As I keep saying, I’m doing everything in my power not to let AI do the actual narrative writing — especially now that I’m deep into the second draft. That part has to come from me. But I am leaning on AI for development work and fleshing out scene summaries, and it’s been surprisingly helpful.
Sometimes it shows me angles I hadn’t considered, and more than once I’ve had a genuine “ah-ha!” moment thanks to its perspective. Still, the writing itself — the sentences, the voice, the rhythm — that’s all mine. If this draft falls flat, that’s on me. If it sings, that’s because of my own ability, not because a machine wrote it for me.
That said, the process is moving quickly. I’m burning through the outline faster than I expected, and maybe — just maybe — this second draft will come together sooner rather than later. Or maybe not. I’m giving myself some slack, because querying is still probably a year out. But I also feel the clock ticking. I need to wrap this up. I’m not getting any younger.
