Is AI Destroying Your Writing?

AI is helpful for a lot of things, but I think we are starting to put a little too much faith in it. Some people seem to think it is flawless, and the truth is, if you are not careful, AI can actually destroy your creative work.

Now, let's be fair. AI is good for many things. It can check your work for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors at the speed of light. It can help you fact-check information, brainstorm ideas and research subjects you don't know enough about. It can help you organize your thoughts, ask questions you may not have considered, and even point out areas in your story that may need more work.

But I would be very careful about asking it to rewrite your sentences.

This is where I think something starts to get lost. When AI starts rewriting your prose, it may make the sentence sound better. It may make it more polished and technically correct. But at the same time, it can take away something that is much more important than perfect writing: the voice of the author.

As of late, I have noticed something about writing that has been heavily edited by AI. At first, it feels good. It may even sound great. It is polished, descriptive and sometimes quite beautiful. But after reading enough of it, I started to notice something: it is all beginning to sound the same.

That is where I have a problem with it.

Every writer has their own way of telling a story. We use different words and expressions. Some people are funny. Some are sarcastic. Some are blunt. Some tell a story in a way that wanders around a little before getting to the point. Those differences are part of what makes someone's writing interesting.

This is particularly important when you are writing memoir or telling a personal story. I don't want to read a perfectly polished version of what happened to you. I want to hear you tell me what happened to you.

That doesn't mean your manuscript shouldn't be edited. Of course it should. Use whatever software you prefer to check spelling, punctuation and grammar, and to help catch repetition or sentences that aren't clear. But your manuscript should also be edited by a human editor. Don't let AI be your final critique. A human editor understands context, nuance and, most importantly, your voice. There is a big difference between helping you strengthen your writing and rewriting it until it no longer sounds like you.

I would much rather receive a manuscript that needs some work but still sounds like the person who wrote it than one that has been edited so heavily by AI that the author's voice has been lost.

So use AI. Use it to help you research. Use it to brainstorm ideas. Use it to fact-check information, although you should always verify important facts independently. Use it to find errors in your work and to ask questions when you are stuck.

But be careful about letting it write for you.

Do yourself a favour. Your writing doesn't need to be perfect. That is what editors are for. What your writing does need is something no AI program can give it.

It needs to be you. Are you an author wanting to share your point of view on AI? Contact me and be on the next Author Roundtable, a new YouTube series presented by Clipston Publishing. Send requests to teena@clipstonpublishing.com.