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Five Creative Uses of ChatGPT for Writers (Which Don’t Involve AI Doing the Writing For You!)
Five Creative Uses of ChatGPT for Writers (Which Don’t Involve AI Doing the Writing For You!)
This post was first published in May 2023 and extensively updated in February 2025.
By now, you’ve almost certainly come across (and probably tried out) ChatGPT. And you might have strong feelings about it. I know lots of writers are understandably cautious or even angry about AI (artificial intelligence), concerned it’s diminishing the value of creative work. I imagine that you, like me, feel a certain sense of horror at the idea that AI might write novels in the future.
As a freelance writer, I’ve also seen AI cause huge disruption to the content writing industry. I’ve been getting paid to write blog posts and articles since 2008 … and 2024 definitely saw the biggest sea-change yet. Several of my clients cut back dramatically on freelancers, turning to AI instead.
It’s clear, though, that AI is here to stay … whether we like it or not. The quality has improved dramatically in the past couple of years, and although I don’t see AI writing full novels any time soon, it’s a useful tool for both fiction and non-fiction writers to try out.
We’ve going to take a look at some creative ways you can use ChatGPT as a writer. (more…)
What is a Character Arc? Positive, Negative, and Flat Character Arcs Explained (Plus Examples)
What is a Character Arc? Positive, Negative, and Flat Character Arcs Explained (Plus Examples)
This post was first published in April 2019 and extensively updated in February 2025.
You’ve probably come across the idea of a “character arc” before now … but what is it, and why’s it called that?
A character arc isn’t the same thing as your plot. It’s the progression of your character as a person throughout your story.
You might also think of it as your character’s “inner journey” or think of it as them truly becoming the person they’re meant to be.
It’s called an “arc” because you can imagine it plotted on a graph. Character arcs will normally follow an upward trajectory – where your character increasingly becomes a better person – though some will instead trend downward, where a character goes from good to bad, or bad to worse. (more…)About
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Can You Call Yourself a “Writer” if You’re Not Currently Writing?
The Three Stages of Editing (and Nine Handy Do-it-Yourself Tips)
What to Do When Your Writing Goals Seem a Long Way Off
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What is an Omniscient Narrator and Should You Use One in Your Story? (Pros, Cons, and Examples)
Last week, we looked at the third person limited point of view. There’s a different angle you can take with writing in the third person, and that’s to write as an omniscient narrator. This means writing as if you can see everything in your story, potentially all at...
Mastering Third Person Limited Point of View: Four Options and Four Examples
One decision you’ll need to make before starting your first draft is what point of view (perspective) to write from. A hugely popular option is third person limited point of view, and while you might have a rough idea what that means, it can cover quite a range of...
Will AI Write Novels? Here’s What I Think (Plus Examples from ChatGPT)
One question that’s been on my mind often recently is whether AI will eventually be able to write novels. As a novelist and a reader, this prospect definitely alarms me! As a freelancer, I’ve worked with several AI companies (and used AI tools to assist with my work,...
Choosing Viewpoint Characters: What’s Right for Your Story?
Sometimes, it’s obvious who the POV (point of view) character(s) will be for a particular story. Maybe you’re writing a first-person romance novella, for instance, with the heroine as the only viewpoint character. But in many cases, there isn’t a clear-cut choice…
My Annual Writing Goals for 2025 (Plus Support for Your Writing Goals)
Quick announcement, in case you don’t read to the end: During January, you can get Writers’ Cafe membership for just $5 for your first month. If you’d like to get 2025 off to a great start, we’re here to help and cheer you on. Happy New Year! We’re now a couple...
Annual Writing Goal Progress in Q4, 2024 – What’s Worked This Year and What Hasn’t?
We’re almost at the end of 2024. You might remember that after Q3, I wrote that I was running behind where I wanted to be with my writing. Spoiler alert: I did not catch up in Q4! I’ll take you through how my writing goals went in October, November, and December … and...
