People ask me often if what I went to school for actually matters for my job. My bachelor’s degree is in English with a focus in Creative Writing and a minor in Communications. So no, but also yes. Creative writing doesn’t always mean I just make up fiction at work and then summon the spirit of Marshall McLuhan to communicate it across the appropriate medium, but it’s way more fun to imagine work that way.  

A lot of people view a blank page as a nightmare, but I like it because I can just smash my keyboard and put words out there like a verbal post-modern art painting. I learned in writing workshops that something is better than nothing and in the world of Generative AI, that is even more true. A common misstep is to ask an LLM to just give you ideas. It’s not a muse, it just guesses at what you want with the same energy as you trying to figure out what your partner wants for dinner. 

Instead of asking an LLM about what to write about (for example, maybe your blog post about how to use Generative AI), try writing out some raw content first. LLMs are powered by existing content – they cobble together ideas already out there in the ether. You bring the LLM fresh content to massage and expand. 

Put your first wild paragraph of content into the chat: 

I am writing about [topic]. I have a first draft: 

[Your fever dream draft] 

I want to add 3 more main topics. Give me a list of 5 topics with a single paragraph each. 

You can then incorporate those topics into your main draft and continue your work. The LLM gives you some structure based on your original idea. Once you have more of your draft done, put it back into the chat: 

Now we’re getting closer to shaping up this draft! You can repeat this cycle multiple times to get a more defined piece of content that meets your goals. Other variations that I like to use: 

As you include the LLM’s suggestions into your draft and ask for more feedback, you create a loop where you’re iterating on your draft with the power of Generative AI. 

Unknown Territory 

I’m one of those freakish people that enjoy all types of writing (yes, even when I had to write 2 chapters of my master’s thesis in the span of a week). Yet, I still struggle when I’m asked to write something outside of my usual fiction, angsty poetry, or product communications. For example, I may have found myself in a situation at a job where I had to write a script for a voiceover of product sales demo videos. We needed a script that would explain the narrative of a fictional member while also injecting the product value. 

The last script I wrote was the first act of a horror film when I was in grad school. 

Sometimes, we are our worse critics and hold ourselves back. LLMs can help force you over that initial “but I don’t [write/do/present/create] this thing!” feeling. Not a scriptwriter?: 

I need to write a script for a 1-2 minute voiceover for a product sales demo video. B2B sales teams will use these videos in their slide decks to sell our product to clients. 

Create a script with a fictional member and their journey using [product description] for each of these scenarios. Include the product value naturally in narrative of the script: 

[List of each video scenario and product value] 

Am I asking a lot of the LLM? Well, my job asked a lot from me so I’m just sharing the pain! Jokes aside, this gets you the beginning of a script draft that may sound awful. But we are better editors than we are writers, so you can clean up that draft and put it back in the LLM for more edits.  

Generative AI can help you format your ideas and work tasks into whatever shape you need, then you can create a feedback loop as you go through your drafts. If you’re using Generellem, you won’t need to copy and paste your draft – you can just save it, then ask Generellem for further suggestions. You can even ingest product information and then make a script draft without making a complicated prompt. 

Don’t write alone 

The writing process should never exist in a vacuum. Actively using Generative AI on your drafts will help hone your content, but you should still run it by your reviewers. Generative AI will give you confidence in your original ideas and the strength of your final draft, but people are always at the end of the AI chain. After all, you’re writing for others, not the LLM. 

Jennifer Mayo X: @AIJenerator

If you write content, communications, or documentation, have you heard someone say “Wow, we could just use AI for [your specific work task that makes you the big bucks]!” while you’re still in the room? (Like literally, right there, listening to them describe how to eliminate your position via AI). 

Fortunately for me (and you), generative AI is actually not that great at what we do. LLMs are based on existing information and needs your original, valuable content as input. So instead of trying to outdo LLMs, you can use generative AI to supercharge your content and complete your work tasks more quickly so you can focus on what you’re really hired to do – write great works, create efficient communication channels, and workshop your best puns to post in the work chat during your next virtual all company meeting. 

For the first in this series, let’s talk about templates. Creating new templates and re-templating content can take forever. One of my crowning achievements at my first job as a Technical Writer in Denver was retemplating all of our Word documents from .doc to .docx AND into our pretty new template. I learned macros, keyboard shortcuts, and how listening to Korean pop music made the time go by faster. My fingers became omniscient copy and paste enthusiasts. 

It’s not 2015 anymore – use generative AI for all your template needs. 

Build templates for different deliverables 

Us writers have to repurpose our work constantly into different forms. Why come up with your own templates when AI can do it for you? A simple prompt can create the initial structure you’re looking for and then you can save that structure for future use: 

Create a template for [deliverable type] for [audience]. Include [list of things you want in the template]. 

You can also build a template out of an existing document: 

Create a template using the following as an example:

[Copy and paste an existing document] 

Different chat interfaces let you keep all your templates in separate conversations so you can copy them whenever you need them or you can save them as a file on your computer to fill in at your leisure. 

With Generellem, you can paste those templates into a file, then ingest them so you can reuse them whenever you want. You can even update the template file whenever you want and have the changes reflected in your prompts without recreating a new template. 

Fill out your templates with your own original content 

Take an existing template from your LLM conversations, from your own files, or just use the prompt above. Paste it into the chat, then paste the content you want to repurpose into that template. 

Use this template: 

[Copy and paste the template]

On this content:

[Your content!] 

This allows you to reuse your content however you like with the structure you dictate. You can make existing content and documentation into blogs, release notes, haikus – whatever you need! 

If you use Generellem, you can ingest the folder where your templates exist and the folder where you keep your existing content. Then, instead of the copy and paste hell, you can just ask Generellem to use your template on your content.

Use the [name and type of template] on [content name and topic]. 

If you want to go even further, you can use the same content with multiple templates: 

Using [content name and topic], create a deliverable for each of the following templates: [list of template names and types] 

Save your fingers 

Generative AI will keep your template adventures from being a total copy and paste hell. And if you use Generellem, you can quickly use templates on your existing content. Remember, your own content is the real value in the world of generative AI.

Jennifer Mayo X: @AIJenerator