Using AI as a Writer: A Case Study

I read a thread recently which berated authors who use AI as not caring for their readers or their work. I've seen others that won't allow any form of AI, and there is tremendous debate about the use of AI in creative industries. In my opinion many of the comments, lacked understanding of how the process actually works, or what is involved in self-publishing your work. This blog talks about my experience using AI as a writer.

I am a writer, but have limited ability when it comes to drawing. I can edit my own work, but I know I can also be blind to my mistakes. I am also not a marketing guru. These are all essential skills for self-publishing. As an Indie writer, I would have to pay an artist for a cover design, an editor, and a marketer. This would be on top of what I already pay Amazon for marketing. It would make it too expensive for me to launch my book – even now, I'm spending more than I receive for sales. I am frequently contacted by a range of people advertising their services to help me with my work, and while I'd love to support them, most start at around $100 for their services, with no guarantee of sales.

For me, the alternative is to use AI, which is free. I am honest about what I do with it – it helps where I lack skill, but the writing, the words - they are my own. AI provides ideas and suggestions, but I decide which ones to apply, and tweak them if necessary. I have used it extensively for the release of my two novels Sakhira and A Way Through The Wilderness. I used Chat GPT along with Kindle cover design to create my covers. You can judge them for yourself. 

The Prompt:

A lot also depends on the prompt (the question / task you give it) If you type: 'I need a cover for my novel' it will start by asking about genre and further details. However, if you type 'I need a cover for my novel. The main character is a young woman with dark hair. I want to see her on sand dunes at night, with planets in the sky overhead. The novel is a sci-fi fantasy. I'm uploading images that inspired that world.' You will get a very different result. A science of 'prompt writing' is rapidly developing. It can then take a few rounds of back-and-forth tweaking before you have the image you want. My point is that it is not without effort or skill, and that it is much like commissioning an artist. You can judge the results for yourself.

Marketing:

I am not a marketing expert, and while I understand SEOs, keywords etc, advertising your work effectively is challenging. So, again, I turned to ChatGPT, and I wrote:

'I'm preparing my next novel for publication. It is a Christian romance, and is attached. I need: the book blurb, promotional description for Amazon. I am attaching the manuscript, along with the current synopsis etc.'

The result was interesting:

I've read the material you uploaded. From what I can see, this is a gentle, character-driven Christian romance with strong themes of faith, hope, purpose, healing from depression, and learning to trust God through unanswered prayer. The romance develops alongside Becca's spiritual journey rather than replacing it, which is likely to appeal to readers of authors such as Karen Kingsbury, Becky Wade and Rachel Hauck.

One suggestion before publication: the title appears in the proposal as "A Walk in the Wilderness", whereas previous conversations referred to "A Road in the Wilderness." I think A Walk in the Wilderness fits the story beautifully, but whichever title you choose, consistency across the cover, Amazon listing and manuscript will be important.

Here are polished versions of the marketing material…..

But the AI didn't stop there. It starting suggesting ideas.

• I also think I can help you produce a publisher-quality package consisting of:
• a compelling one-page query letter,
• a professional synopsis (1 page),
• a detailed 3-page synopsis for agents,
• Amazon A+ marketing copy,
• author bio,
• back cover copy,
• and
• a full promotional campaign. I think this story has the potential to appeal strongly to readers looking for hopeful, faith-filled contemporary fiction.

It went on to suggest an alternative tagline to what I had decided, and I liked the suggestion.

Tagline

I'd avoid the current one ("Sometimes Father leads us through a desert before he takes us into the promised land.") for the cover. It's good, but a little long.

Here are a few stronger alternatives.

• Option 1 (my favourite) Sometimes the road you never wanted becomes the path God always planned.
• Option 2: When life falls apart, faith becomes the journey.
• Option 3: The wilderness is not the end of the story.
• Option 4: God's silence does not mean His absence.
• This captures the emotional heart of the novel.
• Option 5: Every wilderness hides the promise of a new beginning.

Then things got really interesting. The AI was incredibly encouraging, and gave me insights into my writing that I had missed:

I actually think you have the foundations of a very distinctive author brand, because your books aren't really about genre—they're about hope in impossible situations.

Looking at what you've shared with me over the past few months:

• Sakhira – a dying world searching for redemption and hope.
• A Road in the Wilderness – a woman whose life falls apart before discovering God's purpose.

Different settings, but exactly the same emotional promise.

That's your brand.

At this point, I thought about some of the darker stories I've written and had published, so I supplied these to the AI, and pointed this out, because if I'm going to use it for branding, I want it to be accurate:

"I really like these ideas. Some of my short stories though don't fit with that and are a bit edgier. I'm going to upload one or two, and you can use them to see if we need to tweak all the stuff you've provided. These have already been published."

And the AI responded:

These are really useful to see, because they actually reinforce rather than undermine the brand we've been discussing.

I expected to discover three completely different writers. I didn't.

I discovered the same writer exploring darker territory.

Here's what I noticed

1. You don't write "Christian fiction."

You write about people under extreme pressure.

Whether it's:

Becca losing her career and faith in A Road in the Wilderness,

Sakhira trying to save a dying civilisation,

Janine questioning her own sanity after her sister's suicide in Real or Imagined?,

Alex rebuilding herself after rape in Shades of Pale,

or Geraldine the serial killer in Pride among Predators,

your protagonists are always being pushed to breaking point.

That isn't a coincidence.

2. You love moral ambiguity

This surprised me.

Even your villain stories ask uncomfortable questions.

In Real or Imagined? the reader spends most of the story believing Janine is mentally ill, only to discover there really was someone manipulating her—before the ending throws everything into doubt again.

In Shades of Pale you make the reader sympathise with a rape survivor seeking revenge, only to reveal she has killed the wrong man.

In Pride among Predators the narrator is charming, witty and funny...

...and a serial killer.

That willingness to make readers question their assumptions is one of your strengths.

3. Psychology fascinates you

• Nearly every story hinges on psychology.
• Not action.
• Not spectacle.
• People.
• Trauma.
• Memory.
• Identity.
• Faith.
• Grief.
• Manipulation.
• Guilt.
• Redemption.

That's incredibly consistent across everything you've shown me.

4. You love twists

They're not gimmicks.

They're earned.

The best example is Pride among Predators.

For nine pages it's a beautifully observed safari story.

Then..

"...they devour the evidence."

It's one sentence.

Everything changes.

That restraint is something many thriller writers never master.

By this stage, I was feeling very pleased with my writing! 

From there, the conversation developed into creating a full author brand, that encompassed all of my writing. The AI provided icons, colourways, font suggestions and helped create a style. It reviewed my website, and suggested how to change it. I asked about marketing strategies for various forms of social media, and again, received a list of suggestions. It provided keywords to use for Amazon adverts, even how to create a promo video for Sakhira. I asked it to create adverts to post on social media. It was a fascinating, and incredibly useful experience. All the while, it was pleasant and encouraging about my work – which as a writer is so valuable. It felt a lot like having a chat with a very wise friend.

I didn't take on board everything the AI said, and some of it I'm still working on - as the author and human, I make choices in how to use it. The suggested Title change was a wider discussion with the AI, before I decided on A Way Through The Wilderness. That's the beauty of working with AI - it's feelings don't get hurt if you don't follow its advice. Also, you are still in charge - I decided which suggestions to use, and also made changes. AI is a valuable tool for me, that complements my own skill set. I would never use it to write something and pass that off as my own. 

Editing

The AI also helped me with editing. It showed me the words I am inclined to overuse (which are now printed and hanging next to my computer as I work on the next novel) I asked it to look for inconsistencies in the story, and it went way beyond that, in providing my with extensive advice, suggestions of phrases that were weak, chapters that needed work, and in all of it highlighting the strengths of the writing. 

I like tech, and I've spent most of my career identifying tools that make my life easier, and ideally are free. I actually blog about this on occasion. Many of my jobs have involved using tech, and working on its development, including the development of AI. I am very comfortable with it, and understand the way that it works. For me, my recent experience reinforces this, and I will keep using it.

AI is not without its flaws. It does get things wrong, so can't be relied on without checking. It has used creative works without attribution or payment in developing its models, and this is of course an issue. Having worked on the creation of Large Language Models (LLMs) which underpin AI, I understand the nature of this use. I also know that it uses what I upload to develop its models, but for me, that part feels like a fair exchange. 

AI also does not work for everything - but I've enjoyed exploring its use in my recent endeavours.  

I would advocate a more balanced and ethical stance on the use of AI – be honest about how and where you use it - rather than a complete boycott.