Think You Need AI to Write Your Book – or Content
- Sep 7, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 5
It's Called Artificial Intelligence For a Reason
As a writer, book coach, and avid reader, I cringe when I see ads on YouTube, Facebook, and now LinkedIn promising that you, too, can become a writer by harnessing the world of AI. It’s at your fingertips. You can have your book done in a week. Even here, on the blog creation portion of my WIX site, I am prompted by a huge banner, and pop ups to use AI. All I have to do is plug in a few key words and magically my content will be created, along with artwork. Those who are "selling" you a class on writing with AI are simply jumping on the bandwagon and making money off of you (sorry, if that hurts a little). In the long run, something you can't see when you're starting, or maybe don't care about, YOUR words matter.
Here's the problem. The book you are creating and content you are creating using AI generated material is NOT YOU. It's not YOUR heart, emotions, thoughts or experiences. AI (aka ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE) takes content generate from other users who feed data into the computer systems housed in the giant data centers (which are not environmentally friendly). AI takes from other published works too. And then it generates a summarized version without any of the things I mentioned - heart, real human emotions and thoughts, and personal experiences. While you think you're being creative, you're actually just getting a duplicate and mish-mash of other people's words - which is NOT YOU.
I understand why using AI is such an attraction. You can have your work done instantly - no effort, not much thought and a BIG time saver. I get why people who have a desire to write a book, but don't have the experience want to use AI. We've been sold the idea that everyone is doing it, it's the wave of the future, and you better get on board or be left behind. As a non-writer you don't know anything about being an author, so you believe what you're being told by the media, non-writer friends, your social feeds and ads. There's also the fear that you're not good enough, so why try. Stay in your lane, right? So of course, you believe the lie, why wouldn't you? The offer they are giving you sounds good, like it will answer all of your problems. The problem is, it doesn't.
As a book coach, I recently worked with a client who wrote her entire book using AI. It was basically a list. There was no heart or soul in it. There was no human connection. It was mash up of compiled thoughts and idea. There was none of HIM in this. None of his background, voice, skills, or humor - it was boring. ZERO connection. No feeling and I could barely read past the first chapter, neither could his reviewers.
No matter what type of book, the reader wants to feel something.
He'd already spent a lot of time using AI to generate the content. But we went back to the beginning of the process, dug around a bit, and answered a few questions. Questions which on the surface don’t sound like much but, they run deep in you as a human and come out in your writing. The questions I asked helped him to discover what he wanted to say and how to say it - while uncovering the creative side he said he didn't have.
As a writer, I learned early on what it takes to write a book that connects with your reader. You don’t have to be perfect. What you need is a plan.
Ready to WRITE YOUR BOOK?
Here are a few parts of the developmental plan that I help my clients with, as well as what I use myself. There is no magic, no AI, and no right or wrong answers. When you are clear and precise with your answers, you will find that your ideas and your writing become clear too. It’s as if you took a pair of dirty glasses, washed them up, and put them on and you can see the path before you.
STEP 1) WHY are you writing your book? This is the most challenging part of this exercise. You need to dig deep into your heart and ask yourself this question. And you need to be honest with the answer.
STEP 2) WHO is your book for? If you said everyone, you’re wrong. I know I said there are no wrong answers, but in this case, that’s wrong. Everyone can read your book, but it’s not for everyone. I encourage you to narrow this down to a specific person. Think of someone you know, or maybe someone you’ve met. Make it a conglomerate of people. A book that is watered down won’t reach your audience. For example, a kindergarten reader is not going to read a book like The Grapes of Wrath.
STEP 3) WHAT are you writing? No matter if you’re writing the next great literary novel, a self-help book, a book on business growth, a memoir, or a children’s book, you must, must, must know what you are writing. The kicker is that you need to be able to say it in one or two sentences.
All of these sound simple and of minor importance, but these three (of the 5 in my plan) make up the core part of your book and HELP YOU WRITE with AI. They help you discover your message, and they free up your creative side of your brain. Plus there a quite few side benefits YOU GET when you write your own book - accomplishment for one.
This being said, AI is a crutch, that you have been told you need - but you don't. All you need is some encouragement, a little knowledge, and practice. Your book doesn’t have to take years to write, either. My client, in the example, worked with me for 60 days and finished his book - and now it's in print and get rave reviews from readers who say things like: "I really connected with what this author was saying, it was like he knew me."
I encourage you, if you're writing content or a book, to use those three simple questions. When you get out of your own way, you can get it done.
If you'd like to know more about getting started writing your book - or you're half-way through and stuck - let's chat in my FREE 30-Minute "GET MY BOOK DONE" session. Click on the button below to schedule yours.
*No AI was used to create any of my content. I am dyslexic - so if you see an error, you're getting an unedited version of me.
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