AI as a Writer’s Assistant

Practical Systems for Protecting Creative Time
Women Writing the West Conference · October 2026

These are the slides from my WWW presentation on using AI to manage some of the work around writing while keeping human creativity at the center.

Resources for Writers Using AI Intentionally

AI is changing fast. So are the conversations, the tools, the rules—and, for many of us, our own comfort levels with using it.

I’m not here to convince anyone that they should use AI. I’m a writer first, and my own line is pretty simple: AI can be my assistant. It doesn’t get to be my author.

What I am interested in is all the work that surrounds the writing. Research. Revision and manuscript analysis. Organization. Marketing. Social media. Release planning. The business and everyday mental gymnastics that can eat up the time and energy I’d rather spend creating.

This page is a collection of tools, resources, and people I’ve found useful as I’ve figured out what AI can do for me—and, just as importantly, what I don’t want it to do.

There isn’t one right line for every writer. My hope is that these resources help you learn enough to draw your own intentionally.

One last thing: this stuff changes ridiculously fast. Policies, tools, features, and professional guidance can change between my morning coffee and lunch. Always check the original source for the most current information.

Professional Guidance & Perspectives

Authors Guild
Current guidance on artificial intelligence, copyright, human authorship, contracts, and the rapidly changing publishing landscape.

Joanna Penn / The Creative Penn
Author and publishing entrepreneur Joanna Penn has written and spoken extensively about the practical and ethical use of AI by writers and creative professionals.

Tools I’ve Used

Marlowe by Authors A.I.
A manuscript-analysis tool designed to evaluate elements such as pacing, character, plot, and story structure. I use tools like this for diagnosis—not to write or rewrite my fiction.

AutoCrit
A manuscript editing and analysis platform with a range of traditional analytical tools as well as newer AI-assisted features. Different features may fit different writers’ boundaries.

Editing with AI — Mike Akins
Shared with permission

Revision Conversations to Try with AI

You don’t have to use these word for word. Give the AI enough context to understand your manuscript, your goal, and your boundaries—then have a conversation.

1. Start with diagnosis
   “Read this scene as a developmental editor or critique partner. What is working well, and where is it weakest? Explain why and point to evidence in the text. Don’t rewrite it for me.”
2. Look for word blindness
   “Based only on what is actually on the page, what does the reader know about this character’s emotions, motivations, and goals? Separate what the text establishes from what you have to infer.”
3. Check emotional depth
   “Where are the strongest emotional moments in this scene? Where does the emotional response feel thin, rushed, or missing? Show me where you see that rather than suggesting replacement prose.”
4. Find the energy shift
   “Where does the energy or tension in this scene increase or decrease? What on the page appears to cause the change?”
5. Examine character action
   “Where am I explaining what the character feels when action, dialogue, physical response, or interaction might already be carrying that emotion? Flag the places for me, but don’t rewrite them.”
6. Check scene purpose
   “Before you analyze this scene, ask me what I need it to accomplish. Then help me evaluate whether the scene on the page actually accomplishes that.”
7. Test continuity
   “Using only the material I’ve given you, identify any possible inconsistencies in character behavior, timeline, relationships, setting, or established story facts. If you don’t have enough information to know, say so rather than filling in the gap.”
8. Look for repetition
   “Identify places where I may be repeating an emotional beat, explanation, description, or information the reader already understands. Explain what appears redundant and let me decide what stays.”
9. Build a revision roadmap
   “Here are my revision notes for this manuscript. Help me organize them into a practical revision plan. Group related issues and help me identify which changes may affect other parts of the manuscript. Don’t make the creative decisions for me.”
10. Ask before solving
    “I know something isn’t working in this chapter, but I’m not sure what the problem is. Don’t give me solutions yet. Ask me one or two questions at a time until we’ve identified what I’m actually trying to fix.”

Remember: You can disagree. Ask why. Ask for evidence. Correct a bad assumption. Tell it something was intentional. AI can give you distance from the manuscript, but it still needs your judgment.