Is There a Place for AI in Creative Writing? (Spoiler: Yes, but Not How You Think)

I’m the kind of writer who agonizes over the right metaphor for an hour, has notebooks full of half-baked plot ideas that may or may not see the light of day, and seven books that I’ve abandoned near completion because they simply weren’t up to standard. So, I was skeptical when AI writing tools first came onto the scene.

However, I became an enthusiast in my corporate work as a copywriter and content strategist. I experienced AI's rapid impact on copywriting, blogging, and SEO as AI encroached on almost every area of my livelihood. The rise of ChatGPT, Jasper, and Claude AI left no doubt in my mind that even the best corporate storytellers would need to adopt these tools to varying degrees or become obsolete. 

I can easily justify using AI in the corporate world, where my survival depends on productivity and profitability. But in creative writing, is there a place for it—without letting the robots do all of the actual writing?

Let’s talk about it. 

1. AI Is a Killer Brainstorming Partner (That Won’t Judge You)

One of the most painful parts of writing is staring at a blank page while your brain decides to take an impromptu vacation. AI thrives in this space. It’s like having a brainstorming buddy on speed dial, minus the awkward small talk.

I use AI to throw ideas at the wall. Need 10 plot twists for your murder mystery? Done. Want three different ways your protagonist can escape that impossible situation? Easy. AI generates ideas in seconds, and while some—or most—will be absolute garbage (AI still loves clichés a little too much), hidden gems often surface. 

But here’s the trick—I never take AI’s suggestions at face value. The goal isn’t to let the machine do the work. It’s to use those rough, clunky ideas as a foundation to build something uniquely mine. Prompt. Refine. Prompt some more. Refine. Curate.

Pro Tip: Ask AI specific questions. Then, ask it follow-up questions regarding the most interesting information it responds with—and always verify the responses. For example, here’s a prompt I fed it for research for a Southern Gothic fantasy novel set in New Orleans: What interesting people, myths, and legends took place in 1890s New Orleans?

2. Outlining Just Got Way Easier (Goodbye, Overwhelm)

I love writing, but outlining? A necessary torture. I’ve spent years fighting with messy outlines that look more like conspiracy theory boards than actual plans. AI has sped up the time it takes me to go from that initial tangled web to a functional story blueprint. 

Now, I feed AI the basic premise of my story along with the litany of research, ideation, and other pre-work I’ve done, and it spits out a rough outline in seconds. It might not be perfect, but that initial draft shaves hours off my process. From there, I tweak, expand, and rework it into something coherent.

Here’s the key—AI doesn’t replace the creative process. It accelerates the grunt work so you can focus on the fun parts. The emotional arcs. The twists, turns, and subplots. The dialogue. The stuff that makes readers care.

Pro Tip: Feed ChatGPT layered information—don’t underestimate its ability to digest info and provide you with 80% of what you need. For example, I used this prompt recently: write a cohesive outline using the following info...for additional context, this book is the first of a quadrilogy...i want it to be as franchisable as Harry Potter...as you create the outline, consider that Harry Potter was successful because of the sense of mystery, the plot twists, and the subplots...make sure there are plenty of twists and turns to this book (pick and choose what to include from notes based on cohesiveness)....generally I'm thinking that the witches of murkmarsh manor would be fighting against the forces of evil like a vampire coven...and a special division of the Pinkertons designated to fighting the supernatural and preternatural could be the wildcard in the story...joining and betraying both sides alternately.

3. Research Without the Endless Tab-Hopping

Research is a time-sink. As writers, we’re always a click away from accidentally falling down a Wikipedia rabbit hole about medieval plumbing when we meant to look up ancient weaponry. AI trims that fat.

I use AI to summarize articles, dig up obscure facts, or explain complex topics like I’m five. It’s not perfect (AI can hallucinate facts like a seasoned liar), but it’s a solid starting point. Always double-check the information, but trust me, this alone can save hours.

Pro Tip: When researching, ask AI to provide sources. Some tools will even give you links to dive deeper if needed. Even after it provides sources, you still need to double-check the links and veracity of the information it gives you.

4. Dialogue Polish and Pacing Checks

Ever write a conversation and realize it reads like two robots discussing the weather? Yeah, me too. AI excels at catching awkward, stilted dialogue. I’ll run chunks of my manuscript through AI and ask for feedback on pacing, tone, or flow.

Sometimes, AI will even suggest alternate phrasing that clicks. Other times, it flags spots where the dialogue feels unnatural. It’s like having a beta reader who never sleeps.

Pro Tip: Don’t ask AI to rewrite your entire chapter. Instead, use it for micro-edits—tightening lines, suggesting synonyms, or fixing repetitive phrases.

5. Character Development Boosters

Creating complex, layered characters is hard. AI helps by generating character backstories, traits, and even psychological profiles based on the tiniest prompts. I’ll ask AI what my antagonist’s greatest fear might be or have it suggest potential flaws for my hero.

Not every answer hits the mark, but I’ve fleshed out side characters using AI prompts I wouldn’t have considered on my own.

Pro Tip: Feed AI a brief character description and ask what kind of secret they might have. You’ll get some wild, intriguing responses that can fuel subplots.

What AI Can’t (and Shouldn’t) Do

Now, here’s the big one—AI should not write your novel. Period.

The voice, the emotion, and the gut-wrenching humanity that makes readers fall in love with a story has to come from you. This is where I draw the line.

AI can outline, research, and provide suggestions, but the heart of the story is something that— if written well and true enough—no algorithm can generate. And honestly, would you even want it to? Writing is about bleeding onto the page, not outsourcing the messiest, most human part of the process.

The Sweet Spot: AI as Your Creative Partner

Think of AI as a creative partner. It won’t do the deep work and the execution, but it’ll help you cover more areas, explore your ideas more thoroughly, and make the creative writing process a little less solitary.

Since embracing AI, I write faster, brainstorm better, and (most importantly) enjoy the process more. 

If you’re still skeptical, start small. Use AI for brainstorming or outlining and see how it feels. You might be surprised at how much lighter the creative load becomes.

Because at the end of the day, AI is a tool—a revolutionary one that signals either obsolescence or creative renaissance.