I recently attended a webinar about a hot contemporary topic: If and how authors can and should use Artificial Intelligence in their writing. The title of the webinar made me curious and gave me pause at the same time. I’m paraphrasing here:
How can authors use AI to speed up the writing process and write books in days instead of months and years?
At first glance, this title sounds typical of today’s highly competitive market for authors, whether they write fiction or nonfiction. The webinar itself was informative and helpful. It was the title that made me feel uncomfortable.
Writing is a process, first and foremost. Of course, we hope to have a finished product at the end. However, if we don’t enjoy the process, we miss the most important part of writing. When I write, I explore ideas, emotions, and insights. I write to study myself. I put myself into the minds and feelings of the characters I create. I investigate the world within and around me. This is a meaningful experience and I want to cherish it, not cram it into the shortest possible timeframe.
AI is an exciting field that can be useful in many ways. I work as a freelance tasker for a company that improves AI texts in German. AI, like all inventions, can be used for good and bad. As an author, I can see using AI for things such as research, for instance, perhaps even for some editing tasks.
AI, however, shouldn’t replace meaningful work that enriches us. So, my fellow authors, enjoy this time, this adventure of creating an imaginary world or helpful information you share with others. Don’t rush. Take your time, whether it takes days, weeks, months, and yes, even years.
Happy Writing!
