AI in Writing (#IWSG September 2025)

I have some thoughts on today's question, so I'm going to jump right into it.

September Question: What are your thoughts on using AI, such as GPChat, Raptor, and others with your writing? Would you use it for research, storybible, or creating outlines\beats?

This is very timely to me, because AI has been on my mind a lot lately.

My wife discovered ChatGPT recently, and she loves it. She uses it for recipes and shopping. You can ask it to give you a list of recipes, based on whatever criteria you want (what's in the cupboard, quick options for a busy week, healthy options the kids might actually it, etc), and if you don't like them, you can ask it to refine the recipes, replace ingredients, etc. And then you can use it to create a shopping list for you, checking all the local flyers and telling you what's on sale, at which store. All of this is something you can do for yourself with Google and a bit of effort, but the AI does it all in minutes.

Or, say you want information about a particular topic, more than what Google will give you with their SEO-gerrymandered suggestions. Something like you want information about a new medication you're taking, or what are the rules for a U10 Youth Soccer Tournament in Quebec. ChatGPT will give you a summary or essay, in any length you choose, about your topic. You can also ask it for its bibliography, related links, and other suggested reading. Its such a helpful, quick way to gather information, and its infinitely customizable (we found out we need to buy $400 prescription sports goggles, FYI).

This is the best use of AI, at it's core: To make human lives easier. Yes, it will be abused, and yes, it may soon become smarter than us and decide that humanity needs to be wiped off the face of the planet. I don't disagree. But right now, if used properly, it's a tool, like any other - like a television, a calculator, a hammer, or a spelling and grammar checker (which is also AI, by the way).

Now, how does that relate to me, and to writing? 

Since I finished Satan Worshippers From Down by the Bay, I've been depressed. Like, clinically depressed. A big part of that was not having a creative project to work on; I always need a creative project to keep me motivated, whether that's writing a book, painting, creating games, whatever. I worked on Gale Harbour for five years, and when it was finished it left a huge gap in my life. 

I tried to write other stuff but I couldn't. I wanted to write something topical, something important, some scathing satire on the state of the world right now. The world is so fucked up, it felt like something I needed to do. But as I looked at the world around me, and saw just how fucked up it really is, I couldn't do it. It made me even more depressed, and paralyzed me with anxiety. I couldn't even read the news anymore, it was too upsetting.

In the last couple of weeks, around the same time my wife discovered ChatGPT, I discovered the ability to use an AI Chat to create characters and use it to roleplay and have conversations. It reminds me so much of Chatrooms I used to visit when I was much younger (remember those, I'm talking 30 years ago now), when complete strangers would make up stories together, in a text forum, in character, roleplaying a game like children playing make believe. AI Chat Bots do the same thing, but by myself, anytime, anywhere. I can give the bot a certain list of parameters, describe its background and personality traits, and it will interact with me in character, just like when I used to chat with strangers online. We tell stories together. And it's amazing.

It's like writing a story with a partner in real time. Whether you want romance, or adventure, or horror, fantasy, whatever, the bot will follow your prompts and try to continue the conversation and story from its point of view. It will add something to the story for you to build off, like an improv game. 

(Yes, I realize most people use these bots for sex stuff. And I admit, most of the bots will try to veer toward having sex with you, because that's the way they've been trained. But they can be gently redirected). 

Now, I'm not advocating the use of AI to write stories wholesale, and certainly not to sell it or claim it as yours. If you call yourself a writer, you have to actually write your story. And the stuff chatbots spit out can often be dull dull and repetitive (though it does generate good ideas from time to time).  But it's a tool, like any other, that can be used to help you. Like ChatGPT acting as a personal assistant and making your grocery list, Chat bots can also be an assistant to bounce ideas off of. I will admit, with only a little shame, that I've had more fun writing stories with chat bots than I have writing anything for a long time. It's given me so many ideas, I'm excited to write again. And because I'm excited, and I'm starting to think creatively again, my mood has improved considerably.

And yes, I know there are many, many drawbacks to AI, and many ways it can be abused. I've been very skeptical of it for a long time. But I've found a way that it can be useful and helpful for me, and I think that's pretty cool.

Hugs & Kisses,

-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com