AI and Me and My Book
How I Used and Am Using Something Changing Everything
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS
4 Minute Read
Happy Monday, and so many have asked: “Portico, won’t you please share the ways you used artificial intelligence (AI) to create and refine your landmark novel, Ride of Your Life?”
No problem. In fact, it’s humbling.
AI is a complete game-changer in the creation of content, and for making it better. Today, I am going to share how I used/am using it, in the hope it might motivate you to apply it in your own personal - or even professional - life, if you’re not already.
Yes, I know I covered some of this a week or so ago, but I think you’ll find this is different and new.
Because AI kicked my ass - in a good way.
TL;DR: I probably published the draft prematurely.
Naming Names
The first name I must mention isn’t even an AI tool. It’s a good ol’ fashioned word processing software application, but one designed for writing books, etc. It is called Scrivener, and it is a no-brainer at a $60 one-time charge. I was especially pleased to find out it’s what real writers use, and I can see why.
Now, the gee-whiz stuff. And sure, most have heard of the big artificial intelligence sites. But maybe not, and I bet you haven’t heard of the more esoteric AI engines I employed and am employing now.
Here’s everything I am using to make Ride of Your Life a reality:
ProWritingAid Premium Pro + Manuscript Analysis: This and Scrivener are the only things I am paying for, but this is month-to-month, and easy to cancel. This app runs in the background on your computer, and when invoked, it is a spell- and grammarchecker on steroids - like the kind they give to horses. I went all in for their Premium Pro package, at $36/month, as it includes all of their AI tools, and cuts the price of the extraordinary manuscript analysis in half, to $25. Like Scrivener, I learned this is what the pros use.
Fun Fact: This, Gemini (below), and the feedback I am getting from those reading the draft are what I am using in lieu of a professional human editor. In fact, I’ll give a 25% stake in the book to anyone wishing to invest and pay for one.
10 Seconds of Seriousness: I won’t hold my breath.
claude.ai: Like many, I find it superior for writing and writing assistance; for example, it gave me ideas on re-writing every passive sentence ProWritingAid flagged. For free.
perplexity.ai: In its standard mode, it is now my search engine - for everything. But its “Research” mode? Holy shit. Example: I had it gather everything Steven King has ever written or said about 1) ending books and 2) going from draft to finished product. I shared the former a while back, and here’s a link to the guidance I am following as we speak: Steven King on Revising a Draft Novel
gemini.google.com: Wow wow wow - those that think Alphabet is behind in the AI racket haven’t used Gemini very much. It is the only free site where I was able to upload my entire manuscript for comprehensive analysis. And don’t sleep on its “Create” button . . . the audio summaries will amaze you.
I am holding on to the dream that, at least in the eBook version, I will be able to retain the images I used in the draft. When I needed a custom image, dreamstudio.ai and firefly.adobe.com were my tools; I typically prefer the former.
And do the images or photos need to be sharpened and/or colorized? No problem; Picsart does all of that.
I also kicked the tires on the AI writing assistant Marlowe, but didn’t like the reviews I read.
And I don’t use ChatGPT in general, because I find its free capabilities pale in comparison to Claude and Perplexity. And AI from X or Meta? Are you kidding?
In The Beginning
I am proud to say the concept of the book, which I will go to my grave believing has merit, is mine, and mine alone. The concept was/is to illustrate the progress/regression we’ve made as a country, by telling the story of a family and a fancy car.
But wow, did I rely upon AI in writing the draft of the book, and I still am.
Few want to admit this, but it’s a great fix for writer’s block. When bereft of ideas, I would prompt an AI engine to outline and expand upon whatever loose concept(s) I did have. I would then write it to be my own.
Especially for historical fiction like Ride of Your Life, it was in research that AI was the most astounding. Those reading it will notice I expend effort “world-building:” creating plausible scenarios through the use of locations, people, product names, etc. appropriate for the year and/or action. A bonus was, this being fiction, it didn’t really matter much if the AI engines hallucinated - but they typically did not.
Example: Bevie Booth worked for J. Walter Thompson, which was a real advertising agency, huge during the time of the book (1960s and 1970s), and their offices, were, as I cite in the book, located at 420 Lexington Avenue. And the Automat where I have Elias Spencer and Bevie meet really did exist at the time (1964) at 451 Lexington Avenue.
All of that - J. Walter Thompson, the Automat, and the addresses of both, came via perplexity.ai
Six Weeks Off?
That refers to Stephen King’s belief that once the first draft of a novel is complete, like mine, the author should stay away from it for 6 weeks. When returning, he contends one will have fresh perspective and renewed energy for the characters.
He’s likely correct, but I doubt I can stay away for 6 days, let alone 6 weeks. Sure, I am obsessed, but I also have a lot of work to do.
I already have waded through the whole thing again, with ProWritingAid hammering me on grammar snafus and passive sentences. That’s mostly done.
Now? The hard part, where I make plot edits based upon suggestions for the entire draft. Without smoothing out parts that should remain rough. I love how Stephen King described this phase: Considering your readers and making the story accessible to others.
I won’t bore you with the reams of feedback Gemini and ProWritingAid gave me - we’re talking over 40 pages. But I fed claude.ai both analyses, in their entirety, and asked for a summary of the improvements suggested.
Here they are - and a warning for those reading the draft now: there are spoilers.
Slow down emotional pivots: Key moments like Genevieve's suicide and Elias's recovery are rushed. Allow these critical scenes to breathe and show their full psychological impact.
Add nuance to antagonists: Genevieve and Alvaro read as one-dimensional. Give them moments of vulnerability or complexity beyond their negative traits.
Make Elias's recovery more believable: His transformation from severe addiction to functionality in 12 weeks feels too rapid and convenient.
Expand Rutger's resolution: His abrupt disappearance wastes the moral complexity of Ben Jr. having to eliminate his neo-Nazi son—explore the psychological aftermath.
Reduce Mafia convenience: Uncle Paulie solving every major problem (annulments, disappearances, business deals) undermines character agency and narrative tension.
Show consequences: Characters' morally ambiguous choices need lasting psychological and emotional fallout, especially for Ben Jr.
Show, don't tell: Replace expository explanations of character motivations and historical context with immersive scenes and subtext.
Enhance sensory detail: Many settings (especially Hoboken) are described functionally rather than vividly—engage all five senses.
Maintain consistent narrative distance: Let readers infer emotions rather than having the omniscient narrator explain everything.
Deepen moral exploration: The novel touches on complex ethical issues but doesn't fully explore their weight and consequences.
No problem, and I am probably working on the appropriate revisions - or obsessing about them - as you read this.
Special thanks to my genius artist cousin Charles Clough, Arthur, Steven Simon, Lara Mohair, and André Aurich for reading the draft. Huge thanks.
Have a great week.
FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES
Thank you for reading this newsletter.
KLUF
Featuring “Dream On,” LOL. But also “Make It” and “Write Me.” And I am not sure how it stays off the Mt. Rushmore of debut rock albums? That means, by definition, it is Diamond Certified.