Writers and AI have been in a will-they-won’t-they relationship for a while now, like Ross and Rachel, but with less hair gel and more existential panic. One minute, writers & editors are convinced AI is coming to replace them, and the next, they’re secretly using it to brainstorm plot twists or do some much needed edits at two in the morning.
Honestly. The drama is exhausting.
That’s why I had to slow clap my way through Nadim Sadek’s article, A Creative Alliance , where he basically says: “Hey creatives, stop hyperventilating. AI isn’t here to overthrow you; it’s here to make your life easier.”
And to that, I say: Preach.
Because I don’t know who needs to hear this, but AI is not plotting to steal your book deal, and OpenAI isn’t lurking in a trench coat smoking a Malboro Red outside your writing nook, waiting to plagiarize your novel.
So let’s talk about why GenAI is actually the best thing to happen to writers since caffeine.
GenAI: The Ultimate Writing Wingman
Look, I get it. Writers are precious about their craft. We like to believe that our words descend from the heavens, kissed by the literary gods, delivered to the page through pure, unfiltered genius. We are being channelled!
But you know what actually happens?
We get stuck. We agonize over plot holes. We rewrite the same sentence 400 times before realizing the first version was fine.
GenAI is here to stop that nonsense.
Sadek compares AI to game-changing tech like cameras, which didn’t kill painting, and synthesizers, which added a different genre and made music more dynamic. .
How I Use AI to Write Smarter (Not Lazier)
People love to tell me, “But Ana, using AI is cheating.”
Oh, is it?
Is spellcheck cheating? Are writing prompts cheating? Is asking your friend to read your draft and tell you if it’s working cheating?
It’s called working smarter; and last time I checked, successful authors don’t get bonus points for unnecessary suffering.
Right now, I’m knee-deep in Act Three of my latest novel, and here’s how AI is my MVP:
- Plot debugging: Need to check if your pacing is off? AI will flag that faster than your critique partner after three glasses of wine.
- Character consistency: It remembers your protagonist’s eye color better than you do. No more accidental “Hazel eyes? No wait… they were blue… weren’t they?” moments.
- Editing support: It won’t replace an editor, but it will catch 75 percent of the nonsense before you send your draft off, making you look like a pro and really leeraging your editor for the most important things.
I still wrote the book. AI didn’t take over; it just saved me time, brainpower, and unnecessary existential dread.
The Real Writing Crisis: “I Don’t Need AI. I’m Fine.”
Oh, the lies we tell ourselves.
Remember when Ross tried to act all cool after the break, pretending he was fine while absolutely not being fine? That’s basically every writer who’s too proud to admit that AI could actually help them.
Here’s what’s really happening behind the scenes:
- Writers are stressed out. Plot holes are laughing at us. Characters refuse to cooperate. And don’t even get me started on the editing process.
- We’re stuck in our own heads. Staring at the same paragraph for hours, convinced it’s garbage but too exhausted to fix it.
- We’re wasting time. Writing draft after draft with no clear direction, only to realize we’ve been digging ourselves into a narrative hole.
But sure, we’re fine. Totally fine.
Look, if Ross and Rachel could eventually figure it out through all the misunderstandings, bad haircuts, and “We were on a break!” drama...then so can we. It’s time to stop treating GenAI like the villain of the story and start recognizing it for what it really is: the ultimate creative ally. Just like Ross was never a threat to Rachel’s independence (debatable, but stay with me), AI isn’t here to steal your creativity. It’s here to make the process less painful, more efficient, and, dare I say it, actually fun. So let’s put the drama aside, embrace the evolution, and get back to doing what we do best: telling unforgettable stories. And if GenAI can help us get there faster, smarter, and with fewer plot holes? If Ross and Rachel taught us anything, it’s that sometimes the only thing standing in the way of a perfect partnership is our own stubbornness.
Use the tools. Tells the stories. Write and finish the damn book.
It's never been a better time to be a writer.
Ana del Valle
PS: Doors to my Book Intensive: Leverage AI as Your Creative Ally are closed for enrollment. If you’re ready to revolutionize your writing process and finish your novel like never before, click here to get on the waiting list today.
