AI for Basic Writing – From Blank Page Paralysis to Your Personal Editorial Board

AI Over 40 Series – Week 5

How AI gave me the editorial team I always needed but could never afford

For years, I’ve been the guy who said I’d write a book “someday.” Full of stories and hard-won experience, yet unable to get past the blank page. Every time I sat down to write, I’d find an excuse—emails to answer, meetings to prep for, anything to avoid starting.

My career has been one experiment after another: founding ArcherPoint in 2002 with little more than credit cards, going virtual when people said it wouldn’t work, adopting Agile for ERP projects before it was trendy, converting to an ESOP, trying Holacracy, and plenty of failures along the way. I knew these stories could help others. But content alone wasn’t enough to push me past “someday.”

That changed when I discovered what I now call my AI editorial board.

The Outline That Changed Everything

When I asked my AI assistant to create a 52-week plan about my journey from AI skeptic to believer, the first draft was wildly imaginative—complete with fictional experiences. I redirected: “Give me structure for my real stories.”

The revised outline was transformative. Suddenly, I had a scaffold for 52 weeks of writing—topics aligned with my early AI experiments, placeholders for future lessons, and the freedom to adapt along the way.

No more blank page paralysis. I had a path forward.

The Breakthrough: From Cheerleader to Collaborator

With an outline in place, I started writing freely—dumping stories and lessons without worrying about polish. Then I turned to AI for feedback.

At first, the responses were cheerleading: “This is great!” Nice, but not useful. So I asked for something different: constructive criticism. The shift was immediate. Instead of vague encouragement, I received specific edits:

• “Your second paragraph buries the lead—start with the calendar problem.”
• “This section feels rushed—add a concrete example.”
• “Clarify this assumption.”

That was the breakthrough. AI stopped being a cheerleader and became a true collaborator.

The Editorial Board I Could Never Afford

If I were a bestselling author, I could hire a team:

• A content strategist for structure
• An editor for clarity and flow
• A fact-checker
• A writing coach
• A publishing advisor

But with AI, I now have access to all of these for the cost of a monthly subscription. This is the power of AI—it breaks down barriers that once kept professional resources out of reach for everyday people.

Ghostwriter vs. Editorial Board

It’s important to clarify: I don’t want AI as a ghostwriter. I want it as my editorial board.

The difference matters:

• Ghostwriter: AI creates the content, you take credit.
• Editorial board: You create the content, AI helps improve it.

AI isn’t replacing my voice; it’s amplifying it—my experiences, insights, and words—refined with professional-grade support.

Breaking Down Barriers

This shift is bigger than writing. Anyone with ideas—a teacher with a children’s book dream, a small business owner with insights, a retiree with decades of wisdom—can now access editorial support that once required money, fame, or connections.

AI isn’t about doing the work for us. It’s about helping us do our best work.

Your Week 5 Challenge

This week, take one project you’ve been putting off—writing, a podcast, a course, anything—and try this:

1. Identify the project and why you’re stuck.
2. Ask AI to help you start—not to do it for you, but to outline steps.
3. Create a messy first draft.
4. Request constructive feedback, not cheerleading.
5. Iterate and improve.

The key is to stop waiting for “someday” and let AI lower the barriers.

Next Week: We’ll explore how AI can transform your research process—turning you into a professional-grade information synthesizer. But first, go start that project you’ve been putting off. Your AI editorial board is waiting.

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