For the past almost 30 years – since I started in 1998 – writing a blog post was a fairly typical routine for me. It usually started with an idea, a little spark of something I wanted to explore or share. But more often than not in recent years, that’s where it would stall. As you know, I’ve been wrestling with a really frustrating writer’s block when it comes to my personal blog – for a few years now, actually. The desire to share thoughts and observations has always been there, but actually trying to write them down in a coherent way just felt… tiring. I didn’t have it in me, even though I wanted to.
Interestingly, during this time, I wasn’t a complete stranger to using AI in writing. Since ChatGPT was released in December 2022, and other AI products since then, I’ve been using it quite effectively in my professional life, mainly for drafting and refining technical and professional documents. In my work, clarity, precision, and structure are very important. AI has been an extremely useful assistant for those tasks – helping to standardise documents, break down complex technical concepts for different audiences, and generally speed up what can often be a tedious, time consuming process. It was a practical tool for a practical purpose, and I saw its amazing value in that context.
It took me some time, though, to consider applying it to the more personal, reflective writing I do here on the blog. Perhaps it was the perceived difference between the highly structured output needed for technical specifications and the more nuanced, voice-driven nature of blogging. Or maybe I just hadn’t thought to use my work tool for a personal project. But eventually, facing that ongoing writer’s block and wanting to get back to sharing my perspectives with you guys again, I figured, why not give it a crack? What did I have to lose?
And I’m really glad I did. Once I started using AI to help me get over my writers block, my approach to writing, particularly for this blog, has since undergone a significant and, frankly, relieving transformation. I’ve started incorporating AI into the process, and it’s been fantastic at helping me overcome that creative hurdle. I’m genuinely loving the results and the process itself.
Now, when I say I’m using AI to write, I don’t mean I simply type in a topic and publish whatever the machine spits out. That’s not writing; that’s just outsourcing thought, and I’m absolutely not doing it that way. My process is far more of a ‘collaboration’. To make this collaboration even more effective, I’ve actually spent some time this week ‘training’ my AI assistant. I’ve fed it a lot of my past blog posts, covering a wide range of topics and styles I’ve used over the years. The aim was to give it a solid understanding of how I think, what my topics of interest are, how I structure my arguments, and the kind of language I use.
I’m hoping this effort will make my writing feel more natural and sound more like me. From what I’ve seen this week, I think the initial drafts the AI produces now are more aligned with how I sound. It’s not perfect, I can see that, and it still requires my input and shaping – the human element is certainly irreplaceable. However, the starting point is much closer to home. It’s like having an assistant who has a good grasp of my style from reading my previous work.
So, the process typically begins with an idea – and now, thanks to AI, the ideas actually make it to the page! Instead of immediately trying to create and refine something entirely by myself, I give my core idea – what I want to write about – along with some key points or desired angles, to this now somewhat ‘trained’ AI writing assistant. “Here’s the concept,” I’ll essentially say, “and here are the main things I want to cover. Whip up a draft for me, keeping my usual style in mind.”
What comes back is a more tailored first pass. This is where my role as the ‘director’, the shaper of the content, actually begins. I take that AI-generated draft and start to build upon it, refine it, and inject my own personality, experiences, and specific viewpoints. It’s an iterative process. I cut, I add, I reword. It’s of course important to make sure any examples are mine, the anecdotes ring true to my life, and the underlying message aligns with my core beliefs. Then, I’ll share it back to the AI to help refine grammar and improve the overall feel, and eventually, I have something I’m happy with – voila! (I added that ‘voila!’ bit… I’m sure AI will learn about that eventually. Oh, and I added this bit too…..)
There are several reasons why I’ve become such a proponent of this new way of working, especially given my previous block:
- Finally Overcoming the Blank Page: This is the big one for me. AI provides that initial momentum, that first draft, which has been absolutely instrumental for me in breaking through the inertia of writer’s block.
- Efficiency is a Game Changer: Once the initial draft is there, the process is much faster. This means I can get my thoughts formulated and out into the world much more regularly than before.
- A Springboard for Ideas: Sometimes, the AI will structure a sentence or suggest a train of thought that, while not exactly what I was aiming for, sparks a new angle or a deeper insight.
- Focus on the Core Message: By handling some of the heavy lifting, the AI allows me to concentrate more on the substance of my message. I can spend more time ensuring the core arguments are sound and the analysis is sharp.
- Continuous Refinement: The process of guiding the AI forces me to clarify my own thoughts with greater precision, which adds to better guidance. The final result is mine though – the AI just helped me get there.
I understand some might be sceptical. They might think using AI diminishes authenticity. I see it very differently. For my technical documents at work, for instance, while AI can certainly help with precision and clarity, it’s my personal knowledge and professional expertise that are absolutely essential to analyse requirements and shape the final, accurate content; the AI is a tool that helps me articulate that existing expertise. In much the same way, for this blog, AI is a tool that helps me unlock and articulate my perspectives, but it’s the knowledge and unique experiences from my life that are crucial for shaping the substance and meaning of what I write. The effort to teach it my style is part of making that tool more effective for me. And ultimately, the responsibility for the final content, whether it’s a detailed technical specification or a personal blog post, still rests squarely with me.
This isn’t about a machine taking over; it’s about a new form of partnership, one that I’m actively shaping to help me communicate more effectively and overcome previous limitations. It’s another lesson in adaptation and leveraging what’s available.
For me, this AI-assisted approach has made writing blog posts not just possible again, but actually enjoyable. It feels like a more dynamic and interactive way to develop my thoughts and share them. And I’m especially enjoying this experience of helping the AI write more like me.
Just as a sort of ‘addendum’, after finishing the article above, I then asked my article-writing AI to give me a prompt I can use in an image-creating AI:
And then I went over to my image-creating AI to get an image for the post:
Seriously…. how cool is that?
Welcome to the future.
What do you think about using AI as a creative partner, especially for overcoming challenges like writer’s block? Have you experimented with it in your own work or hobbies? I’d be interested to hear your experiences.
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