How I Wrote a Book in Two Days with AI (And Why I’m Proud of It)
There’s a lot of heated debate about the use of artificial intelligence in writing, especially when it comes to books. Some people insist using AI is “bad”- full stop. But I believe that view misses so much nuance.
Having just written my fourth book with AI as my partner, I’m excited to lay out exactly how I use it, why, and why I think this approach unlocks not only speed but real depth and authenticity.
It’s More Than Just Words on a Page
Many people don’t realise that writing a book isn’t just a matter of stringing words together. Putting your words to the page is just one tiny part of that.
Before the real writing even starts, there’s the bubbling up of the concept, the structure, how to build your argument – especially in nonfiction. For my first few books, I would spend ages shuffling things around, trying ideas in different chapters, and reworking my outline. It was exhausting.
This time around, AI became an invaluable collaborator. The whole structure helped me think through a structure. Rather than battling the overwhelming sprawl of ideas, I worked closely with AI to map out what I wanted to say, in what order, and how to layer the arguments in a way that made sense for the reader and for me.
Co-Creating Structure – Not Ceding Control
AI didn’t dictate the flow – it was a constant back and forth. The AI can come up with an idea, but it doesn’t know what you know. So I’d veto, adjust, and refine, making sure the roadmap truly reflected my expertise and what the book needed to deliver. In the end, I was left with a structure that excited me, and one I knew I could build upon chapter by chapter.
Dictation Over Typing: Speaking My Truth
My process doesn’t end with the outline. I’ve always loved speaking – hosting podcasts, chatting away, even dictating my thoughts during dog walks. For me, there’s almost a conscious editing going on when I write, but when I speak, “it just flows.” So I leaned into that.
Using AI to break down each chapter, together we’d create talking points and prompts. Then I’d just respond – freestyle! – recording on my phone while out with the dog. Sometimes I managed as many as five chapters in an hour, all by simply… talking.
From Voice to Page: The AI Secretary
What about turning all that spoken content into an actual book?
Well, here’s where things get fun. Years ago, authors would hand dictaphone tapes to their secretaries for transcription and tidying. Today, “my secretary is my AI.”
Because I’ve trained the AI with all my previous writing, its job is to tidy up, structure, and clarify – without losing my voice. It knows how I write because I’ve given it all my writing before, so it knows exactly how I write.
The final manuscript isn’t written by a machine. It’s my words, my experience – simply made clearer, punchier, and with even better flow.
The Real Difference: AI As an Assistant, Not an Author
There’s a big distinction between AI-generated sludge and AI-powered smart writing. There are a lot of people that aren’t briefing AI and… using AI to not generate their own content.
That’s when you end up with what I call ‘AI slop.’ But if you use AI to refine your own words and challenge your thinking, it’s an entirely different ball game. The content is still you – your frequency, your energy, your heart.
And yes, I check. “You can check that by calibrating the energetic frequency of the output, which I do with all of my written work.”
I’ve cried my way through edits, because the work – tidied up by AI – lands even harder emotionally. It really hits hard emotionally. That’s because the AI is using my words. It’s just made it sound bloody better.
Why I’m Proud – and Why You Don’t Have to Be Afraid
I’ll say it plainly: I’m proud to use AI to speed up and deepen my writing. It’s still me. I’m not afraid to use every tool I can to get my work out – so I can help more people, faster. There’s no reason why you can’t get your ideas out there and publish… It’s still you and it’s still your words. It’s just how you choose to use the AI.
For anyone worried that AI will dilute your message or flatten your energetic fingerprint – don’t.
Train it, brief it, work with it. When used right, AI will not compromise your impact; it may just help you shine brighter than ever.
So yes. I wrote a book in two days with a little help from AI. Not because I cut corners, but because I leaned into collaboration, clarity, and creativity. And I couldn’t be happier with the result.