Lesson 3 of 6
Creative writing, unblocked
6 min read
The scariest thing in creative writing isn't a bad idea — it's no idea, and a cursor blinking at you.
An idea machine you steer
AI is brilliant at the part where you're stuck. Give it a seed — a character, a setting, a half-thought — and ask for ten directions it could go. Most will be forgettable. One or two will spark something. It isn't writing the story for you; it's a brainstorming partner that never runs dry.
AI generates; you choose. The taste — knowing which idea is actually good — stays yours. That's the part that makes it your story.
Beats, not whole chapters
Use it in small moves. Stuck on what happens next? Ask for three possible beats. Dialogue feels flat? Ask for five ways this character might say it. Don't ask for the finished chapter — ask for options at the exact spot you're blocked, then write the real thing yourself.
The magic isn't a finished draft — it's never being stuck. AI keeps the ideas flowing so you keep moving.
Anything AI gives you is a starting point, not the final line. The memorable phrases — the ones only you would write — still come from you. Use its ideas to unblock, then make them yours.
The shape of it
- —Stuck? Ask AI for many directions or beats — quantity beats one perfect idea.
- —You pick which idea is good and write the real lines — your taste is the point.
- —Work in small moves: options at the blocked spot, not a whole finished chapter.
You're three chapters in and completely stuck on what happens next. Best way to use AI?
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