AI for Writers: When It Helps—and When It Hurts a Writer's Voice

From Edie: Wondering if AI is helping or hurting your writing? Learn when AI can be a useful tool and how to protect your unique voice, creativity, and authenticity as a writer.

AI for Writers: When It Helps—and When It Hurts a Writer's Voice

by Cindy K. Sproles @CindyDevoted

AI is all the rage. Every direction we turn, we see it. In fact, it’s so vivid that we can hardly distinguish it from reality, and the controversy within the writing world is growing tense. Do you use the assistance of AI? How far is too far? Can publishers track the use? What’s wrong with using AI?

Those are all great questions, and we should address them from a different viewpoint, leaving out the “wannas and I think we shoulds,” and turn to the creative answer.

Let’s start by asking this question of myself. Do I use AI in my writing? The answer is yes, but…and there is a but. I use AI as a tool and not as the creative part of my work. When and how do I personally use AI? There are two places I utilize AI. First, as a grammar check on my first draft. I allow Word to suggest improvements to my work on grammar and punctuation. No biggy. I sometimes agree with it, but most of the time I do not use its suggestions. Instead, I refer back to that good ole’ Chicago Manual of Style (and I have the hardback version). But the AI does point out those places I might need work.

The second place I may use AI is for scenario suggestions. Perhaps I have written a scene, and I’m curious about a couple of other scenarios for my characters in their situation. AI will give me three, and believe it or not, I’ve already used one and thought of the second. The third might be a different viewpoint, but it doesn’t really fit completely into my plot. Still, I might gain a thought that would shift a character. 

This is how I use AI—as a tool. So, what’s the big controversy? The controversy arises when writers, especially new writers, may not be experienced enough to use the tool as a tool rather than a means to an end.

Here’s an example. My editing buddy and I were coaching a newer writer. In our first few sessions, the writer had all those “new writer roadblocks”— the things that every aspiring writer has to learn when mastering the craft: plot, basic mechanics, and tricks of the industry. After a few sessions, it seemed this writer was catching on, so the decision was made to let them try on their own and come back to us in a few weeks to see the progress. A bit of time passed, and when this writer returned with a reworked manuscript, we were stunned at how quickly and how well they’d polished their work. In fact, it was almost too good.

Of course, we were inclined to pat ourselves on the back for a teaching job well done, but the truth is, you don’t learn the craft in a few weeks. Red flags went up, and the next question became, “Did you use AI to help you rewrite this?” The answer was yes. The writer allowed AI to rewrite paragraphs, and those were used to compare to their original version. The changes were then used to help polish the work. Though there was a method to how AI was used, it boiled down to the fact that AI had reshaped the writing.

The work was certainly polished, but it was too polished. The author’s voice was gone, and though the piece was nicely written, it read like a grocery list. Emotion was missing. Deep POV was gone. The character’s personality grew flat and mechanical. It was good words minus the creativity of human imagination.

It’s important to remember that the writing world has a number of great tools—things that have developed over the years as technology has grown, but learning to use these things correctly is where many of us struggle.

So, what’s wrong with using AI? Well, honestly, nothing as long as your work remains yours and not the AI brainchild. There’s nothing wrong with allowing AI to produce several scenarios for a scene, provided you take the idea and make your own from it. The temptation with AI is those “already written words” that roll off the tongue nicely. Why not just tweak a few and use that? Why not? Well, it’s not your work. 

Let’s address some of those questions we listed above from a different perspective. 

AI Isn’t You: Some may ask why publishers don’t want AI used. There are a number of reasons, but truthfully, it’s not who you are on the page. It’s not your sole creation. AI is trained using others’ writing. Currently, there are authors who have spent hours writing and polishing their novels, only for some AI companies to grab the ebook and use it to train their programs. Those authors’ hard-crafted words land on someone else’s page. Maybe not per se, but they’re used without permission. Publishers want you to be fully invested. They want to see your personality, your voice, and creativity authentically placed on the page. When you allow AI to rewrite your work, you lose you.

Your Voice: AI cannot simulate your voice. It can try, but the truth is, your voice is uniquely you. How you phrase things. How you emphasize, think, and speak. I’m sharing work with a friend who currently writes amazing detective stories. The writing has a distinct cadence. Sentences are structured the same, and unique words are chosen that fit the beat of this voice. Drop that into AI, and the cadence changes. More words are added, and that uniqueness slips away. Who that writer is on the page vanishes or at least hides behind the fluff. One of the special qualities readers gain from reading different authors is their unique voices. When folks read my work, they expect twists. In fact, they sit and wait for them, and when one comes, they wonder if that’s really the twist or a diversion. AI cannot duplicate who I am on the page.

Creativity: Creativity is compromised. AI can give you suggestions, but creativity is uniquely human. It’s uniquely God. AI can’t create the universe. Your creativity is a gift from God. It’s part of what He gave you long before your body physically entered this space in time. When you allow technology to become “the creative” part of your gift, you forfeit the ability to be personally creative and invested in your work. I hope that makes sense.

Honesty: Readers read you because they love your stories. When you allow technology to override your personal creative space, it becomes a bit deceiving.

Now, let me qualify my thoughts before you hang me out to dry. Writers have faux toolboxes where we keep all the tools we need to create a story. Our toolboxes include plots and guidance on how to use them properly. They hold characterization, ideas, marketing, and time management. You get it, right? AI is a tool. It is not the means to an end. It is not your imagination or your creativity. 

Using AI, in my opinion, is fine when and only when it’s used as a tool. It is not your rewrite partner. It’s not your structure buddy. It is a tool that should be used as a helping hand.

My point is simple. Keep your imagination and creativity pure. There are folks who wholeheartedly disagree with me. That’s fine. But for me, the craft of writing is still a “human ability.” It is one space that I can control as my own and not allow to be owned by technology. Technology is, and should be, kept in our box as a tool. Nothing more.

Finally, to answer that question about publishers. Yes, they have tools to spot AI. In the last month, I have received calls from different magazines and compilation books. All of them say, “Do not use AI. Do not use AI as your spellcheck. Works that are flagged with AI usage will not be contracted.” That’s not me or my opinion. That’s publishers. Of course, I can’t speak for them all, but it seems to be the trend. 

Imagination and creativity are uniquely human. They are you on the page. Whether you agree with me or not is up to you, but I hope you enjoy the gifts you have been given and that you find satisfaction in creating something uniquely you. Learn to use the tools in your toolbox properly and allow your authenticity to shine. Be YOU on the page.

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AI for Writers: When It Helps—and When It Hurts a Writer's Voice from @CindyDevoted on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conference teacher. Having served for a number of years as a managing editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and Ironstream Media, Cindy now works as a mentor, coach, and freelance editor. She is the co-founder of Writing Right Author Mentoring Services with Lori Marett and she is the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Cindy is also the co-founder of Christian Devotions Ministries and WWW.CHRISTIANDEVOTIONS.US, as well as WWW.INSPIREAFIRE.COM. Her devotions are in newspapers and magazines nationwide, and her novels have become award-winning best-selling works. She is a popular speaker at conferences and a natural encourager. Cindy is a mountain girl, born and raised in the Appalachian mountains, where she and her husband still reside. She has raised four sons and now resorts to raising chickens where the pecking order is easier to manage. You can visit Cindy at WWW.CINDYSPROLES.COM or www.wramsforwriters.com.