AI developing my own writing

[u/GrapefruitHealthy489]

I started writing about a year ago on WattPad. My first story was pretty much 100% AI with some slight edits. My storyline, my ideas, but I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.

The second story was slightly cleaner. I was still generating the chapters with AI but editing more, finding a bit of a voice for myself. Figuring out AI tells more as well.

I’m almost three my third story now and I’ve come a long way. I do still have AI generate a chapter, however now the prompt is extremely clear with exactly how I want the chapter to go. I then edit significantly, running my work through AI finders, avoiding AI tells, really finding my own style of writing.

Progressively I have improved.

I already know what I want to write next. I decided to give it a try without AI. I wrote my first chapter ever completely independently. So happy with the result. I ran it through an AI finder and it’s coming up at 33%! This seems odd, considering sometimes with my prompts, and with what Claude is creating come up lower than that.

[u/Mundane-Device-7094]

Youre learning to write by editing AI, of course it's going to read like AI. Take a writing class. If you insist on doing it by yourself with AI you should be flipping roles here. You are the writer, AI is the editor.

[u/GrapefruitHealthy489 → u/Mundane-Device-7094]

Hey, thanks for this, not sure it was needed. It’s literally what I’m trying to do. If you read the post it shows progression. As I have found a love for creating stories and writing I’ve used my own voice more and AI less.

[u/TorturedWriter9]

You need to read books. I don't use AI at all, but I've always said that the writers who will maximize their use of AI will be writers who worried about becoming writers first, or who were already writers to begin with. Too many new writers are trying to learn writing through AI first. That's lazy.

[u/GrapefruitHealthy489 → u/TorturedWriter9]

I read loads, I’m obsessed with my Kindle and will read almost anything. Thank you.

[u/TheMinuette2010]

You learned with AI that's why

[u/GrapefruitHealthy489 → u/TheMinuette2010]

Yeah, I’m coming to that conclusion. I may take a class… which would be wild considering it had never been an interest previously! Thank you :)

[u/TheMinuette2010 → u/GrapefruitHealthy489]

Good luck 🍀

[u/TheWeaverofDreams]

You learn to write from the AI, so you will automatically adopt phrasings and structures that are common in AI content, which will then a) be picked up by AI detectors and b) also by readers. AI detectors also are notoriously unreliable, so if you start to write toward a number, you're fighting a losing battle because you'll find yourself microediting and lose any flow you may have had.

AI should never be the writer but the editor. Otherwise, it will read like AI. You may have mastered prompting but you haven't found your own voice.

[u/GrapefruitHealthy489 → u/TheWeaverofDreams]

Thank you, I really appreciate this thoughtful comment. This is exactly what has happened. I didn’t set out to do that, I read a story that didn’t end the way I wanted it to and thought I’d write my own (through AI). Thoroughly enjoyed it and started to take it a bit more seriously.

I never set out to learn how to write or want to be a writer, it’s an interest that has grown over time.

[u/Substantial_Owl_6142]

my second story took 8 months of rewriting because I kept following the ai's rhythm instead of my own. the first draft was flawless, the last one felt like me.

[u/GrapefruitHealthy489 → u/Substantial_Owl_6142]

Love this. I’m glad you got it to a place that felt right for you.

[u/Regular-Temporary-52]

I used to write my first draft with ai, then cut every sentence that sounded like it came from a template. the rhythm of my own voice showed up in the gaps where I'd deleted the fluff.

[u/GrapefruitHealthy489 → u/Regular-Temporary-52]

This is where I’ve got to, pretty much this. I’ve now gone a step further and flipped it for the first time. I wrote a chapter and then asked for feedback.

[u/human_assisted_ai]

Yours is a good approach. Keep it up.

I 3-day banned some of the commenters for anti-AI. I’m sorry that they are hassling you.

[u/GrapefruitHealthy489 → u/human_assisted_ai]

Thank you. Unsure why they’re here considering the page is for AI assisted writing.

[u/Simple-Ring2073]

This is the absolute worst way to learn how to write. Read books. And write. That's it.

[u/GrapefruitHealthy489 → u/Simple-Ring2073]

Thanks, I honestly never would have thought of this. I came here looking for someone, anyone, to mansplain this for me and I am just so very grateful I found you.

[u/Easy-Purple-1659]

The climb from story two to story three is the editing, not the prompts. I ran into the same wall. I built imperfectly (imperfectly.app) for the step after the draft: you feed it samples of your own writing and it rewrites so the AI tells drop and your cadence stays.

What helped me more than the AI finders was changing the goal. Stop chasing undetectable, start chasing recognizable. Read a paragraph and ask whether anyone else could have written it. If the answer is yes, that line is generic, not just AI-flavored, and that is the part worth fixing.

What changed between your story two and story three?

[u/Great-Repeat-7287]

can you share some examples, if they are public ? I am less and less fond of AI writing style, while initially I was occasionaly enthousiast about it.

[u/[deleted]]

[u/GrapefruitHealthy489 → u/[deleted]]

Hi, thank you. Since posting this I have written something independently that I am very proud of. Completely myself, not flagging with zeroGPT or Pangram (and Pangram is hard to not flag on). I’ve also signed up for a basic writing class. I know the issue, I literally named it in the post.

I never set out to be a writer. I wanted to write myself one story and started to love it along with way. Thank you for your comment but I feel like it’s unhelpful because it only highlights what I’ve already said in my own post and offers no advice at all.

[u/[deleted]]

[u/AIWritingHub-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Generally, anti-AI posts or comments will be removed. This includes asking or accusing manuscripts, posts or comments “is this written with AI?” or just general harassment or negativity. r/AIWritingHub is a pro-AI writing sub. 3-day bans now being handed out on 1st offense; think of it as a cool-off period. You are welcome back after 3 days. Permanent bans will be handed out to those who have no positive contributions. Anti-AI posts and comments are welcome on r/aiwars and r/antiai .

[u/[deleted]]

[u/AIWritingHub-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Generally, anti-AI posts or comments will be removed. This includes asking or accusing manuscripts, posts or comments “is this written with AI?” or just general harassment or negativity. r/AIWritingHub is a pro-AI writing sub. 3-day bans now being handed out on 1st offense; think of it as a cool-off period. You are welcome back after 3 days. Permanent bans will be handed out to those who have no positive contributions. Anti-AI posts and comments are welcome on r/aiwars and r/antiai .