The technological Devil

I've been a traditionally published author for 25 years now, and let me tell you, it’s been a wild ride. I've seen the whole landscape of writing change, and I’ve picked up more than a few tricks along the way. Not that I love saying it, but yeah, I’ve been around long enough to know a thing or two.

Maybe that's why technology doesn’t freak me out like it does for some. I mean, when I first started writing, it was pen and paper—no fancy tools, just me and my hand cramps. Eventually, I got a typewriter, and while it slowed me down at first, it made things easier when it came to sending manuscripts out to publishers. Then, the electric typewriter came along. Was it groundbreaking? Eh, not really. But at least my fingers thanked me for it.

By the time we hit the new millennium, I’d upgraded to a PC with one of those early writing programs. That was a game changer—no more retyping whole pages because of one little mistake. After that, I swapped the desktop for a laptop, which meant I could write anywhere, like back when I used to scribble in notebooks. Now? Tablets, phones—writing on the go is easier than ever.

So yeah, I’ve lived through it all, from paper cuts to pixels, and I’m still here, embracing every new tool that makes the writing life just a little smoother.

The devil strikes

Over the years, writing programs have seriously leveled up. Spelling and grammar checks used to be pretty basic, but now they’re spot on. Then came the real game-changer—you could dictate your story instead of typing it out. I never really used that feature myself, but I get why it’s a lifesaver for some writers. It gave a lot of people the chance to finally get their stories down without wrestling with a keyboard.

At first, people weren’t having it. "Real writers don’t dictate!" they said. But now? Nobody cares. If it works, it works.

Then tools like Papyrus and Scrivener hit the scene, and suddenly, plotting and planning became a lot more organized. Everything got more tech-driven, and of course, some folks freaked out, thinking computers were about to take over our jobs. But the reality is, these tools just made writing more efficient.

As spelling and grammar programs kept evolving, they didn’t just catch mistakes anymore—they started suggesting how to structure sentences and even helped keep our writing style consistent. That’s when AI really started sneaking into the writing world. Whether people realized it or not, those helpful nudges were all AI-powered.

Now we’ve got ChatGPT, and it feels like a huge leap forward, though I doubt it’s the final step. Who knows what’s next for writing? But if history’s shown us anything, it’s that there’s always another way to make the process a little smoother.

Making a deal with the devil

The moment I got online, I knew it would change the way I wrote. At first, it was a research goldmine—I didn’t have to dive into dozens of books anymore. Everything I needed was just a click away, which sped up the whole process. And when Google Maps came along, especially with satellite view, it was a game changer. Suddenly, I could set my stories in places I’d never been, all without leaving my desk.

Same thing happened with AI in my editing software. It started offering suggestions, and while I don’t take every one of them, I’ll admit, it helps tighten up my writing. But I’m still in control—it’s my call whether I accept its advice or not.

Long before I used ChatGPT, I’d heard about it. I even debated with my family about it—some of them were sure it would ruin the human touch in writing. But the more I thought about it, the more I saw the upside. That’s when I decided to "make the deal with the devil."

Look, I love writing, but I hate it too. The hours spent chasing the right words, reworking sentences until they finally snap into place—it can be maddening. There are times when I wish I had a machine that could just pull the story straight from my brain. And honestly, ChatGPT is a step in that direction. When I’m stuck, it gives me something to work with. I feed it my ideas, and it cranks out a paragraph, or ten. I go through the options, and somewhere in there, my mind clicks into gear, and I find the path forward.

ChatGPT doesn’t write anything I’d publish as is. Most of the time, it’s more of a rough draft, a framework for how a scene could unfold. But now and then, it throws out a word or a sentence that hits just right, something I wouldn’t have thought of but ends up making the scene stronger and clearer.

In the end, ChatGPT gives me a sort of screenplay for my story—a rough guide I can follow. Has it replaced the human element? Yeah, in some ways. I don’t have to spend hours bouncing ideas off someone else when I’m stuck. Instead of waiting, I can dive right back into writing. And it’s even sharpening my own skills as I go.

The human factor

One thing neither editing software nor ChatGPT will ever replace is the human touch. No AI can truly create emotions, and without emotions, a story falls flat. That’s what makes any great story stick with us—the feelings it stirs up. And honestly, I doubt a computer will ever fully capture that. Even for us, explaining what emotions really are or how they feel is tough, so how can we expect to program that into a machine?

No matter how advanced technology gets, there’s a line it can’t cross. And that’s where the magic of storytelling happens. Even if a story is written by ChatGPT, it still needs an author to breathe life into it—to add the heart, the relationships, the emotions that connect with readers.

Over the years, we’ve come to accept all kinds of tools in the writing process. We’re okay with authors dictating their stories instead of typing them out. We’ve embraced software that helps us plot, style, and polish our work. And now, we’re learning how to use AI’s suggestions to improve our writing. So, it’s only a matter of time before we figure out how to blend the latest AI advances into our stories too. But no matter what, it’ll always be the human factor that makes a story truly unforgettable.

At last but not least...

I really believe we need to have open conversations about the pros and cons of new technology. But we’ve got to approach it with an open mind. Some of the fears I’ve heard in recent discussions are real concerns, based on things that have happened before. Sure, every new tool gets misused at first—there are always a few people who take advantage of it in the wrong way.

I’ve seen it play out over the decades. When Amazon made self-publishing easy, it attracted scammers who just copied Wikipedia pages and slapped them into eBooks. They made money without writing a single original word. And when Amazon introduced review sections, people started buying fake reviews to boost their books. It wasn’t pretty.

And yeah, ChatGPT will probably see some of that in the beginning too—people trying to game the system. But, just like with Amazon, we’ll figure out how to handle it. Readers will see through the noise, and quality will rise to the top. It always does.

Personally, I think any development that helps an author get better at their craft is worth embracing. At the end of the day, every writer just wants to tell a great story, and every reader wants to read one. Instead of shooting down these new opportunities, we need to learn how to use them to our advantage.

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