Understand What AI Can and Can't Do
AI is like that incredibly smart intern who can work at lightning speed. The key word here, though, is "intern," because you don't just pass off an assignment and let them work unsupervised. An intern is there to learn, and oftentimes needs careful guidance.
It's the same with AI. It isn't a magical solution that will perfectly capture your unique voice or craft complex, nuanced arguments from thin air. Think of it more like a genius parrot with an Ivy League statistics degree—it can help you communicate better, but it needs your human touch to truly shine. Your role is to be the director, guiding the AI to create content that aligns with your vision.
Pre-Draft Preparation: Setting the Stage for Success
Yes, AI is supposed to automate a lot of your job's tedium, but automation was never a thing that just worked on its own. It's always required a lot of setup in advance. Knowing how to write with AI starts with this very important acknowledgment.
Clarify Your Goals
Before you even think about firing up your favorite AI writing tool, take a moment to get crystal clear about what you're trying to achieve. Are you writing a blog post that needs to educate and entertain? A technical report that needs to inform and persuade? Or maybe you're crafting social media content that needs to engage and inspire?
Understanding your audience is equally crucial. Are you writing for tech-savvy professionals who understand industry jargon, or are you explaining complex concepts to beginners? Your content's success depends on knowing exactly who you're talking to and what you want them to take away from your piece.
Organize Your Ideas
Remember playing with building blocks as a kid? That's essentially what you're doing when organizing your thoughts before writing. Create a clear structure for your ideas, whether through traditional outlines, mind maps, or even voice notes. Keep adding to the structure until it’s strong enough not to buckle under its own weight.
This framework will serve as your roadmap when working with AI. Building an outline is key: when you've taken the step of mapping out where your writing is going to take the reader, you'll find it easier to stay on track. The same is true for an AI writing tool. They're much less likely to lose the plot or go off on word-padding tangents when you've provided it with a clear map of its route.
It's like planning a road trip—you might discover some interesting detours along the way, but you need to know your destination first.
Gather Supporting Information
This is where you put on your journalist hat. Collect the facts, figures, quotes, and examples that will give your content substance and credibility. If you're writing about productivity tools, gather specific statistics about their impact. For example, this article might have a bigger impact on readers if it mentions that professionals used AI to write 59% more documents per hour.
If you're discussing industry trends, have recent data ready to back up your claims. Remember, AI can help structure and express ideas, but it can't create accurate, up-to-date information out of thin air. That's your job, and it's vital for creating content that provides real value.
Writing with AI: Tips for Generating the First Draft
AI doesn't let you sleepwalk through your responsibilities. It improves your efficiency but relies on you to be thorough in your approach.
Provide Clear Instructions
Think of communicating with AI like giving directions to someone who's new in town—the more specific you are, the better the results. When crafting your prompts, be clear about the content type, tone, audience, and specific elements you want to include. It's like being a movie director—the more detailed your vision, the better the performance you'll get.
If your prompt is "write about pizza," you're going to get an answer that goes in any direction the AI decides to go in. If that prompt is "write about how to achieve perfect pizza dough in cold climates" you'll get real concrete information you can use.
Experiment with Inputs
Sometimes, getting the right output from AI is like finding the right key for a lock—you might need to try a few different approaches. If your first attempt yields content that's too formal, too casual, or missing the mark entirely, try rephrasing your request.
You can also try experimenting with a variety of voices/styles to see which one gets closest to the tone you're wanting to strike.
Use Step-by-Step Generation
AI writing assistants can only "hold the plot" for so long. They operate with something called a context window, which essentially determines how much information they can hold on to at once.
Any AI will have a large enough context window to be able to write at least a novella's worth of information in one sitting. Some are better at this than others, though, and—especially if you're using a free tool—you might find that the output makes less and less sense as you read on.
Breaking down your content generation into manageable chunks is often more effective than trying to create everything at once. It's like building a LEGO set—while you could dump all the pieces out and hope for the best, following a step-by-step approach usually yields better results.
Start with your introduction, review it, then move on to your main points. This approach allows you to ensure each section aligns with your vision before moving forward.
Post-Draft Refinement: Turning Good into Great
A successful first draft from an LLM won't necessarily be great reading. If it was, you'd be out of a job. Ideally, it should make sense from start to finish, with all the information and themes building to a conclusion of some sort. If that's what you're working with, then it's time to start making it your own.
Edit for Clarity and Voice
This is the fun part—making the content truly yours. Review the AI-generated draft and adjust the tone and phrasing to match your unique voice. Don't be afraid to make significant changes where needed. Sometimes you'll find that a section needs to be completely rewritten, or that two paragraphs would work better if combined.
Think of it like tailoring a suit—the basic structure is there, but it's not necessarily a good look for you yet. Take in some seams, let out the sleeves, swap out for a different tie: all of a sudden it's your suit.
Fact-Check and Verify Sources
This step is non-negotiable. While AI can help structure your arguments and express ideas, it's your responsibility to ensure everything is accurate. Verify every statistic, double-check every claim, and make sure your sources are reliable and current.
Remember that AI models are trained on historical data, which means they might reference outdated information or miss recent developments in your field. Make sure that you're not asking it to provide answers that could only have been learned after its knowledge cutoff date.
For example, right now Claude's knowledge base has a cutoff date of July, 2024. That currently makes it an undesirable solution for writing about, say, the U.S. presidential election. We know who won, but Claude doesn't, making anything it has to say about the topic obsolete.
But even if you asked about something that happened prior to its cutoff, you still can't trust the answers 100%. Always verify what it's telling you.
Fill in the Gaps
Here's where your expertise really shines. Add your personal insights, relevant anecdotes, and industry-specific knowledge that AI couldn't possibly know. Maybe you have a perfect example from your own experience that illustrates your point, or perhaps you know of a recent industry development that adds context to your argument.
For example, just today we were writing an article about how to generate a solid draft using AI, and we got excellent results from our chatbot. But it didn't have any personal experience to relate this article to, so we added this paragraph about writing this article. AI doesn't like to break the forth wall like that, so you now you're reading the weird ramblings of a person now.
Additional Tips for Long-Term Success
Creating a personal library of successful prompts is like building your own writing toolkit. Keep track of what works well for different types of content, and refine your approach over time. Remember that AI is your collaborator, not your replacement – think of it as having a writing partner who's always available to brainstorm and help structure your thoughts.
The key to long-term success is finding the right balance between leveraging AI's capabilities and maintaining your unique perspective and expertise. It's like having a super-powered writing assistant who can help you work faster and more efficiently, but still needs your creative direction and professional insight.
Mastering the AI-Human Writing Partnership
Generating quality drafts with AI isn't about pushing a button and hoping for the best—it's not that easy. You're thinking of Staples.
Getting good written results out of AI requires the same upfront effort as getting good results out of yourself. You need thoughtful preparation, clear guidance, and active refinement. By following these steps and developing your own process, you can harness the power of AI to create better content more efficiently.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What preparation do I need to do before using AI to write drafts?
As the Boy Scouts say, be prepared! First, get crystal clear about your goals and intended audience. Then, create a structured outline or framework that will guide your content development. Next, gather all supporting information you'll need, including relevant facts, figures, and examples.
Finally, ensure you understand exactly what type of content you're creating, whether it's a blog post, technical report, or social media content. While AI can help automate the writing process, this proper preparation remains essential for getting quality results.
Q: How can I ensure the AI generates content that matches my vision?
Success with AI writing, just like most things in life, requires clear communication and guidance. Start by providing specific, detailed instructions about content type, tone, and audience.
Rather than trying to create everything at once, break down your content generation into manageable chunks. If initial results aren't satisfactory, don't hesitate to experiment with different prompts and approaches. Throughout the process, think of yourself as a director guiding the AI to create content that aligns with your goals.
Q: What steps should I take after the AI generates a draft?
Post-draft refinement is crucial for creating high-quality content. Begin by fact-checking and verifying all information, statistics, and claims. Ensure all information is current and relevant, keeping in mind the AI's knowledge cutoff date.
Then you can get to work editing the content to match your own voice and style. Fill in any gaps with personal insights and industry-specific knowledge. Don't hesitate to make significant changes where needed, including rewriting sections or combining—or even reordering—paragraphs.
Q: What are the limitations of AI in writing drafts?
It's important to understand that AI's limitations so that you can fill in where it's most needed.
AI can't perfectly capture your unique voice without guidance. Perhaps most importantly, it can't provide personal experiences or break the fourth wall naturally—that human touch must come from you.
Depending on the tool you're using, you probably aren't getting accurate, up-to-date information on the research side of things. The AI may also reference outdated information or miss recent developments in your field. Like working with an intern, it needs careful supervision throughout the writing process.
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