There’s more than one way to use chatbots for writing. I think many people think of chatbots simply as text generators, and they miss the idea that it can serve as a writing buddy or coach. These days I’m almost always using these tools as a way to spur my own creativity. Rather than asking ChatGPT to generate something, I flip the script around and say, “Ask me questions. I want to be the one writing the text. Help me do that.”

The whole purpose is to jog my brain so that I start writing something. Getting those 1st few words out are the hardest, and being asked about what I want to say, interview style, is an effective way to get unstuck.

Here is a typical prompt I use to get started:

I want to write a post called "ChatGPT, Please Ask Me Questions". Please interview me and ask 3 questions to help me clarify what I want to say. Ask me one at a time and wait for my answer.

ChatGPT will usually start by asking what feeling or experience I’m trying to capture. The “Ask me one at a time” is important, otherwise it will ask all the questions at once.

At some point, ChatGPT will ask what I want the reader to get out of my post. This is always an interesting and reflective question for me. I write to be heard even though I know few people read these posts. So I’m really writing these posts mostly for myself. If you want to see how I developed this post, you can see my chatbot thread here.

Writing is good practice. I also do these to figure out what I’m thinking. That might seem a strange goal, but I find the act of writing down what I’m thinking helpful in many ways, not the least of which is to get something out so I don’t have to think about it anymore. It makes room for the next thought.

All in all, having ChatGPT interview me is rewarding because it’s like going to the gym. I’m exercising my writing muscles every day and I can feel that part of me getting better as I do it. If you write and need a push, consider using a chatbot to prompt you. The words are still all yours, and you might find the process rewarding too.