It’s 15 months since ChatGPT was launched, and the dust is beginning to settle on how to use it to best effect. It’s no longer gimmicky; it’s now an essential part of how I work as a professional writer.
In fact, I’ve incorporated it into each stage of the writing process and even many tasks that sit outside of the writing process, too. In doing so, I think I’ve become more efficient, less stressed and (dare I say) better at what I do.
With that in mind, I thought I’d share some of the ways I’m using ChatGPT in 2024 that anyone else who has to write for work should be using, too.
1. Generating ideas
Ideas are the foundation of all good writing but coming up with an original or captivating idea isn’t easy. And it’s even harder when you have to come up with many of them. (Here at Antelope Media, we often generate over 100 article ideas a month. That takes some brain power.)
So, this is one area in which I’m pleased that ChatGPT came along to lighten the load.
With the right prompts, you and ChatGPT can start generating tons of ideas in no time at all. Don’t worry if most of them aren’t perfect. My experience is that less than 10% of ideas are worth keeping, regardless if they’re human-generated or generated with AI help. What matters more is that you get the kernel of something: a starting point that can be refined or explored and then developed into something decent.
2. Summarising stuff
Again, this is one area in which ChatGPT comes through with the goods.
Use it to save time by having it read through your documents and pinpoint the information you need. Copy and paste (or, if you’re using GPT4, upload) a document or transcript and then ask it questions like “Where does it talk about x?”; “What does it say about Y?”; or “Give me a short summary of Z”.
I also like to ask ChatGPT questions like: “What’s the most interesting point this writer makes about “A?” or “Tell me the three most controversial points in this document, and also why they’re controversial”.
3. Overcoming writer’s block
Whenever writer’s block hits, one thing’s for sure: staring at the blank screen or looking at the half-finished page never, ever cures it.
ChatGPT is a powerhouse of, well, just generating stuff. So use it when you get stuck. Ask for three ways to start your piece, finish your sentence, or end what you’re writing about. Then, analyse what it has given you, see if anything is usable and take it from there yourself.
Often, even if ChatGPT gives you rubbish, it will help you get unstuck: seeing what you don’t want to say can often be a great trigger for knowing what you do want to say.
4. Producing first drafts
ChatGPT’s prowess at producing words can also be a godsend when writing a first draft.
What ChatGPT can do is just get words down on the page, which you can then refine and build into something actually worth reading. Even better, it can produce multiple first drafts in seconds.
Use this to your advantage by asking it to write the same in different styles or emphasising different points, then choose the elements that you like and turn them into something better.
5. Choosing better words or sentences
One of the great things about the English language is that there are around 600,000 words.
I used to sit at my desk with a Thesaurus to look up better words than I could come up with off the top of my head. Now, I use ChatGPT because it gives me more ideas and takes me to new places in a much quicker time.
For instance, when I asked for five different words to describe ‘words’, it gave me ‘terminology’, ‘vocabulary’, ‘lexicon’ ‘phrases’ and ‘language; when I asked it for a phrase that encapsulates the sentence I’m currently writing it gave me: “Unlock a richer vocabulary with ChatGPT”.
By asking for alternatives, you’ll expand your lexicon, reduce repetitiveness, and become a better writer.
6. Editing and proofreading
Typos are the bane of any writer’s existence. They make us look unprfessional, careles and sometimes even illiterrate.
The problem is that they’re also pretty much unavoidable.
No one – not even the best editor or proofreader – will find 100% of inaccuracies in a document. I’ve written things that have gone through 17 sets of eyes only to still contain mistakes. When you’re editing your own work, finding every single inconsistency becomes almost impossible.
With ChatGPT’s help, you could be on the way to a much cleaner copy (although it won’t catch 100% of errors either). Still, feed it your words and ask it if there are any typos, spelling mistakes (be sure it’s working in your correct version of English, e.g. Australian, US or British English), misplaced homonyms or other potential errors. Then, ask it to correct them and tidy up your work.
You can read more about how to use ChatGPT to edit its own writing here.
In short…
Things are changing fast, and 2024 is going to be an exciting, even defining, time in content creation. For businesses, the potential advantages are enormous.
And for fellow writers, it’s vital we keep an open mind, keep adapting and keep experimenting with these new technologies. We also need to use them to enhance our human talents rather than give our minds over to them.
Want more?
Contact us if you’d like to attend one of our Write Better, Faster webinars or if you’d like us to build you your own powerful GPT.
Or view more about how to come up with creative ideas using ChatGPT on our YouTube Chanel:
