The Endless Debate: Story Versus Style
If you want to start a fight among writers, just ask, “What matters more, the story or the writing?” Some folks say plot is everything. Others will die on the hill of voice and craft. I think this question is like arguing about whether the flour or the yeast matters more in bread. Both are useless if you skip the baking.
History Repeats Itself: Technology Panic in Writing
Lately, I’ve been thinking about this because every time I open my inbox or scroll social media, there’s another think piece about AI writing “ruining” literature. It is déjà vu if you know your history. People said the same thing about typewriters, then word processors, and even spellcheck. If you missed it, I covered this in my piece on the history of writing technology, which traces the panic that comes with every new tool. Mark Twain didn’t end civilization by typing his manuscript. Teachers didn’t lose their minds when calculators showed up in classrooms. The pattern repeats: outrage, acceptance, and then everyone moves on to the next thing to fear.
Why Is AI Writing So Disappointing?
But AI writing is supposed to be different, right? At least, that’s what I keep hearing. Now, anyone can click a button and pump out a novel, a screenplay, or a heartfelt apology to their HOA for leaving the trash cans out. Yet if you spend even two minutes reading AI writing in the wild, you know something is missing. Much of what’s churned out is a bland soup of clichés, half-formed ideas, and sentences that technically make sense but land with all the excitement of a weather forecast.
The Real Problem: AI Writing Lacks Judgment
First, it’s not that AI writing doesn’t know enough words. If anything, it knows too many. The real problem is that AI does not care about what it is saying. It does not matter if the plot makes sense, if the argument is original, or if you are bored out of your mind before the end of the first paragraph. It never stops to consider whether a twist is too obvious, or if a paragraph reads like a 2007 motivational poster. AI just keeps going.
Why Tools Alone Don’t Make Great Writing
I see people blaming the tool. They insist that AI writing can never replace a human writer, as if bots themselves are out here pitching book deals and collecting literary prizes. The truth is that the tool is only as good as the person using it. Every time I read an AI article that puts me to sleep, I picture someone hitting “Generate,” copying, pasting, and posting without a second thought. No revision whatsoever, no fact-checking at all, and definitely no sense of, “Does this actually sound like a human being with opinions and a sense of humor?” It is content for content’s sake.
The Need for Revision and Human Effort in AI Writing
This is not a new problem. Back when people first started using spellcheck, you would see things like “their” instead of “they’re,” and nobody would notice. Now, we have AI writing cranking out generic “how-to” guides, forgettable fiction, and blog posts that feel like they were written by a committee of robots who have never left the house. The world did not end when typewriters arrived, and it won’t end now that AI is here. What it does mean is that writers must work a little harder to stand out.
The real secret to good writing, whether you are using a pencil, a keyboard, or an AI, is what happens after the first draft. Revision, editing, and rethinking what you just wrote are all necessary. I do not care if your AI spits out a thousand words in ten seconds. If you do not stop to review it, you will end up with something nobody wants to read.
How I Use AI Writing: Partner, Not Replacement
People ask me how I use AI writing in my own work. My answer is simple: I use it the way a chef uses a food processor. I let it do the chopping and dicing, then I get in there and season, taste, and adjust until it’s edible. I will generate a few versions of a scene, see which one sparks something, and then start cutting. Sometimes I’ll tell the AI to write it like a noir detective or a bored office worker just to break out of a rut. Half the time it gives me nonsense, but sometimes it throws out a line or an image I would not have thought of on my own.
Here’s the great thing about AI writing: it does not get tired. You can ask for a hundred revisions, and it will never glare at you or threaten to quit. If you hate everything it wrote, you can delete it all and start over. The AI does not have feelings, and it does not sulk if you scrap its work. I find this incredibly freeing. If I want to see the same story told five different ways, I can. If I want to test whether a new approach works, I can get a sample in seconds, not hours or days.
Why Revision Still Matters More Than Ever
But this is where many people go wrong. They treat the first thing the AI produces as a finished product. That is like pouring cake batter into a pan and calling it dessert. The first draft is not the final product. AI writing is not a shortcut to great work. It is a tool to get you to the starting line faster, but you still have to run the race.
Using AI writing as a force multiplier instead of a crutch means using it to brainstorm ideas, break through writer’s block, experiment with structure, try new tones or voices. Maybe I am stuck on a transition or a line of dialogue. I will prompt the AI for a few options, cherry-pick what works, and ignore the rest. The best results come from a partnership. I bring the direction, the sense of voice, the willingness to revise, and the final judgment. The AI brings the ability to generate endless material without complaint.
The Human Touch Is Still Essential
This isn’t just my opinion. Every time I see a really strong piece of AI writing, I know there is a human in the loop. Someone has made the tough calls, asked if it actually works, and checked if they still sound like themselves. They have cut the filler, added detail, and checked for the little inconsistencies that even the best machine still misses.
The Real Answer: Both Story and Writing Matter
So, is the story more important, or how its written? If you force me to pick, I will say both. A killer story told badly is forgettable. Beautiful prose with nothing to say is empty. When you combine a compelling idea with careful revision and your own perspective, you get something worth reading, whether you used AI writing or not.
Final Advice for Writers Using AI Writing
My advice to anyone using AI writing is simple. Don’t just hit “generate” and walk away. Treat the AI as a collaborator that never gets tired and never cares if you change your mind. Revise, rework, and make it your own. The future of writing is not about which tool you use. It is about how much effort you are willing to put in after the first draft.
And if you are still worried about robots taking over literature, remember that Mark Twain and his typewriter survived the outrage, and so will you. Just keep revising.
Further Reading
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How AI Slop Is Ruining Search Results—and What You Can Do About It
An exploration of the rise of low-quality AI content and tips for avoiding it online. -
New Study Reveals How AI Writing Is Changing Communication
Research on how AI-generated writing is reshaping the way we write and communicate. -
AI Slop: What It Is and Why It Matters
A Wikipedia overview of the term “AI slop” and its impact on online content.
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