Why Writers Need to Write: AI and the Creative Rebellion
A few years back, I bought a creativity planner. As I sat down with a warm cup of coffee and a handful of whimsically colorful gel pens to plot out my foolproof plan to finally create a writing habit, I froze. I could not bring myself to block off an hour a day for my writing. Something about putting it down in ink felt so final. Somehow, it was too much pressure.
What if I was struggling with anxiety or didn’t feel up to it?
What if something pressing came up at work?
When it came to my job, I was reliable to a fault. For most of my career, when there was a deadline, I’d be hunched over my computer late into the night and weekends, doing whatever it took to get the job done. “Good” was never enough; every book had to be exceptional, no matter the toll it took on my own work-life balance, relationship, or well-being. Yet when it came to my own writing, I couldn’t even write an intention in glittery, grape-scented gel?
After ten years as a nonfiction editor, I’ve lost track of all the books I’ve read and edited on habit-setting, productivity, and achieving your goals. Without knowing it, I’d become an expert on “following your dreams,” but had never put it into action for myself. Since then, what I’ve found is that many of the tools like planners, the four laws of Atomic Habits, the Pomodoro Technique, and more are essential and deeply helpful, but secondary to what actually gets the book written.
First and foremost, the biggest obstacle is reframing the way we see and value creativity. To create a world where everyone who wishes to write a book truly follows through, we need to begin seeing creativity as necessary—just as necessary as going to the dentist, exercising regularly, eating healthy foods, and getting enough sleep each night.
If we, as a society, truly believed creativity was necessary, AI-generated books would not even be up for debate. Yet Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt recently said the company is open to stocking AI-written books as long as they are clearly labeled, while major AI companies continue to face lawsuits and criticism over the use of authors’ work to train generative AI models.
Beyond our cultural narrative around creativity is perhaps something much more intimately ingrained: Many of us have been conditioned to be committed to everything and everyone else but our own creativity. Our jobs, our chores, even our friends and family take priority. It was the very reason my writing was the last thing on my “to-do” list, because I had allowed myself to believe that the thing that filled my soul was somehow just a nice-to-have rather than a must-have. It came after all the paid work on my desk was done, after the laundry, after brunch with friends, after date night, and after the next Netflix episode.
But living in this cycle of “after” is never-ending. There will always be an after. Instead, here are 14 reasons why your creativity should be essential.
Can be a healing and powerful self-discovery journey.
Helps you process emotions and experiences.
Allows you to release and build energy (like a hard workout can).
Gives you a purposeful challenge.
Builds confidence as you rise to meet that challenge.
Makes your brain work in new ways.
Opens your mind and perspective.
Makes you a better human to those around you.
Gives you a sense of accomplishment.
Taps into and strengthens your courage.
Is an act of commitment to yourself.
Will change, inspire, and transform people’s lives.
Is creating something that has never existed before.
Is a creative rebellion in the age of AI.
No matter what you think of the buzzword self-care, writing is spending time with and committing to yourself. This isn’t to say you will enjoy every single moment or that it isn’t hard work most days. Putting on a face mask or taking a bubble bath is a much easier form of self-care than sitting down to write, but there is deep value in the struggle.
As the philosopher and civil rights leader Howard Thurman once said,
“There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls.”
Writing is when imagination comes alive, when what is uniquely genuine has the negative space to come forward. Readers and publishers want to feel the energy behind an author's words—the conviction and fire in their beliefs and the passion behind their core argument. It is the difference between good writing and great writing, getting a rejection letter and finding an editor who will wholeheartedly champion your book.
When people ask me, “Are you worried about your job in the age of AI?” I do not feel panic when I say “no.” I believe in AI as a tool to make our lives easier—to give us more bandwidth for the things that matter most, like our creativity. It is a great tool that can assist with copyediting, title brainstorming, research, grammar, and other administrative tasks, but AI is pulling from an endless sea of articles and content that already exists. It cannot do the thing creatives do, which is create something completely new. It cannot pull from your memories and describe something that has never been written.
This indescribable thing humans have the ability to create comes from the stories only you can tell. The perspective only you can bring because of your wildly unique combination of experiences. This is what makes a book stand out.
While there are endless books written on happiness, relationships, and many of the other topics we love to read about, what makes a book sell is not actually the topic. It is your dynamic perspective, your writing style, your voice; it is the way you communicate about the topic that will resonate with readers. This is why millions of romance novels can share the same plot points and still feel completely different in the hands of different writers.
As I read and edit in the age of AI, I can tell when sentences are written by a human and when they are artificial intelligence. It is not because of excessive em-dashes or AI’s attempt to sound overly profound in every sentence that gives it away. It is when the writing is too polished. Not in the grammatical sense, but in the way where I can feel the missing grit and friction—what comes with the mess and beauty of the writing process. It is too clean, and in its attempt to model perfection, it is deeply imperfect.
When I prompted ChatGPT to make an argument for why writers should write their books without AI, here was its response:
AI can generate language, but it cannot live a life. It cannot wrestle honestly with contradiction, grieve, change its mind, take responsibility for what it says, or risk something by saying it. A writer can. That risk is part of what gives writing its force. Readers do not come to books only for polished prose; they come for a mind meeting the page with sincerity, tension, curiosity, and moral weight.
That’s a pretty good answer, Chat.
So if, like me, you have found yourself putting your creativity last, this is a reminder that writing your book is a creative rebellion. It is a risk to see what your imagination and soul can create all on your own, and it’s that risk that uncovers the profound and unique. It is an act of choosing yourself and choosing a world where art in all its forms is necessary.
We have fought too hard to move beyond times where women had to publish under pseudonyms, and where race, gender, dictatorships, and other systems of power have kept entire groups of people from having a published voice. Why would we choose to backslide now, when all are being threatened? We can choose to add to our collective creativity, rather than take from and dilute it. We can also write to change and grow, and without the struggle and friction of the creative process, we will not find the genuine within ourselves.
If you’re ready to write your book and plan for it in ink (gel pens encouraged), join me and my brilliant friend, international bestselling author and founder of Rising Woman Sheleana Aiyana, for our 3-day live Becoming an Author Workshop June 25–27.
Over three days, we will guide you through both the inner and outer journey of writing a nonfiction book: from clarifying your concept and drafting your manuscript to preparing a proposal, pitching agents, and navigating the complex world of publishing.
The first half of each day will focus on powerful exercises, meditations, and tools to help you step confidently into the literary spotlight and make your creativity a priority now. The second half of each day will walk you step-by-step through the writing and publishing process used by Sheleana and other bestselling authors Copilot Publishing has worked with, giving you a clear roadmap, whether you’re pursuing traditional, hybrid, or self-publishing. You’ll also receive Copilot Publishing’s first-ever self-guided workbooks and templates—the same method we typically use with authors one-on-one in packages valued at $25,000+.
Early-bird pricing is open now through June 18th. Join us and save $100 before the price goes up!
If you've been sitting on a book idea, there has never been a more important time to say yes.
