Writing with AI
We’re sharing a few examples of how writers are using ChatGPT in their creative process.
Writers are using ChatGPT as a sounding board, story consultant, research assistant, and editor—to talk out ideas, find the right word, clarify their thinking, and get feedback on structure and flow.
Here are five ways professional writers use ChatGPT not to write for them, but as a tool to extend their own creativity.
“The instinct is to say, ‘Oh, this thing just writes for us.’ But I can also prompt it to ask me questions. It can get me thinking by pulling ideas and insights out of me.”
Writing is inherently solitary, and that solitude has a drawback: trapped in your own perspective, it’s hard to be objective about your work. That’s why writers need editors—to provide a fresh view on what works and what needs work.
But editors aren’t always available, and even when they are, they only see finished drafts. That’s where ChatGPT can help, offering instant feedback and guidance at every stage of the writing journey.
Screenwriter David Cornue sees ChatGPT as a 24/7 writers’ room, helping him develop story ideas and solve narrative problems. Here’s how he uses ChatGPT to get feedback on his screenplays and beat sheets.
“Aku nggunakake ChatGPT minangka kolaborator crita lan evaluator crita—dudu generator crita.
Aku ngomong marang kanca-kanca panulisku, yen kowé nyoba njaluk dheweke nulis kanggo kowé, ana sing ilang saka dirimu. Kuwi kaya nyontek PR robot supaya entuk A+. Aku luwih milih ngerjakake PR-ku dhéwé.
Aku ora tau nggunakke kanggo ngomong, “Tulis ulang adegan iki kanggo aku.” Penulis kudu takon marang awake dhewe, “Kepiyé caramu nggunakke iki kanthi cara sing krasa pas, sing nggawe kowé rumangsa iki isih kowé lan isih swaramu?” Sajeroning kowé tetep dadi mesin kreatif ing mburiné, iki piranti sing apik banget kanggo digunakake.
Aku cetha banget babagan caraku pengin nggunakke AI. Aku netepake wates kaya wong netepake wates ing sawijining hubungan. Aku ngomong, iki bisa ditampa; iki ora bisa ditampa. Aku nggawe firewall kreatif kanggo ngomong, “Aja nulis iki kanggo aku. Aku sing panulis. Kowé dudu panulisé.”
Aku nggunakke ChatGPT sedina muput, saben dina. Aku nganggep iki kaya ruang panulis. Saiki aku lagi nggarap adaptasi novel. Aku bakal ngomong, “Iki beat sheet-ku. Aku rumangsa iki kurang dramatis. Pendapatmu?” ChatGPT menehi gagasan lan kami ngobrol bolak-balik kanggo mbahas tantangané kaya ing ruang panulis.
Kadhang aku njaluk dheweke menehi umpan balik nganggo prinsip penceritaan sing wis takkembangake. Utawa aku njaluk dheweke main dadi penulis skenario veteran. Aku ngomong, “Ya wis, pura-purane kowé penulis utawa sutradara misuwur iki-lan-iku. Cathetanmu apa?”
Aku mesthi sing nyetir. Iki sounding board sing luar biasa, luwih cepet, luwih pinter, lan luwih apik tinimbang apa wae sing bisa takbayangake.”
David Cornue
To write well, you need to find the right words. But there’s a palpable difference between a word that’s almost right—serviceable but vague, directionally correct yet inexact—and one that conveys meaning with thrilling precision: what Flaubert called “le mot juste.” His advice: “Never settle for approximations.”
ChatGPT achieves what a thesaurus never could: it considers the sentence in which a word appears, offering nuanced, pertinent suggestions to help writers articulate ideas with absolute clarity.
Here’s how former New York Times columnist Farhad Manjoo uses ChatGPT for “wordfinding”:
“ChatGPT saiki wis dadi bagéan saka alur kerjaku. Sadurunge miwiti nulis, kadhang aku ngobrol dhisik karo ChatGPT babagan gagasan sing lagi takpikirake. Rasane kaya brainstorming—kaya ngolah gagasan, utawa mikir banter.
Aku uga wis nyoba nggunakake ChatGPT dadi pamaca pertamaku. Sawisé nulis sawetara paragraf, aku nuduhake menyang ChatGPT lan njaluk kritik umum. Kadhang asilé apik uga. ChatGPT bisa nyaranake kontraargumen sing mungkin ana, utawa nuntun aku menyang gagasan sing durung tau takpikir. Memang ora padha karo ngobrol karo editor, nanging tetep nyenengake nduwé sing bisa kanggo mbal-balan pikiran.
Panggunaan utamaku yaiku sing taktulis ing artikel New York Times(mbukak ing jendhela anyar), yaiku nggoleki tembung. Aku terus-terusan nyoba golek cara pinter kanggo ngandharake sawijining bab; ya mbok menawa kuwi jenenge nulis.
Sadurunge ana ChatGPT, aku bakal mbukak kamus lan tesaurus lan nindakake telusuran Google sing muter adoh mung kanggo nemokake tembung sing paling pas.
ChatGPT saiki ngganteni kabeh kuwi kanggo aku. ChatGPT uga migunani banget kanggo analogi, metafora, lan idiom. Asring, aku mung kepikiran separo analogi lan ora bisa ngrampungake kanthi cara sing pas tenan. Saiki, yen aku pengin perbandingan sing menarik nanging ora ngerti tembung sing pas kanggo digunakake, aku njaluk tulung marang ChatGPT, lan sawisé sawetara bolak-balik, ChatGPT mbantu aku nemokake gagasan sing suwé takgoleki. Aku durung tau nggunakke piranti liya sing bisa mbantu kaya ngono.”
Farhad Manjoo
Most people think of ChatGPT as a question-answering machine: ask a question, get an answer. But writer and founder Stew Fortier finds it most useful when he’s the one giving answers. He calls it “reverse interviewing”—a technique where ChatGPT guides the user through a series of probing questions, drawing out insights and nudging them to articulate their thoughts more clearly.
Here’s how Stew uses ChatGPT as a tool to unlock his own creativity:
“Aku nganggep iki minangka kolaborator kreatif. Pitakon sing kudune diajukake yaiku, “Kepiyé aku bisa nggunakke AI supaya luwih kreatif?”
Siji paradigma sing menurutku kurang dibahas yaiku kowé sejatine bisa menehi prompt marang piranti iki supaya takon marang kowé, supaya nggawe kowé mikir, supaya nyurung kowé miwiti nulis. Nalurine mesthi ngomong, “Oh, barang iki nulis kanggo awake dhewe.” Nanging iki uga bisa takon marang aku. Iki uga bisa nggawe aku mikir lan mbentuk gagasan-gagasanku—lan saka kono nulis sing apik tenan diwiwiti.
Kepiyé yen tinimbang kowé dadi prompt engineer, kowé ndeleng apa sing bisa dipancing metu saka kowé? AI bisa dadi kolaborator tanpa ngadili sing mbantu narik metu wawasan sing apik lan unik saka dirimu.
Aku ndeleng iki minangka editor sing tansah aktif lan bisa mbantu penulis nindakake karya sing luwih apik—dudu ngganti karya sing lagi ditindakake. Penulis bisa nggunakke iki kanggo brainstorming, riset, nindakake bagean non-nulis saka proses nulis nganggo AI.
Iki kaya nalika kowé ana ing ruang panulisé The Onion. Enem wong sing kerja bareng bakal luwih lucu bareng tinimbang yen dhewe. Ana simbiosis sing bisa ana.
Nalika aku jujur marang awakku dhewe, sejatine aku ora bakal pengin ninggalake tumindak nulis kuwi. Nulis kuwi kaya olahraga utawa meditasi. Iki salah siji kegiyatan sing ajiné pancen ana ing awake dhewe. Sanajan AI bisa nulis prosa sing sampurna, aku tetep pengin nulis amarga nulis kuwi dhewe minangka tumindak sing migunani.
Nulis iku angel. Ana akèh banget bab sing pancen angel tenan ing nulis nganti nggawe wong nyerah. Kowé durung ngopi, gagasanmu sithik, kowé ora bisa nemokake statistik utawa fakta sing dibutuhake kanggo crita… Yen AI bisa mbantu bab-bab kuwi, mula kowé minangka penulis bakal luwih mungkin teka lan nindakake gaweyané.”
Stew Fortier
Good comedy may seem effortless, but writing jokes actually requires research. Humor thrives on context, and as comedy writer Sarah Rose Siskind explains, knock-knock jokes fall flat precisely because they’re decontextualized. Sarah uses ChatGPT to research joke setups, uncovering common themes and exaggerated observations, so she can focus on the fun creative part: writing punchlines.
Here’s how Sarah uses ChatGPT to gather material:
“Aku nggunakake ChatGPT kanggo komedi. ChatGPT ora bakal menehi guyonan sing wis rampung, nanging bakal miwiti obrolan. Aku bakal ngomong, “Aku butuh kowe ndadek dadi Musa. Lan minangka Musa, rungokna keluhané bocah wadon jenengé Megan sing dadi manajer media sosial jaman saiki lan coba tenangna dheweke, senajan uripmu cetha luwih angel.” Aku bisa ngobrol karo sapa waé. Rasane kaya wongé ana bareng aku.
Aku rumangsa iki migunani nalika nulis setup kanggo guyonan. Aku tau nulis parodi Shark Tank lan aku takon, “Apa waé jinis ukara sing biasané diomongaké wong ing Shark Tank?”
Ing parodi, iki dudu akurasi siji-banding-siji. Kowé njupuk bab-bab sing béda lan nggedhekaké. Dadi aku nggoleki ora mung apa sing umum kaya, “Aku lagi golek investasi,” nanging apa sing khas banget saka Shark Tank lan bisa takgedhekaké? Kayata, “Hiu, apa iki tau kelakon marang kowé?”
Aku uga tau nulis pidato roast kanggo wong ing konferensi coding. Aku dudu coder, mula aku njaluk ChatGPT nyeluk luwih jero guyonan internal ing komunitas coding. Aku takon, “Apa stereotip babagan programmer umur 50 taun ing timmu?” ChatGPT njawab, ing antarané saran liya: “Dheweke bakal nggawe kowé ngrungokaké crita tanpa entèk-entèk.” Kuwi ngélingaké aku carané wong sing luwih tuwa kerep crita bab ketemu selebritas sadurungé misuwur. Banjur aku menehi prompt maneh menyang ChatGPT kanggo jeneng selebritas teknologi sing cocog, lan saka dhaptaré, Steve Wozniak krasa dadi pilihan sing paling lucu. Pungkasane guyonané bab carané para senior developer bakal terus nyritakaké marang kolega sing luwih enom soal wektu nalika dheweke meh ketemu Steve Wozniak ing pesta taun 1998. Aku sing milih arahé, nanging ChatGPT mbantu ngisi rinciané.
Sing nggumunaké kanggo aku, aku saiki wis ora ngalami writer’s block maneh—tenan. Miturutku writer’s block iku rasa solipsisme lan rasa dhewekan saktenané. Lan saiki aku ora krasa dhewekan maneh amarga piranti iki.”
Sarah Rose Siskind
Research is the writer’s gateway to new worlds. Writers are advised to write what they know, but as Tom Wolfe observed, relying solely on firsthand experience limits their creative scope. To authentically portray people and places never seen—real and imagined, past and future—writers must expand what they know through research and reportage.
But research can be agonizingly slow, requiring writers to sift through mountains of sources to uncover a single elusive fact. Novelist and Substack writer Elle Griffin explains how ChatGPT accelerates this process and fuels her imagination, delivering immediate answers to specific questions and inspiring unexpected connections and serendipitous discoveries.
“ChatGPT wis ngrevolusi tulisanku sak tenane.
Nganti saiki, bagean sing paling angel saka nulis yaiku riset. Sadurunge ana ChatGPT, aku nggunakke Google kanggo nggoleki studi, mlebu bolongan kelinci Wikipedia lan mbukak kabeh cathetan kakiné, lan maca puluhan buku saka Amazon. Aku kakehan ngentekake wektu nyaring atusan kaca web lan mbayar puluhan buku mung kanggo maca sawetara bab saka saben buku.
Saiki aku mung takon marang ChatGPT kaya ngene: “Panaliten apa waé sing wis ditindakake babagan budaya sing luwih lan kurang emotif?” lan langsung tekan riset sing takbutuhake. Aku mesthi njaluk ChatGPT nyakup pranala menyang sumber supaya aku bisa mesthekake informasine akurat.
Aku uga nggunakke ChatGPT kanggo brainstorming novelku. Nalika aku pengin mbayangake carané manungsa bisa évolusi sajrone siji yuta taun, aku takon apa ana bukti menawa manungsa isih terus évolusi. ChatGPT nuntun aku menyang sawijining studi sing nuduhake manawa wong sing uripé akrab karo pelayaran banyu, sing nahan ambegan suwe nalika nyilem, ngembangake limpa sing luwih gedhe. Nalika nliti sistem teknologi, ChatGPT uga nuntun aku menyang studi babagan ngirim data liwat banyu. Iki menehi inspirasi kanggo rong bab novel utopiaku!
Ora ana siji waé saka pitakon-pitakon iki sing nyuda swaraku dhéwé. Iki mung mbantu aku tekan tesis-tesisku luwih cepet amarga aku dituntun menyang bahan sumber sing luwih relevan. ChatGPT ora nindakake nulis utawa mikir kanggo aku. ChatGPT mung menehi akses sing luwih apik menyang informasi supaya aku bisa luwih akèh wektu kanggo kreatif lan luwih sithik wektu kanggo mburu informasi. Lan iki uga ora nyuda maca jero lan riset sing pancen taksenengi. Saiki aku wis maca sawetara buku sing luar biasa apik lan pas banget karo minatku amarga ChatGPT nemokake karya-karya sing paling relevan kanggo karyaku.
Aku nganti ora ngerti kudu miwiti saka ngendi kanggo nerangake sepira luwih apik iki tinimbang nggoleki kaca demi kaca ing Google, nyaring dhaptar sing dioptimalake SEO sing ditulis blogger lan merek.”
Elle Griffin
Para panulis
Sarah Rose Siskind(mbukak ing jendhela anyar) Panulis komedi Sarah Rose Siskind nggunakake ChatGPT kanggo nliti setup guyonan (nanging dudu punchline-é). Profesi: Panulis Komedi Sains, Panulis TV Afiliasi: Hello SciCom, National Geographic, StarTalk with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Hanson Robotics
Farhad Manjoo(mbukak ing jendhela anyar) Mantan kolumnis New York Times sing nulis babagan teknologi lan budaya, Farhad Manjoo nggunakake ChatGPT kanggo “nggoleki tembung.” Profesi: Reporter Teknologi lan Budaya Afiliasi: The New York Times, Slate
David Cornue(mbukak ing jendhela anyar) Panulis TV lan film David Cornue nggunakake ChatGPT kanggo entuk umpan balik babagan beat sheet lan skrip-é. Profesi: Panulis Skenario, Pelatih Nulis Afiliasi: ABC
Stew Fortier(mbukak ing jendhela anyar) Panulis lan pendiri Stew Fortier nggunakake ChatGPT kanggo njlentrehake pikirane dhewe liwat “reverse interviewing.” Profesi: Panulis, pendiri Afiliasi: Type AI
Elle Griffin(mbukak ing jendhela anyar) Panulis Elle Griffin nggunakake ChatGPT kanggo nindakake riset eksploratif kanggo novel lan esai Substack-é. Profesi: Panulis Substack, Novelis Afiliasi: Esquire, Forbes, Substack