Should You Use AI to write your book

Want to know whether AI has a place in your writing process? This is the first episode in a four-part series on AI and nonfiction writing, and we’re starting with the most important question: what happens when you let an LLM make creative choices for you?Before you hand over your outline, your prose, or your voice, it helps to understand what writing actually requires—and what you may lose when generative AI starts making those decisions instead.In this episode, I explain why I think of writing as a long series of choices, from your topic and structure all the way down to individual words. Then I look at what happens when AI starts making those choices instead, especially in the two areas where I see the biggest problems for nonfiction writers: voice and structure.I also talk about the difference between generative AI and tools like spellcheck or grammar check, why AI can become especially tempting in the places where you already feel insecure, and why my professional recommendation is to keep generative AI out of the creative writing process.Key topics- How large language models generate writing- Why AI-generated prose can sound clean but still flatten your voice (and how outsourcing word choice keeps you from becoming a stronger writer)- Why AI-generated book structures often fail to support authors once they start drafting- The difference between generative AI and tools like spellcheck or grammar check- Why discernment matters when deciding whether to use a toolResources mentionedFree Memoir Method Checklisthttps://pageandpodium.com/checklistPage & Podium BlogMore writing, revision, publishing, and book-marketing resources:https://pageandpodium.com/blogTimestamps0:00 How Nonfiction Writers Should Think About AI1:00 Free Memoir Method Checklist1:33 Why I Went Down the AI Rabbit Hole4:10 My Concerns About AI7:03 How I Think About Writing8:28 Writing Is a Series of Choices9:54 Choosing Your Topic and Message11:14 How Structure Creates More Choices13:08 The Choices We Make While Writing14:36 How Large Language Models Work17:20 What AI Is Missing18:40 The Two Biggest Risks: Voice and Structure19:01 AI and Your Writing Voice22:05 Why AI-Generated Structure Can Backfire23:35 Where I Draw the Line on Generative AI24:32 What About Grammarly and Spellcheck?25:14 Discernment and AI26:14 Why Insecurity Makes AI More Tempting27:37 My Recommendation for Writers28:27 Final Reminder: Download the ChecklistThis is episode one of a four-part series on AI and nonfiction w