Can AI help you write better books?

A look at how Artificial Intelligence is altering our landscape

Whether you love it or hate even the idea of it, AI is changing the way authors approach creative writing. There are several powerful tools that can support authors in generating ideas, structuring stories, and refining their words. But does using AI mean we risk losing our innate human creativity...?

The short answer is surely no. Creativity is about human imagination, feelings and life experiences. However, in academic fields, it does raise questions about authorship and originality. In the business world, your ideas are no longer protected if you use an open, free online AI to develop them. And if AI helps write a novel, is it still the author’s unique creation? These are important debates as part of the writing process because there’s no doubt it can save you time.

If you’re interested in testing it out for yourself, here are some tips:

Powerful prompts for your AI assistant

Writing a specific prompt is essential because AI is only as clever as the input you give it. If you ask ChatGPT to "write a story," the result may be generic based on a cliched trope or a common hero story arc. Yet if you provide a detailed, thoughtful prompt - a list of plot points, including a character’s backstory, the setting, and a conflict - it’ll return something far more interesting. Think of AI as a writing assistant: it works best when given clear guidance and if you’re writing non-fiction, it can produce a chapter plan from a list of ideas.

 

Can AI capture the right tone of voice?

One challenge with AI is creating and continuing in an authentic, personal writing voice. AI uses a statistical prediction model and learns from vast datasets, but it doesn’t have emotional experience. However, you can ask for specific stylistic requests (e.g. "write this in the style of a gothic novel"), which helps AI generate text that follows a brand or personal voice. aligns with their vision. The more you 'train’ your AI assistant in which words you like and how your writing voice sounds, the better it will get at copying and replicating that voice.

 

Will AI plagiarise someone else’s work?

Universities and schools are rightly concerned about students using AI and plagiarising work taken from the internet. AI will not directly copy other sources verbatim; however, it will summarise, rephrase, and synthesise information to provide original responses. AI uses websites, books, articles, scientific documents, research papers and any other publicly shared information to 'learn’ and return responses for a query. That means your answer will include multiple sources, some of these will be cited and others not. If you’re using AI to plan your writing, we would recommend that you edit every paragraph to sound more human and check if all the data sources are correct or authentic. Websites do not have to verify their facts, so your AI assistant may be drawing on inaccurate information.

 

How many writers use AI?

Use of an AI assistant for writing is on the rise, as is the use of AI-generated images on book covers. In 2023, 20% of fiction writers admitted to using AI tools for brainstorming, outlining, or drafting. While AI-generated novels are still rare, many authors use AI for plot development, character building, and overcoming writer’s block. There is a lot of background research and world building that goes into creating a setting for a book and AI can speed up the process of gathering all the information that’s in your imagination.

 

Which are the best AI tools for writers?

There are several different free AI tools. However, remember, your writing is not secure if you’re using the free version; the topic could be used again for someone else’s query.

 

• ChatGPT - Best for brainstorming, dialogue generation, and idea expansion.

• Claude by Anthropic - Offers accurate and creative voices, insightful narrative suggestions and can analyse text for coherence.

• Sudowrite - Built for fiction writers because it enhances descriptions, dialogue, and sensory details.

• NovelAI - Adapts to a user’s writing style for long-form storytelling.

• Jasper AI - Helps with fiction writing, storytelling, and script generation.

• QuillBot - A rephrasing and summarisation tool for improving clarity.

• Rytr - Offers structured templates and story-building assistance.

• Clio Books - AI-powered voice-assisted book writing.

Clio is interesting because it is a much cheaper alternative to hiring a ghostwriter. This AI-powered platform is designed to help authors record their book ideas. Unlike traditional ghostwriting which relies on interviews, users can voice-note their ideas into Clio, which then transforms the notes into structured and lightly edited text. The AI-driven process ensures that the content retains the author’s unique voice and the team provides human editors to refine the manuscript for final publication. Clio’s management has expertise in publishing and the company has already helped create over 100 business books, making it a compelling alternative to hiring a professional ghostwriter.

 

AI and human creativity: a perfect pair

Using AI for writing isn’t about replacing the author. It can speed up the writing process, help overcome obstacles and refine your ideas. AI can save you energy and complement your creative resources by helping writers structure their stories before sending them to an editor. We asked ChatGPT to help us with this article and give us the list of their competitors - helping us find all the AI tools on the list above.

 

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