twice. Compare that with my Adventures in International Branding, which gets a few small tweaks every few months.

I recently read that some AI systems use algorithms to embed invisible watermarks in the text they generate through subtle patterns in word choices. This might explain why I can clock anything written by AI fairly quickly – my brain already knows. I am compute.

Recently I was chatting with a publisher about a book I’m writing; they asked if I used AI. What I thought was a softball question turned into a whole thing. Yes, I use AI but in a very specific way. I use Perplexity to do research on things I’m interested in, such as lock-picking, safe-cracking and bullet velocity for a novel I’m writing (am I now on a list?). I also use AI as a thinking partner as I work out plots and character arcs. And, lastly, I use AI through Grammarly to check punctuation and tense which tends to drift in my writing. I don’t get it to do the writing.

I like to feed what I write into AI as a copy editor or editorial reader and have it give me feedback. I love writing and don’t want to hand that over to the compute. I do need editorial help though, which I think is just fine.

As I make my way through the two new books I’m writing, I often wonder if my agent and publisher would be happier to actually get the first draft in a week as opposed to the six to eight months it takes me to tackle each word and drag them kicking and screaming across the page in a specific order. I suspect they are happy with my current creative process but would encourage me to spend more time at the keyboard and cut that timeline in half.

Grammarly annoys me. Apparently I'm in the top 85% and 95% of writers. I don't trust that. Who are the people that get their Grammarly stats and are like the bottom 10%? That seems hurtful. It's more likely that this a vanity metric designed to make us fee special and keep the software. Damn algortihms. The red and blue and green highlights interrupt my flow and get me in my head so I often just turn it off, then do the editorial pass after I bang on the keyboard for an hour or two.

When I sit down to write, I can count on 1,000 good words an hour, or 1,500 monkey-fist words. What does this mean? It means that I can write a 60,000 word book in two months if I put my mind to it.

One sec. Just got an email from my agent; something about "two months, HA! Can't wait. Hahahaha. Sigh. I believe in you." I love how supportive he is.

Currently, I am working on the backlog of my 100 Days of Writing which I set in motion so I would be writing every day. Consistency is king (or queen), as they say. What is funny is that I’m writing every day, thousands of words, some for my book, some for emails, some for scripts, some for brainstorming, but I can’t publish most of those. I really want the 100 Days to end so I can get back to my books.

Why not do it all? I already suffer from I CAN DO IT ALL IN ONE DAY complex. I'm trying to learn to pace myself, which you would think would have me leaning into getting AI to just write it all for me. Blah! Can't do it. I really like writing and being surprised by what my characters say and do and what my fingers do when left to their own devices.

That said, I like using AI as my partner, but it needs to keep its nose outta writing my prose. Here are three prompts you can use to help you write better, not turn the writing over to AI:

Review this as an editorial reader. Flag grammar errors, unintended tense shifts, and unclear sentences. Quote the relevant passage, explain the issue, and suggest the smallest correction where necessary. Do not rewrite the piece, change my voice, or smooth out deliberate stylistic choices. Distinguish actual errors from optional preferences.

Act as a copy editor, not a ghostwriter. Review this piece for grammar, clarity, repetition, and weak transitions. Return a numbered list of suggested changes with explanations. Do not rewrite the piece or return a revised full draft. Preserve my voice.

Be my critical editorial partner, not my ghostwriter.

When we discuss ideas, challenge weak assumptions, ask for concrete examples, and identify what is distinctive about my perspective. Don’t turn the discussion into finished prose unless I explicitly ask.

When I provide a draft, return notes only. Flag grammar errors, unintended tense shifts, unclear references, repetition, clichés, and generic language. Quote the relevant wording and explain the concern.

Distinguish actual errors from subjective preferences. Preserve intentional fragments, unusual rhythms, humour, ambiguity, and Canadian spelling. Don’t impose a tidy introduction, symmetrical argument, or concluding summary.

Suggest the smallest correction when necessary, but leave the final wording to me.