Embracing the AI Creative Writing Assistant
How GenAI Enhances, Not Replaces, the Writing Process
I want to address a topic on my mind lately: the use of Generative AI in the creative process.
You might have noticed (or maybe you haven't—nobody's commented, at least) that the last couple of posts on The Everyday Solopreneur were rewritten with the help of Claude, Anthropic's GenAI tool. Today, I want to pull back the curtain and share my process, thoughts, and insights I've gained along the way.
The Dictation Dance
It all starts with dictation. I've been using Otter.ai for several months now, and while it's not perfect, it's become an integral part of my workflow. I dictate the body of the article, which usually ends up being between 800 and 1200 words. Then, I export that as plain text into Ulysses, my short-form writing app of choice.
The transcription isn't always pretty. Otter hasn’t quite picked up on all my idiosyncrasies yet, so there's always a fair bit of editing and tidying up. I'll clarify points, expand on ideas, and sometimes ruthlessly delete entire sections. It's all part of the process.
Enter Claude: My AI Writing Partner
Here's where things get interesting. Sometimes, when I'm stuck on a particular section or want a fresh perspective, I'll copy and paste it into Claude. I might ask it to tidy things up, suggest some expansions, or rewrite the section with a specific word count.
Whatever Claude comes back with, I treat it as a suggestion, not gospel. I'll paste it back into my Ulysses document, compare it with what I've written, and cherry-pick the bits I like. Anything that doesn't fit my vision or voice is removed.
Once I'm happy with the edited article, I export it to a Word file and upload it to my Claude project. This project is my AI writing assistant—it has all my previous posts loaded into its knowledge base, along with specific instructions tailored to my style and needs.
Claude processes the post—analyzing, reorganizing, and suggesting titles, subtitles, and section headers. I also write a “Final Thoughts” section summarizing the article’s content in my voice.
The Human Touch
You might wonder, “Is your AI bot just writing the whole article for you?" Think about it: the entire concept, core ideas, and unique perspectives come from me. The AI is just an assistant, helping me refine and polish my thoughts.
Think of it this way: if you were a writer with a team of human assistants, you might sketch an article and then hand it off to them to clean up, format, and suggest improvements. That's essentially what I'm doing with Claude.
I've given this a lot of thought, and honestly, I don't see any moral or ethical issues with this approach. I'm not just feeding Claude a one-sentence prompt and asking it to spit out 1500 words of content. That would be pointless and, frankly, a bit soul-sucking.
Instead, I'm using AI as a tool to enhance my creativity and productivity. It’s no different than using spell-check or a thesaurus—only more sophisticated.
My Enhanced Fiction Writing Process
I'm busy adapting this technique for my fiction writing. Last week, I wrote about the importance of really knowing your characters. It's one of those things that's obvious to experienced writers but can be a real lightbulb moment for us newbies.
I've started using Claude to help me flesh out my character bios. I'll feed it a basic character outline and then ask it to expand on that, suggesting habits, mannerisms, physical characteristics, and potential conflicts (both internal and external).
The result is a pretty hefty document—four pages or more. While that’s great for deep-diving into a character's psyche, it's not practical for quick reference while writing. So, I'll ask Claude to condense it to a one-page summary.
This summary becomes my go-to reference when I'm writing scenes. It helps me figure out how a character might react in a given situation and what decisions they might make. Over time, I'm finding that I'm internalizing these character traits, getting to know my fictional creations on a deeper level.
I can almost hear some of you asking, "But is this writing? Isn't the AI doing all the work?"
Absolutely not. The AI is a tool, nothing more. It's like a super-advanced version of those "story cube" dice some writers use for inspiration. The ideas, the creativity, the unique voice—that all comes from me. The AI helps me refine and expand on those ideas more efficiently.
A Stephen King Interlude
On a different note, I was listening to the Writers Ink podcast the other day, and one of the hosts, JD Barker, mentioned that the only writing craft book he regularly returns to is Stephen King’s “On Writing.” It made me realize I hadn't revisited that book since 2023.
So, I dug it out of my Audible library and started listening again. It's just as brilliant as I remembered. King narrates it himself, which adds an extra layer of authenticity to the whole experience.
The book mixes autobiography (about 60-70%) and practical writing advice. If you haven't read it (or listened to it), do yourself a favor and check it out. It's a masterclass in storytelling and the craft of writing, straight from the mind of one of the most successful authors of our time.
Final Thoughts
When we think about AI-assisted writing, it's important to remember that these tools are just that—tools. They're not replacing our creativity or our unique voices. Instead, they're enhancing our ability to express ourselves, refine our ideas, and produce content more efficiently.
The key is to use AI as a partner in the creative process, not a crutch. It's about finding that sweet spot where technology amplifies our natural abilities rather than overshadowing them.
So, don’t be afraid to experiment with AI tools, whether you’re writing a weekly newsletter like me, working on the next great best seller, or just jotting down your thoughts in a journal.
But always remember: the heart and soul of your writing should come from you. The AI is just there to help you polish that gem of an idea into something truly brilliant.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Have you experimented with AI in your writing process? What's been your experience? Please drop a comment, and let's chat about it. After all, we're all on this writing journey together, aren't we?