My Chaotic Guide To AI Writing Tools

AI is here — are we letting the robots take over?

(The answer is no lol, I just wanted to be dramatic).

Although I prefer listening to and reading authentic human voices,

There is no denying that AI writing tools make writing great material so, so, so much easier.

(Spell check is an AI tool my friends — and many of us started using that in elementary school!)

But, in the day and age of generative AI tools like ChatGPT “threatening” the jobs of creatives worldwide,

Admitting to using AI tools in your workflow can feel almost sacrilegious to the craft.

But, for me, a person who makes their living off of typing silly little words onto my silly little Google Doc,

I have come up with a few “rules” that I follow when deciding how much or how little AI support I want to include in my work,

And so far, these guidelines have been working for me, so I wanted to share them with you.

Let’s get into it!

Don’t overly rely on generative AI

Generative AI (AKA tools like ChatGPT that can “write” entire articles for you in seconds) has become a major point of contention for writers.

Because like, in the perfect dream world, these tools could be truly magical,

(But instead, they are kinda my worst nightmare, but not for the reasons you probably think)

So yes, while it is true that some writers have unfortunately lost clients to AI tools instead,

(Myself included, I lost a two-year client because he “wanted to explore his options with AI” instead)

My biggest concern with generative AI content is that it is often SO DULL and SO BASIC.

AI tools are not sentient beings — they are computer algorithms trained to scrape existing copy to combine thoughts and sentences to create “new” content about the chosen topic.

But, hot take — is it actually possible to create “original” content if it is written by a computer system without thoughts, feelings, or opinions?

For me, the answer is probably no, but I understand that it isn’t really a black-and-white sort of question.

So because of my personal take on the subject (and the type of clients I work for and am striving to attract),

My current stance on using generative AI is that I avoid these tools during all stages of my writing process.

This is just my personal take, and you may have a different way you approach it — but so far, for me, this rule has worked in my favour!

Not all AI tools are a good fit for your needs (and that’s OK)

Have you ever used a popular AI tool and been like… wait, PEOPLE LIKE THIS?!

This was my personal experience with the Hemingway App, a super popular writing tool that helps writers create more succinct, readable sentences.

The first time I heard about Hemingway, I was like, “Oh shit, have I been missing out on an awesome writing tool???”

(AI resources really do cause such strong FOMO, because so many of us are scared of being left behind)

So, to give it a fair try, I plugged the intro of one of my favourite articles into the app, only to have it returned COMPLETELY HIGHLIGHTED IN RED for being “complicated and hard to read.”

(oops)

But, here’s the thing — that article had already been published by the client I wrote it for, and they had given me feedback about how much they loved the way I wrote it.

So yes, I understand that brevity tools like Hemingway can be super helpful when you are writing for broader audiences,

But, for me, I have learned that my writing style and the topics I talk about are not the greatest fit for this particular AI tool, and like, THAT’S TOTALLY OK.

If you love Hemingway, I love that for you. But I surely do not.

And as creatives with different writing styles and different ways of communicating, this variation is so, so important to maintain.

TL;DR: Did I include this section just so I could dunk on Hemingway? Yes, yes I sure did.

I am nothing if not a fan of long, never-ending, overly complicated, dramatic sentences, and I WILL NOT be changing my mind because one AI tool says I should write shorter lines.

And if you like the way you write, I want you to stick to your guns, even if an AI tool says, “4 out of 5 of your sentences are very hard to read.”

(I’m not bitter, I’m fine. I’m FINE 🙃🙃🙃🙃)

Spelling and grammar tools are not always right

Finally, and possibly my most important takeaway about AI tools, is that sometimes they are just dead-ass wrong.

We’ve all had a good chuckle when Grammarly makes a word substitution suggestion that fundamentally breaks the content of a sentence.

(Yes, Grammarly, I am aware I used the word “inclusive” multiple times in my article about inclusive working environments. No, I do not want to swap it out for “expansive” instead!)

Especially when you write in a more casual tone, grammar tools can quickly go from super helpful to a complete nightmare.

To be completely honest, I think Grammarly has a heart attack every time I sit down to write one of these newsletters because I pull shit like:

“Because like, honestly, that is NOT the ✨vibe✨ I am going for.”

And

“BRO. IT’S LIKE SO SIMPLE. JUST WAKE UP AT 3 AM. DO YOUR DEEPLY CLEANSING BREATHING EXERCISES AND MEDITATE. HIT THE GYM. COLD SHOWER. TAKE YOUR SUPPLEMENTS AND FIND INNER PEACE, ALL BEFORE THE SUN IS UP. RISE AND GRIND LETSSSS GOOOOO.’’

And

“AHHHHHHHHABDGEBJXNWKXMWIXBWAMWhhhhhhh 🫠🫠🫠”

(All of these are real lines pulled from my previous newsletters lol)

I write this newsletter the way I talk — and in a lot of cases, human beings do not speak in grammatically correct sentences.

(And that’s like, totally OK with me, and very NOT OK with Grammarly)

So, next time you are saddled with a seemingly endless list of Grammarly edits, I encourage you to reject the ones that try to standardize or normalize your unique voice and perspective.

It’s OK if your personal writing style falls outside of the lines of traditional grammar conventions, even if Grammarly gives you an angry red underline for it.

Keep writing your fun and funky thoughts — showcasing your unique tone and voice is totally worth it!

You need to make your own rules, too

So, these are just a few of my AI-based rules that I follow when writing content for my clients or for myself.

Do you take a different approach to using AI tools in your work?

It’s a hot-button topic, so I’d love to hear your perspective — reply and let me know!