How AI Helped Shape My Novel (But Didn’t Write It)

Did I use AI in my novel? Absolutely, but not as you think. Every time I get this question, there’s a sense of taboo. People ask it quietly, or they ask for complete honesty, “they won’t tell anyone.” The reality is, it’s a tool, and you have to learn how to use it. It’s like having a coach guiding you as you write. Nonetheless, even the best-engineered prompt won’t write you a novel, or even a chapter for that matter. I used them all: Perplexity, Grok, Gemini, Llama, and of course, ChatGPT. None of them can write an intriguing scene; they’re too obvious. That’s why, creatively, they can offer you a path, but you’re the one who has to walk it.

Proofreading is another matter. This is where I used LLMs the most. After three editors, Grok fixed almost 400 errors, mostly following Chicago Manual of Style, like introducing straight quotes or punctuation fixes. I highly encourage people to dig in and use these tools. It’s because of them; I relearned what a run-on sentence is.