Using AI When Writing a Novel: The Smart, the Stupid, and the Seriously Risky

AI is everywhere in the writing world right now. Some authors swear it’s revolutionizing their process. Others treat it like a cursed object that should never be touched. The truth sits comfortably in the middle, sipping coffee and judging everyone.

Used correctly, AI can make writing a novel smoother, faster, and less mentally exhausting. Used poorly, it can flatten your voice, weaken your story, and turn your manuscript into something that reads like it was written by a very polite spreadsheet.

This article breaks down how to use AI when writing a novel without sabotaging your creativity, your integrity, or your book.

What AI Is (and Isn’t) for Novel Writing

AI is a tool, not a storyteller. It recognizes patterns, predicts word sequences, and regurgitates common structures. It does not understand emotional nuance, lived experience, or why that one scene still hurts to write three years later.

That means AI is excellent at:

• Generating ideas
• Organizing information
• Offering structural suggestions
• Assisting with revisions

It is terrible at:

• Original voice
• Emotional depth
• Subtle character growth
• Writing anything that feels human for more than a paragraph

If you remember nothing else: AI supports creativity—it does not replace it.

How to Use AI Effectively When Writing a Novel

1. Brainstorming Without the Blank-Page Panic

AI is fantastic for shaking loose ideas when your brain refuses to cooperate. Ask it for:

• Plot twist possibilities
• Character motivations
• Worldbuilding prompts
• Scene ideas when you’re stuck

Treat these ideas like raw clay, not finished sculptures. The value is momentum, not perfection.

2. Outlining and Story Structure

AI excels at zooming out. If your novel feels messy, slow, or directionless, AI can help:

• Organize acts and arcs
• Identify pacing issues
• Highlight missing stakes

It’s especially useful for writers who tend to wander mid-draft and wake up 40,000 words later wondering what happened.

That said, structure is not story. AI can help you build the map, but you still have to take the journey.

3. Revision and Editing Support

AI can act as a second set of eyes during revisions by:

• Flagging repetition
• Spotting unclear sentences
• Suggesting tighter phrasing

This is where AI shines brightest. It’s tireless, unemotional, and won’t tell you “everything is great” when it isn’t. Still, you make the final call. Always.

How AI Can Ruin Your Novel (If You Let It)

1. Letting AI Write Full Scenes or Chapters

This is where things go sideways fast. AI-generated prose tends to be:

• Overexplained
• Emotionally shallow
• Weirdly formal
• Repetitive

Readers notice. Editors notice. And your voice—the thing that makes your writing yours—slowly disappears.

If AI writes it, rewrite it. Every time. No exceptions.

2. Copy-Pasting Without Questioning

AI sounds confident even when it’s wrong. It will invent facts, simplify emotions, and suggest clichés with impressive enthusiasm.

Blind trust leads to:

• Inaccurate details
• Generic character reactions
• Flat dialogue

AI suggestions should always pass through your judgment, your style, and your instincts before they touch your manuscript.

3. Using AI for Emotional Scenes

AI can mimic sadness, love, and fear—but it doesn’t feel them. That’s why emotional scenes written by AI often feel rushed, melodramatic, or hollow.

Those scenes need your lived experience, empathy, and intuition. That’s the human advantage. Use it.

Ethical and Creative Considerations

Using AI responsibly matters—especially if you plan to publish. Transparency, originality, and respect for your own voice should guide every decision.

Ask yourself:

• Is this helping me think, or thinking for me?
• Would I recognize my voice on this page?
• Does this scene feel honest, or just “technically fine”?

If the answer makes you uncomfortable, it’s time to step back.

The Bottom Line

AI won’t steal your creativity—but laziness will.

Used intentionally, AI can help you brainstorm faster, revise smarter, and untangle plot problems without burnout. Used recklessly, it can drain the soul from your novel and leave you with something efficient, clean, and painfully forgettable.

Write the story only you can write. Let AI help you get unstuck, not take over the wheel.

Because readers don’t fall in love with algorithms.

They fall in love with stories that feel real.