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