Stop Letting Robots Tell Your Story and Why AI Shouldn’t Write Your Book
- Brainz Magazine
- Mar 24
- 4 min read
Written by DeShaun Williams, CEO & Chief Writing Coach
DeShaun Williams is the Founder & Chief Writing Coach at Write Your Way, LLC, specializing in empowering authors through writing coaching and book publishing. He is also a multi-bestselling author.
Let’s be honest: writing a book isn’t easy. It takes time, patience, and heart. And with all the AI tools popping up, I know it’s tempting to think, “Why not let something like ChatGPT handle this for me?” It sounds easy, right? Just type in a few prompts, and suddenly, you’ve got pages of content. But here’s the hard truth: if you let AI write your book, you’re not telling your story. You’re letting a machine patch together sentences from places you can’t see, with no emotion, no soul, and no connection to the reader.
I’ve spent years coaching authors, reviewing manuscripts, and helping people turn their ideas into something real, and I can spot AI writing in seconds. It’s not just the structure. It’s the lack of you. If you’re serious about writing a book that matters, here’s why AI should never be the author of your story.
AI can’t give you emotion, and emotion connects readers
When someone picks up your book, they’re looking for more than just information or words on a page. They want to feel something. They want to sit with your joy, cry with your heartbreak, and get angry or inspired right along with you. They want to hear your voice in every line.
AI can’t do that. It doesn’t know what it feels like to lose, to love, to fight for something that matters. It’s just guessing what words come next based on patterns, not experiences. When I read something AI-generated, I feel it instantly. It’s flat. It doesn’t breathe. It’s missing the messiness, the imperfection, and the vulnerability that comes from a human heart. If your readers can’t feel you, they won’t remember you.
You don’t know where it’s pulling from, and that can hurt you
This is where it gets risky. When you write, you pull from your life, your research, your expertise. You know where every word comes from. But AI? It’s pulling from all over the internet, bits and pieces of other people’s content, blog posts, articles, and sometimes unreliable sources.
And you have no idea if what it’s giving you is accurate, or worse, if it’s stealing someone else’s words. If you put your name on a book, you are responsible for every sentence. Imagine the damage to your credibility if your readers find out your information is outdated, incorrect, or plagiarized.
Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. Don’t risk it.
AI will derail your vision, and you might not realize it until it’s too late
I’ve seen this happen over and over: an author gives AI a prompt with a clear idea, but the finished product is all over the place. One chapter sounds formal and distant; the next is overly casual, and the overall tone? Inconsistent. Why? Because AI doesn’t understand the heart of your message. It doesn’t know the direction you want to go. It can’t stay focused on the unique story you want to tell. And the more you let it write for you, the more your idea gets buried under generic, predictable content. What starts as your book ends up reading like a collection of random thoughts. That’s not what readers want.
It’s not your voice, and that’s the one thing readers truly want
You don’t write a book just to fill pages. You write to be heard, to connect, to leave something behind that’s yours. But when you hand the pen to AI, those words aren’t yours. They’re a stitched-together version of everything except you. Readers aren’t just looking for information; they’re looking for a human connection. They want your personality, your flaws, your stories, and your way of seeing the world. If they wanted something generic, they’d read Wikipedia. They picked up your book to hear you. Don’t rob them of that.
Professionals will know, and readers will feel it
I see this all the time: manuscripts that look polished on the surface, but after a few paragraphs, I know. AI leaves fingerprints. The structure is too neat, the transitions are awkward, and the rhythm is off. It feels forced, almost like reading instructions instead of a story. Professionals can spot AI writing a mile away. And guess what? Readers aren’t far behind. They may not be able to explain why, but they’ll feel it, and that disconnect will make them put your book down.
Use AI as a tool, not a crutch. Your story deserves better
I’m not saying you can’t use AI at all. I use it sometimes to help brainstorm, spark ideas, or tighten up a sentence. But there’s a difference between using a tool and letting that tool do the work for you. Writing a book is your chance to put your voice into the world, and no machine can do that for you. If you want to build something real, something that lasts, something people will remember, sit down and write. Take your time. Get stuck. Start over if you have to. But write your words.
Because people aren’t just buying a book. They’re buying you.
And you? You’re irreplaceable.
Read more from DeShaun Williams
DeShaun Williams, CEO & Chief Writing Coach
DeShaun Williams is the Founder & Chief Writing Coach at Write Your Way, LLC, dedicated to helping aspiring authors achieve their publishing goals through personalized coaching and guidance. Inspired by the wisdom of his late grandfather, DeShaun founded his business to empower writers to take control of their creative journeys. He is also the author of From the Valley to the Summit, where he shares insights on overcoming obstacles and reaching new heights. DeShaun’s passion is helping others realize their potential and bring their stories to life.
