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Photo by Mark F. Griffin<\/p>\nPhoto by Mark F. Griffin<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s guest post is by author Tawny Lara<\/a>.<\/p>\n A true artist takes risks. When a new writer types prompts into an AI bot to \u201chelp them write,\u201d the only risk taken is an opportunity cost. They miss the chance to find their true writing voice, at the cost of sounding like an amalgamation of the entire internet. LLMs are designed to homogenize your writing so it sounds like an algorithm\u2014not more like you.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not anti-AI, but I\u2019m pro-finding your unique voice. AI is one of many tools at our disposal. Just like writing by hand so you\u2019ll remember that spark of inspiration, using color-coded sticky notes to organize said ideas, swapping pages with a fellow writer for feedback on how to further explore your concept, or taking a writing workshop to sharpen your craft. Typing a quippy prompt into a chatbot is an appealing shortcut, but it ultimately stifles a new writer\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n What\u2019s missed when writing with AI<\/p>\n The metaphor of writing on a typewriter, crumpling pages, and throwing them furiously into the trash is lost when an LLM replies with, \u201cGreat idea! If you want, I can\u2026\u201d to every idea you have. AI is essentially a digital Yes Man. No artist gets better when surrounded by people\u2014or robots\u2014who can\u2019t provide helpful feedback based on critical thinking.<\/p>\n \u201cOur voice as modern humans is already tech-heavy,\u201d argues memoirist and writing teacher Amanda Montei. \u201cEvery writer\u2019s voice is an amalgamation of their influences, and their situated knowledge\u2014that is, what they have experienced in their life and who they are. Our voices will be influenced by tech and trends; there is no such thing as tech purity anymore. That\u2019s part of being human right now. But finding one\u2019s voice inside the noise is something one has to discover, and while it\u2019s not easy, it is the best part of writing. It is the work of writing.\u201d <\/p>\n For nonfiction writers, I believe our true voice is often in our hot takes and unpopular opinions. The ideas we\u2019re afraid to type, let alone say out loud, help us become more confident in those very ideas as we type.<\/p>\n A student told me she was using AI to write a newsletter about a meditation workshop she attended, until she remembered that I encourage emerging writers to avoid LLMs. \u201cWait\u2026 I attended the event\u2014not Claude,\u201d she proclaimed. Instead of prompting a chatbot, she asked herself questions like Why am I writing about this in the first place? What will my newsletter subscribers want to know about this event? Then she wrote about her human experience rather than relying on AI to summarize what a meditation event might be like.<\/p>\n Writing with AI makes imposter syndrome worse<\/p>\n While AI might help emerging writers feel more confident, I\u2019ve seen firsthand how LLMs worsen imposter syndrome. Turning in an article written by AI, then celebrating the new byline, is akin to crossing the finish line at a race you never trained for, let alone ran. The only way writers and artists can combat imposter syndrome is through arduous training\u2014no shortcuts.<\/p>\n I think of AI and LLMs as advanced writing tools, not the other way around. In order to use AI effectively, which is to say as one tool you might use rather than using every tool ever made, you need to know your voice as a writer\u2014know what you\u2019re saying and why it matters to modern readers. Author and writing teacher Caitlin Kunkel<\/a> encourages writers to identify the \u201cwhy me, why now\u201d in every story they tell. It\u2019s something I think about every time I pitch a story and often mention in my own writing classes.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t know your \u201cwhy me, why now,\u201d then I\u2019d argue that AI does more harm than good. Writers who\u2019ve already dared to establish their unique voice can use AI to discern their voice from a computer trying to turn their work into SEO slop. Writers like Kevin Roose, co-host of the New York Times tech podcast, Hard Fork, openly discussed<\/a> using Claude to help write his forthcoming book. We\u2019re in a fraught place as writers when New York Times reporters can openly use AI writing tools in their manuscripts while most publishers and literary agencies clearly state their zero-tolerance AI policies. So instead of writing prompts for an LLM, ask yourself why you write. Why words and not paint? Why writing and not sculpting?<\/p>\n Weird, experimental writing is the antithesis of AI<\/p>\n In addition to your writing voice being in hot takes and opinions, it\u2019s often hidden in your weird obsessions. That TV show you watch on repeat? Connect a point in your essay to a scene with those beloved characters in a way that only your life experience can reflect. Those action figures you\u2019ve collected since high school? I bet they\u2019re embedded in your subconscious somewhere, waiting for you to tie them to current events. You\u2019d be amazed at how tapping into your human interests can bring out your writing voice in a way that a robot never could.<\/p>\n
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