There's been a lot of focus on how ChatGPT, Claude, and similar AI tools can help copyeditors. But, AI can help author coaches be better and faster at your jobs, too. Author coaches can use AI to guide writers at all stages drafting, especially when tapping into AI's analytical capabilities to quickly provide tailored feedback. In this article, we'll examine how AI tools can help author coaches.
Why Author Coaches Should Use AI
AI tools like ChatGPT offer several advantages for writing coaches. Here are a few:
Efficiency: AI can quickly process and analyze text, saving time and allowing coaches to focus on more of the human-centric aspects of coaching, such as the encouragement and accountability writers get in your face-to-face meetings. AI's swiftness is particularly beneficial in the early stages of manuscript development, where quick, high-level feedback is crucial. This speed allows you to prioritize your time on personalized advice and in-depth analysis.
Consistency: ChatGPT provides consistent and unbiased analysis, ensuring a standardized approach to manuscript evaluation and an objective foundation for further coaching.
Customization: AI tools can be tailored to specific genres and writing styles, allowing them to offer personalized feedback and suggestions you can use right away. This adaptability is key in addressing the unique needs of each manuscript and author; it allows for nuanced feedback that respects each writer's individual voice and style.
Six Ways Author Coaches Can Incorporate AI
How can author coaches use AI? Here are six ways AI can help you be better and faster at what you do. (Note: I focus on ChatGPT, but you can use these same strategies in Claude.)
1. Summaries
Ask ChatGPT to summarize text and it can do your first read-through for you. Knowing what the content is about before you dive in can help you have a more strategic review and then more focused and effective coaching sessions with the author.
Fiction Example: ChatGPT can provide a summary of a novel's plot, character development, and themes, helping you to quickly grasp the narrative's core elements.
Nonfiction Example: For a biography, ChatGPT can outline key life events and themes, preparing you for a deeper dive into the manuscript's structure and content.
2. Strengths and Weaknesses
ChatGPT can give you a breakdown of the writing's strengths and weaknesses so you have a heads-up about areas of focus before you start. Using AI for general content analysis can streamline the review process, enabling author coaches to quickly pinpoint aspects of the writing that need the most attention.
Fiction Example: In a fantasy novel, ChatGPT might identify strengths like compelling character arcs and imaginative worldbuilding, while noting weaknesses like a lagging pace.
Nonfiction Example: In a business book, ChatGPT can highlight strengths like clear explanations but point out weaknesses like lack of real-world examples.
3. Focused Analysis
ChatGPT can provide feedback about specific areas of writing and help guide your advice to authors. For fiction, think dialogue, setting, mood, POV. For nonfiction, think tone, audience targeting, message effectiveness.
Fiction Example: ChatGPT can analyze a romance novel’s dialogue and suggest changes that could enhance emotional depth.
Nonfiction Example: For a self-help book, ChatGPT can evaluate the effectiveness of motivational strategies and offer improvements.
4. Idea Generation
One of my favorite ways to use ChatGPT is for idea generation. It can quickly generate intriguing options for narrative direction that perhaps you never would have thought of. For fiction book coaches, ChatGPT can help you brainstorm suggestions about character backstories, plot twists, what should happen in the next chapter, and more. For nonfiction experts, it can pinpoint subtopics, arguments, and angles to explore.
Fiction Example: ChatGPT can suggest plot twists for a mystery novel, enhancing suspense and reader engagement.
Nonfiction Example: For a historical analysis, it can propose unexplored angles or new perspectives on events.
5. Outlining
Author coaches can use AI tools early in the process to help form a book's structure and format, resulting in a cohesive and well-organized manuscript, which is essential for both fiction and nonfiction works. For nonfiction coaches, it can assist in creating detailed outlines, helping to organize ideas and establish a clear roadmap for the draft. For fiction coaches, it can help map the author's ideas onto a traditional plot structure, such as the Seven-Point Story Structure or Hero's Journey.
Fiction Example: ChatGPT can match a slow-burning suspense book's outline to a five-act structure.
Nonfiction Example: For an academic text, it can help organize chapters and sections for logical flow and clarity.
6. Goal-Setting & Timelines
ChatGPT help with the non-writing parts of drafting, such as project management for the writer. It can set realistic goals based on the author's genre, desired book length, and writing speed and propose a timeline with appropriate, attainable milestones, ensuring a structured approach to manuscript completion.
Fiction Example: ChatGPT can help establish a writing schedule for completing a historical romance novel, considering factors like research and revision time.
Nonfiction Example: For a cookbook, it can set milestones for recipe testing, writing, and photography.
If you're an author coach, book coach, or writing coach, the capabilities of ChatGPT, Claude, and similar AI tools can significantly add to your coaching toolkit, making the manuscript development process more efficient and insightful. By embracing these AI tools, coaches can provide more comprehensive and effective guidance to authors.
Curious to Learn More ChatGPT Tips for Author Coaches?
In ChatGPT for Editors, I have an entire lesson about how to use AI for content editing. When you enroll in the course, you'll learn these strategies and other tips you can use right away.
Erin Servais helps editors upskill through AI. Her ChatGPT for Editors course is known worldwide at the #1 AI course for editors of all types, including medical editors, finance editors, education editors, corporate communications editors, and book editors.
Erin serves on the board of directors for ACES: The Society for Editing and has presented about editing, entrepreneurship, and Artificial Intelligence for the Professional Editors Network, Editors Canada, the Northwest Editors Guild, and ACES.
Email Erin: Erin@aiforeditors.com