How to (Actually) Write Better With AI

It’s here to stay, so you might as well learn to use it

Everybody wants an easy button.

That’s what many writers thought they were getting with programs like ChatGPT, Bard, and Jasper. Well, at least those who didn’t think AI was going to replace them. But that’s not what happened.

Sure, you can get a fully written, SEO optimized post by requesting it. But will it be engaging?? Probably not.

I’ve spent hundreds of hours writing with ChatGPT for my job, and I can get it to produce content that an “AI detector” won’t flag. But that’s because by the time I’m fished writing, it isn’t “written by AI.” I’ve edited it so heavily that it might as well be mine.

Look, AI is here (and getting better) so we might as well learn to use it so that it doesn’t use us.

I did not use AI to write this post. But as someone who works with ChatGPT regularly, I’ve gained some insights on how to make it work better than average. I’ll share them with you here and you can use what you find helpful.

Learn to Recognize Good Writing

If you want to get the best results writing with ChatGPT, learn what good writing is, first.

What makes a good headline? How do you craft a compelling introduction? What are the mechanics of voice and tone?

It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a blog post, resume, contract, or book. You need to get familiar with the elements of good writing. Otherwise, how will you know if the output ChatGPT gives you is any good?

Sure, the output might sound good to you and be better than something you could’ve written. But if you expect to fool savvy readers, you’re in for a disappointment.

Study writing. Learn the craft.

When you learn the mechanics of good writing, you’ll know how to evaluate what ChatGPT gives you.

Use AI as Your Second Brain

One of the best ways to use programs like ChatGPT is as a supplement.

You’re the brainpower. Make AI do all your heavy lifting.

Use AI to answer questions, and help you clarify your thinking. It can help you organize a messy outline, identify places where your writing needs clarity, and even help you get unstuck. You can even ask it for an opinion between two versions of a post. Just don’t let it run the show.

You are the creative force behind the machine.

There may come a time when AI can craft praiseworthy prose at the push of a button. It will probably happen sooner rather than later. But for now, real creativity comes from you.

Programs like ChatGPT are large language models, but they aren’t creative. They work with words, but they can’t put soul into writing.

We may see a time in the coming years when human written content is as valuable as a handcrafted piece of furniture is today. The more a craft or service becomes a commodity, the more valuable the real thing becomes.

Use AI to help you think — not to do the work for you.

Submit to the Power of an Outline

You can give ChatGPT a page of bulleted notes and ask it to organize them and write a blog post, newsletter, or essay. If you have detailed notes, you’ll get a pretty good output.

But if you give ChatGPT an outline and then ask it to write? Your output will improve exponentially.

See, ChatGPT doesn’t know everything. If there are gaps in your notes, it will either try to fill them in, or just leave them as gaps. But if you first give it an organized outline, there’s no room for gaps.

Start with a prompt like this:

I’m going to give you an outline about [TOPIC]. Please respond with “Got it” when you’ve received it.

[OUTLINE]

Once you’ve fed ChatGPT your outline, then you can start writing one or two sections at a time.

Use Precise Prompts

If you’ve played around at all with ChatGPT, you’ve probably learned the specificity matters. The more precise you are with your prompts, the better results you’ll get.

Most people’s prompts are a sentence or two long. I use prompts that are multi-paragraph and hundreds of words long.

For example, if you’re writing a post from an outline, you’d want to include several elements in your prompt. You’ll use this prompt to write one or two sections of your outline at a time. When it finishes those sections, reuse the same prompt to write the next ones.

First, you want to tell ChatGPT which sections of your outline you want it to write. Don’t try to write the whole thing at once.

Make sure to include your target audience. For example, “You’re writing this for bloggers who want to learn how to write better posts.”

Next, tell ChatGPT how to format your writing. Instruct it to use markdown formatting for the subheadings, and any other formatting instructions.

After that, tell it to follow the exact structure of your outline. Give examples to help clarify.

You can tell it to write in a friendly, personal tone. Use colloquial language, and empathize with the reader. Define and specify the exact voice you want it to use.

When you’re building a prompt, the most important thing is to describe — n detail — the exact output you want. Define everything.

All this info will guide ChatGPT while writing, and you’ll get much better results than just asking it to write for your outline and hoping for the best.

Edit Like Your Life Depends on It

No matter how good your prompt is, ChatGPT won’t give you a finished product. You’ll still need to edit everything to make it yours.

By taking time to edit your output, you’re using a hybrid approach to writing. That means you aren’t depending on a machine to generate all your content. You can go back through and add a human touch to it.

By the time I’ve finished editing, I’ve changed ninety-five percent of the original words.

Remember, AI gives you a great first draft — but you still need to polish it.

You may find this approach easier than editing your own writing because it’s more like you’re editing someone else’s writing. But you’ve saved yourself several hours of writing a first draft.

Like any good writer, you’ll benefit from spending as much (or more) time on your edits as your writing.

It Takes Time

Learning to write using ChatGPT takes time. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking it will magically make you an amazing writer.

It can help, but it can’t work miracles.

Practice often, and work on your prompts. As you learn, you’ll be able to tweak them for better results. Pretty soon, you’ll have a second brain at your fingertips, and you’ll find how much thinking energy AI can save you.

Take your time, practice, and learn what works.

And don’t worry, if you learn the mechanics of good writing and use AI as a tool, it won’t replace you.