On Delegating Writing to Avoid the Fear
I embrace the chaos in places the algorithm won't statistically go
[If you’d rather listen, I hope you enjoy the piece as much as I enjoyed recording it!]
Originality and creative integrity is nothing major.
Sure, it’s enough to let writers spiral into an existential crisis, but y’know.
At least it's not the same for all that AI-generated stuff that's polluting the internet, right?
Right?
Actually, I wonder if AI chatbots are also being used by aspiring writers out of fear.
Better the AI you know than the AI you don’t…
It's easy to see all the creative goodness all over the place and feel out of your depth. And, at the same time, it's also easy to prompt ChatGPT, Claude, or your chatbot of choice, to pump out cleverly metaphor laden articles at breakneck speed.
Oh, the metaphors! When will they stop?
In this digital expanse where...No, wait...In this crucible of creativity...No, wait...In this landscape of digital and human interplay [I think you get the point by now. But if you don't, I can always add an "in conclusion" paragraph at the end, coz AI almost guarantees one.]
In this...situation, we find ourselves with a need to maintain personal flair and unique voice.
That's the other thing: "We" find ourselves. AI uses "we" a lot.
Actually, AI 'utilises' the word a lot. Just as it uses 'utilises' in this algorithmic tapestry. Speaking of which, add "tapestry" to the list of overused AI words.
Sigh. This piece of writing is a mess.
HahaHAHAHA!! I laugh in the face of this mess and I'll publish it for prosperity. Mwah-ha-HAAAAHAAAHAAHAHAHAHAH!!!
If you're still reading this, I'd like to congratulate you. I'd also like to ask, why are you punishing yourself to carry on?
Out of process or out of fear?
The point of all this nonsense is more to suggest that using AI out of creative fear isn't as helpful as it might seem.
I use chatbots a LOT. But they serve a much better purpose in the before and after stages of writing. During the writing, or instead of the writing, AI has some purpose, but far less than some might imagine.
I'm not even looking to moan about writers who are successfully publishing AI-dominant pieces to be more prolific or to nail a particular style. If it's working out for them, there's clearly an audience. Maybe the audience will feel cheated if they find out the heavy use of AI, and maybe they won't.
My focus on this, however, is solely the writer.
For the writer abandoning their voice in favour of an AI angle, I just hope they're not making the decision out of fear. Fear is the sad part. Fear is the nagging doubt that stops the real voice from shining through and playing a necessary part. Fear is the force driving unhealthy comparisons and second-guessing.
Your voice matters ❤️
In my month so far of publishing this newsletter, the many other writers I'm reading have such a variety of styles that it's clear many amazing voices exist. There's no one-size-fits-all.
Lots of simple AI prompting offers up generic content. Good prompting steps it up a little, but not much. Specialised prompting with added examples can make a huge difference.
But it's still not the same as a heartfelt piece of writing with personal stories, or an authentic article with unique case studies, or even a chaotic fun-jumble like the above.
Writing still matters.
But will prolific use of AI outputs result in the public losing some beautiful voices that we may never hear?
I fear it might.
What’s your take on this? Are you comfortable with the difficult balance of unique voice and best writing practices? How do you use (utilise…) AI? I’d love to know!
Great piece. Very balanced and yes, you’re right - it’s all about the voice for me and the fact that AI generated stuff is so homogeneous! Those blummin metaphors and conclusion pars….🙄
I wonder as well, Martin, whether people flock to AI because they feel they can't write anything worthwhile. That could be a part of it as well. I hope not, but based on what a lot of people tell me about how they feel they don't have anything worthwhile to write, I can see this being a possibility. Thanks for commenting on my post, by the way.