“a website containing a writer’s or group of writers’ own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other websites.”

A reflection has many meanings, but the two I latch onto are:

• a fixing of the thoughts on something; careful consideration.
• a thought occurring in consideration or meditation.

The word reflections carries a quieter, more inward energy for me. It implies that you’re writing for the process of thinking, not for an audience or an outcome. I love that there is no implicit pressure to grow a following, monetise, or be consistent on a schedule.

My perception of blogs is that they come loaded with baggage nowadays. It asks for SEO optimisation, calls to action, newsletter signups, and the hustle of content creation. That’s a very different thing from sitting down and genuinely processing your thoughts on paper.

This is why I choose to use reflections, to give me freedom of thought while writing thoughts on a page.

• Before I used AI to generate content
• Now I use AI more as a refinement tool and writing companion

When referring to AI in this post, I specifically mean large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Perplexity.

Before

How I worked with AI in the past is silly. Using AI to generate content makes the writing sound generic and peppered with buzzwords that people never use. I mean, check the title and content of my previous blog posts: ‘Unleashing the Writer Within: How ChatGPT Transformed My Writing’, and ‘Supercharge Your SSH with VS Code’ 🫣

AI generated content has telltale signs when you see words like: unleashed, supercharge, delve, crucial, more examples here. The silver lining is that AI taught me more words, the problem is these new words didn’t feel authentic to me.

Using AI to generate content was also a coping mechanism to my creative blocks. An unfortunate consequence was that it removed my “want to think”, I could feel myself leaning more and more on the information provided by AI. This felt similar to defaulting to a calculator instead of doing mental math. It’s been over a year since I published those blogs, and I’ve been using AI —perplexity— a lot differently since I started…

Now

Firstly, a bit of background, I work in tech for Xero and I’ve met so many awesome people there. Luckily for me, I’ve got a mentor who is a fantastic Engineer and an amazing Writer, seriously, it’s their superpower; and I’ve been heavily influenced by them. Their guidance has helped me to structure my thoughts more clearly and to approach writing with more confidence.

They shared an amazing blog that talks about the different roles in the writing process:

• Madman - full of ideas, jumbled thoughts and is where writing should start
• Architect - arranges the jumble into potential arguments, at the paragraph level
• Carpenter - sculpts the sentences into a logical structure to make better sense
• Judge - critical energy as the inspector and will check the facts of what is written

Applying these roles to my own writing revealed a crucial insight: that my writer’s paralysis was me prematurely judging the madman before he could cook. I’d critisise the words, sentences, paragraph, headings, scope, purpose, before my madman even had a chance to shine. No wonder I got scared of writing, and wrote at a snail pace.

The madman within needs some air time; sometimes you just need a good ol’ brain dump. Giving myself that permission totally freed me from the fear of writing. Nowadays, as soon as I feel myself being critical, I catch myself and think: “Is it time to judge yet?”

Final points

To wrap up, some final thoughts about using AI as a writing companion:

1. The point of writing is the act itself; letting AI take over robs you of expressing your own voice and innate creativity.
2. I think AI LLMs are great companions for writing, but remember:
   • Ideally, keep personal information out of it.
   • If you do put some personal information in, at least use temporary chats and disable model training
   • Also check with your company before putting sensitive information or private IP like code into it for work
3. On the flip side, I want to share Derek Sivers article here that talks about his commitment to not use AI to generate text. ‍

   I have never ever used AI to generate text in place of my “voice”. No emails. No sentences in my articles or books or even comments. Nothing pretending to be me.

The Writing Struggle

Many of us share the same struggle – the fear that our words fall short, the dread of writer’s block, or the inability to transform ideas into coherent text. But I’ve recently been using a powerful tool to overcome these hurdles: ChatGPT.

ChatGPT: Your Writing Partner

Here’s how AI, be it ChatGPT, Bard, Bing Chat, or another variant, has revolutionized my writing process:

1. Fleshing Out Each Section

I begin with strong ideas but struggle to elaborate on paper. While structure comes easily, content remains challenging. ChatGPT breathes life into my drafts, making them comprehensive and informative.

2. Simplifying Overloaded Sentences

My writing can get tangled in long, complex sentences. ChatGPT excels at simplifying these, making my writing concise and reader-friendly. It trims the fluff and gets to the core of the message.

3. Ideation Booster

When I’m stuck in a creative rut, ChatGPT offers a treasure trove of inspiration. It sparks new ideas, suggests alternative angles, and helps me overcome mental barriers.

Some additional considerations

Privacy concerns

When using AI tools like ChatGPT, prioritize privacy and avoid sharing don’t share sensitive information. Review the terms of service and privacy policies on OpenAI’s website for a better understanding of data handling:

Here is two useful links for ChatGPT:

• https://tosdr.org/en/service/7108
• https://openai.com/policies

Double-check your outputs

While AI can be a helpful companion in your writing journey, it’s essential to double-check the outputs and make sure they align with your intended message. The human touch remains critical in the final editing process. This blog is a great example of that, originally the conclusion said I was a “professional writer” before I touched it up.

In Conclusion: Embrace Your Inner Writer

My writing journey has been marked by struggles; however, AI tools like ChatGPT have been a game-changer, assisting me in fleshing out sections, simplifying complex sentences, and boosting my creativity when I hit a rut. It’s a powerful tool for any writer.

But as with any tool, it’s crucial to be mindful of privacy concerns when using AI, and always review and edit the output to ensure it aligns with your intended message. The human touch remains essential in the final editing process. Just like this blog, where the initial conclusion labeled me as a “professional writer” before my own edits. So, embrace the assistance AI offers, but remember that your unique voice and perspective play a vital role in crafting the perfect piece.