I’d estimate that I am one of the few writers my age who believes AI is now an essential tool for creating better stories. If you disagree, that’s perfectly okay. But it’s undeniable that AI is here to stay, and like every other profession, writers must adapt or die. I have accepted that. It took me a while.

I ignored reality for as long as I could, but eventually decided that accepting AI didn’t mean I had to give up my core principles and values. Quite the opposite. I simply needed to objectively assess its usefulness and decide how I would use it to help me write stories better.

Notice the important distinction: AI helps me write stories better, not write better stories. The words, themes, concepts, and creativity are still my own.

The technology has clear limits, and readers deserve transparency. When you buy a book, you expect an honest representation of the author’s skills and human creativity — especially in fiction. You also expect a genuine emotional connection to the characters. Creating that emotional response is one of a writer’s most important jobs.

Writers who rely on AI to generate those feelings are committing literary infidelity — cheating on both the reader and their own imagination. That’s where I draw the line.

This is my AI warning label. I hope it reassures you, as a reader and customer, that you’re getting my best effort — both as a writer and as a human being.

How I Use AI (The DO List)

• Check spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• Proofread to ensure I’m communicating what I intend
• Fact-checking and limited historical research (books and primary sources are still better)
• Conduct market research
• Develop marketing ideas and collateral (stock photos, blog posts, Amazon ad campaigns, etc.)
• Website coding, development, and optimization
• Create virtual voices for audio playback on my website
• Create promotional short videos for YouTube (I used Veo to create a full trailer for the Fading Darkness series)

What I Refuse to Do With AI (The DON’T List)

1. Write or rewrite entire chapters or manuscripts — I keep AI-suggested improvements to less than 1% of a final draft.
2. Suggest or create story ideas — That’s my job. If I can’t develop my own ideas, I’m not a writer.
3. Accept empty praise when proofreading — I switched from Gemini to Grok because Gemini tends to be sycophantic. Grok is brutally honest, and I value that. It’s the only way to improve.
4. Use virtual voices in audiobooks — This is a hot topic in the audiobook world. I once thought models like ElevenLabs were getting good enough for audiobook production, so I experimented. The results were awful. I will use virtual voices for sample readings on my website and give them away for free, but I will never use AI narration in a commercial audiobook. It simply doesn’t convey emotion the way a human voice does. If you doubt that, listen to Scott Fleming’s incredible performances in the first two novels of the Fading Darkness series: Through the Fading Darkness and Beyond the Fading Darkness.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out at officialzacnorthup@zacnorthup.com.