As writers, we’ve all seen, heard, tasted, felt, and smelt the buzz around AI tools—particularly ChatGPT—being able to crank out content at lightning speed. But that’s not what serious writers care about. We don’t want robotic fluff, and we sure as hell don’t want our voice flattened into some generic echo of internet-speak.
What we do want is to write better, write smarter, and keep our voice intact.
I’ve been working closely with ChatGPT for around two years now—really working with it and producing content for the film industry—and what I’ve found is that it’s not a threat to creativity. Used right, Chat is a force multiplier. A powerful thinking partner. A digital editor that never sleeps. And if you do the dance right, it’ll help you waltz out some pretty awesome moves—without anyone guessing a machine was in the lead.
What Exactly Is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a large language model (LLM) computer and algorythm machine developed by the OpenAI company based in Silicon Valley. It’s a general pre-trained transformer (GPT) programmed on massive amounts of digital text—books, websites, conversations—to predict what words logically come next in a sentence, a paragraph, or an entire volume of works. That’s the stupid version.
The smart version? Chat is a tool that can:
- Outline your stories
- Research topics instantly
- Draft articles or posts
- Suggest creative titles
- Assist with your novels
- Build your characters
- Punch up dialogue
- Analyze your plot
- Summarize chapters
- Rephrase clunky paragraphs
- Ask tough questions you hadn’t thought of
- And most importantly, learn your unique voice over time
But here’s the kicker. ChatGPT doesn’t know truth. It doesn’t “think” like we do. It’s not sentient. It reflects probabilities and recognizes patterns from information or prompts fed into it. Which means you have to be the discerning human in the loop.
That’s your job. To guide it. Train it. Push back. Sharpen it into something useful.
With that, let’s get real about how to effectively exploit this big, bad, and beautiful bot.
Ten Real-World Tactics to Use ChatGPT Like a Pro Writer
These aren’t tips you’ll get from a “101 Ways to Prompt ChatGPT” article. These are hard-learned, field-tested tactics I use every day.
1. Feed It Your Work. Literally.
Want ChatGPT to sound like you? Give it samples of your writing. Paste in 2–3 blog posts or several book chapters and say: “This is my writing voice. Learn it. From now on, respond in this style.” It will. And it gets better over time. In fact, it can be downright spooky.
2. Talk To It Like a Writing Partner.
Don’t treat it like Google. Have a back-and-forth. Ask it what’s missing from your argument. What’s weak. Where the tension drops. “What’s the most compelling way to open this post?” “Challenge this idea. Where could I be wrong?” It becomes a live writing room, not a vending machine.
3. Use It for Reverse Outlining.
Paste in a rough draft and ask: “Summarize the structure. What’s the logical flow?”
This reveals hidden structure—or lack thereof—and shows where to tighten or reorder.
4. Rapid Rewriting at Scale.
Stuck on a paragraph? Ask: “Rewrite this in plainer English.” “Make this sound like Hemingway. Or like Garry Rodgers.” Use what works, ditch what doesn’t. It’s a revision shotgun.
5. Create Better Metaphors.
ChatGPT is surprisingly sharp with metaphor. Ask: “Give me three metaphors to describe the writing process.” You’ll be amazed what turns up—and one might be gold.
6. Simulate Your Audience.
Ask it to act like a reader of The Kill Zone or your novel’s target demographic. “What would a thriller reader think of this twist?” “What questions might a new writer have after reading this post?” It helps you pre-empt confusion.
7. Build a Persistent Memory.
If you’re using ChatGPT-4o with memory turned on, it can remember your preferences, style, and ongoing projects. This makes it less like a tool—and more like a silent writing partner who gets you.
8. Run “What’s Missing?” Checks.
Paste your article in and ask: “What ideas did I leave out that would make this stronger?” It’ll surface blind spots you didn’t know you had.
9. Draft Titles and Hooks on Command.
Don’t burn out trying to come up with snappy titles or email subject lines. Ask: “Give me 10 strong, punchy titles based on this content.” Keep the good ones, toss the rest. No ego involved.
10. Never Let It Publish Without You.
This one’s crucial. ChatGPT can help you draft. It can help you edit. It can even ghostwrite if you really want. But never hit “publish” until you—the writer—the human element—have done the final pass. Use your judgment. Your voice. Your standards. The machine assists, but the mortal decides.
Final Word
Writers who embrace this technology—without surrendering to it—are bound to outpace those who ignore it or fear it. AI won’t replace us. (At least not yet.) But writers who know how to use AI well will inevitably rise above, and possibly replace, writers who don’t.
Treat ChatGPT like a sharp, tireless apprentice. Not a ghostwriter. Not a gimmick. But a collaborative tool to help you write with more clarity, more insight, and yes—more you.
Kill Zoners—What do you think about ChatGPT and AI in general? Do you use an AI bot such as Chat in your research and writing? And who do you think wrote this post—ChatGPT or Garry Rodgers?