INTRODUCTION TO “THE WRITER’S AI COMPANION” NEWSLETTER [Post #1-A] (Free)
Learn to Use AI to Write Better and Faster
Have you ever been stuck, not knowing what to write next? Maybe you’ve painted your character into a corner, or your plot has wandered into a dead end. Or worse – you’ve abandoned an entire manuscript because you just couldn’t figure out what comes next.
I’ve been there. But I found the solution. I’ve discovered how to use AI as a creative writing partner to bust through those blocks, and I’m about to show you exactly how to do it, too.
I’m Elaine Foster and after years of writing fiction (and decades of writing grants before that), I’m now creating something revolutionary: a practical guide for using AI to enhance your fiction writing without losing your unique voice. My upcoming book, Get Unstuck: Using AI to Overcome Fiction Writer’s Block, will provide a complete roadmap. But I don’t want you to wait until the book is done—so I’m launching this newsletter to help you now.
I'm excited to introduce The Writer's AI Companion, a newsletter series that will transform how you write fiction. Every week, you'll receive:
One free post teaching a fundamental AI writing technique
One premium post with advanced strategies and downloadable tools (paid subscribers)
What Makes This Information Different from Other Writing Advice?
Unlike general AI writing advice, this series focuses specifically on fiction writing with the help of AI. You'll learn exactly how to use AI to:
Create deeper characters
Develop stronger plots
Write more engaging scenes
Build richer worlds
Maintain your unique voice
And much more
Each topic is covered in two parts:
1. Free Post: Learn the basic technique with a clear example
2. Paid Post: Master advanced strategies with downloadable tools and templates
Instead of theory, I’ll provide concrete examples from my own writing journey. Let me show you what I mean using a real example from my current project. See Example 1 below.
What AI Can Do (When You Know How to Use It Properly)
<> Break through creative blocks:
When you hit a wall in your writing, AI becomes your on-demand brainstorming partner. Unlike human writing partners who might be unavailable or tired of your questions, AI can examine your story’s problems with you any time of the day or night.
<> Deepen character development:
Creating complex and believable characters requires understanding them from multiple angles—their fears, desires, contradictions, and growth arcs. AI excels at helping you explore these depths through targeted questions and scenarios. You can use AI to develop detailed backstories, understand how past experiences shape current behaviors, and ensure character reactions remain consistent throughout your story.
<> Expand your plotting options:
Plot development often feels like navigating a maze. You know where you want to end up (usually), but getting there can be confusing. AI helps by mapping out multiple potential paths, identifying plot holes, and suggesting unexpected twists that remain true to your story’s premise.
<> Enrich your world-building:
Whether you’re creating a fantasy realm or depicting a historical period, world-building requires attention to countless details. AI can help you develop consistent rules for your world, explore various choices, and ensure your setting feels authentic and lived-in.
<> Strengthen your unique voice:
Contrary to common fears, AI can help strengthen your unique voice rather than dilute it. By analyzing your writing style, AI can help you identify your natural patterns and tendencies, making it easier to maintain consistency throughout your work.
<> Speed up your research:
Research can be one of the most meticulous aspects of writing, especially when dealing with specialized topics. While AI shouldn’t be your only research source [Google is good for research], it can significantly streamline the process by helping you identify key areas to investigate, suggesting specific questions to research further, and providing quick answers to basic questions.
<> Putting It All Together:
The real power of AI comes from how these elements work together. For example, your character development influences your plot choices, affecting your world-building. AI can help you manage these interconnections, ensuring your story remains cohesive and compelling throughout. The key is learning to use AI as a tool that enhances your natural creativity rather than replaces it.
And AI can help you do so much more.
Who Is This Newsletter For?
This series is perfect for fiction writers who:
Want to write better and faster
Need help developing ideas
Feel stuck in their current project
Want to maintain consistency in their writing
Seek practical, actionable techniques, etc.
What To Expect From This Newsletter
A Free Post (Every Tuesday):
One clear writing technique with AI prompt
Step-by-step instructions
Tips and tricks
A real-world example you can modify to use with your stories
Immediate results
A Paid Post (Every Thursday):
Advanced AI strategies
Multiple techniques
Multiple examples and prompts
Downloadable summary, prompts, and worksheet
Over the next months, I’ll show you step-by-step techniques for:
Using AI as a brainstorming partner, writing coach, content creator, accountability partner, and more
Developing complex, believable characters
Plotting your way out of any corner
Using AI to help you get unstuck during any part of your writing project
Creating rich, immersive settings
Teaching AI to understand your writing style
Maintaining consistency in long manuscripts
Editing and polishing your work
And so on
Who Will Benefit Most?
This newsletter is for fiction writers who:
Feel stuck on current projects
Want to write more efficiently
Need fresh creative approaches
Seek practical writing solutions
Want to maintain their unique voice while leveraging new tools
Whether you’re tech-savvy or tech-nervous, I’ll guide you through every step in plain English. No coding, no complex jargon – just practical tools for writing better and faster.
Ready to Transform Your Writing Process?
Here are your next steps:
[1] Subscribe below to receive The Writer’s AI Companion delivered straight to your inbox. In the next post, we’ll dive into how to sign up for the AI tool you’ll need.
[2] Choose your subscription level:
Free: Weekly fundamental techniques every Tuesday
Paid: Advanced strategies + premium tools ($8/month or $80/year) two newsletters per week.
[3] Visit our Table of Contents page to see the complete learning path
Don’t let another writing session end in frustration. Join me, and let’s explore how AI can help you write better, faster, and more confidently than ever before.
Do you have a specific writing challenge you’d like me to address? Drop a comment below. I read and respond to every comment, and your input will help shape future newsletters.
Stay creative,
Elaine
P.S. Do you know another writer who’s struggling with blocks? Please share this newsletter with them. Writing may be solitary, but building a supportive community makes all of us stronger.
P.P.S. Feel free to email me at Elaine@TheWrittenLink.com. Please put “Companion” in the subject line.
EXAMPLE 1: Getting help showing my character’s motivations
Here is an example where I use AI as a brainstorming partner:
I was in the middle of writing a romance novel, and it was time to go deeper into my main character’s motives for what she does and how she acts. I already had an idea or two, but I was curious about what ideas Claude AI would come up with. I made no hint about what ideas I already had. I just fed him (Claude AI) a general statement to see what he would give back.
MY PROMPT:
Claude, in the romance novel I’m currently writing, the main character must go through a character arc. At the beginning of the novel, she is 27 years old but has always lived her life to please others. By the end of the novel, she has determined that it is time to live life on her own terms, no matter what other people think. Please give me several suggestions for why she might have lived her first 27 years trying to please other people.
[After I hit enter, the little orange star moves as Claude is “thinking.”]
CLAUDE’S ANSWER:
“Here are several possible reasons why your main character might have spent her first 27 years trying to please others:
1. Overachieving parents: She grew up with high-achieving, demanding parents who always pushed her to excel, making her feel that their love and approval were conditional on her success.
2. Middle child syndrome: As a middle child, she might have felt overlooked and developed a people-pleasing personality to gain attention and validation.
3. Childhood trauma: A traumatic event in her youth (like the loss of a sibling or parent) may have led her to believe that keeping everyone happy would prevent further loss or pain.
4. Cultural expectations: She could come from a culture or community that highly values conformity and collective harmony over individual desires.
5. Anxious attachment style: Due to inconsistent parenting or early relationships, she might have developed an anxious attachment style, constantly seeking approval to feel secure.
6. Early relationship betrayal: A significant betrayal in her teens (like a cheating boyfriend) could have led her to believe that she needs to be “perfect” to be loved.
7. Imposter syndrome: Despite her achievements, she might feel like a fraud, constantly trying to prove her worth to others.
8. Inherited behavior: She might have learned this behavior from a people-pleasing parent, seeing it as the normal way to navigate relationships.
9. Bullying experience: Past bullying could have made her overly concerned with others’ opinions, trying to avoid conflict or criticism at all costs.
10. Perfectionism: A deep-seated fear of failure might drive her to seek constant validation from others.
11. Codependency: She might have grown up in a household with addiction or mental health issues, developing codependent tendencies to maintain peace.
12. Religious or moral upbringing: A strict religious or moral upbringing might have instilled in her a sense of duty to others above herself.
Any of these reasons, or a combination of them, could provide a rich backstory for your character and explain her initial people-pleasing tendencies. This background would make her journey towards self-actualization and living life on her own terms more compelling and satisfying for readers.”
----.
As you can see, Claude gave 12 reasons why my main character could be such a people pleaser. I had already thought of #1 Overachieving parents. In my story, they are very strong-willed, and my main character has no idea how to win an argument with them.
And as related to #2 Middle child syndrome, I had already introduced a sibling who is rebellious and causes disharmony in the family. My main character wants to avoid this.
But I hadn’t thought of #5 Anxiety attachment. I could easily weave this idea into my story. She could please her parents and boss in order to feel secure.
And #7 Imposter syndrome was a new idea to me. She could please people because she didn’t feel as smart or as capable as her overachieving parents and boss. Therefore, she does what she is told in order to gain their praise.
There are other gems in this AI list that could help me flesh out my main character to make her actions more realistic. I don’t want my readers saying, “What’s wrong with that young woman? Why doesn’t she just stand up for herself?” Instead, I show the readers why her background causes her to struggle so mightily to stand on her own two feet and be the person she knows she is meant to be.
It took me months to learn how to “talk” to Claude to get the answers I needed.
Using Claude AI as a brainstorming partner is just one way to make the most of this incredible tool. And let me emphasize that AI is a tool that enhances our creativity. It is not a replacement for our unique voices and visions as writers. Even after we teach AI our writing style, we must still tweak the output to flow in a way that seems right to us.
Subscribe for free to learn more. For the best learning experience, read the posts in numerical order.
© Elaine Foster, The Writer’s AI Companion. Share freely with attribution.