5 October 2025

How to Write Your Book with AI—Without Losing Your Mind or Voice

You want to write a book. You even sort of know what it’s about. But then… paralysis.

You know AI could help you write—but without a clear method, things can get messy fast. One minute I’m chatting with ChatGPT or Claude, the next I’m pasting half-baked ideas into a dozen documents. Without structure, even good ideas scatter. And when everything feels disorganized, your book stops feeling like a creative pursuit—and starts feeling like a chore you’re avoiding.

Here’s the exact process I use to write a book, from “vague idea” to “refined manuscript.” I borrow the method from the tool I use, Wababai, but the process can also work with ChatGPT and Word or Google Docs.

Step 1: From Chaos to Clarity

Pre-writing is the most undervalued part of crafting a book. ChatGPT is a great companion to brainstorming your ideas. Most people prompt AI for answers, but it’s more powerful when ChatGPT actually prompts me to write.

So I kick things off by opening Wababai’s integrated IdeaChat. It starts prompting me about my book—asking questions that actually help, like a therapist but for your plot.

These prompts organize the wild mess in my head and shape it into a coherent book idea or concept. Brain dump → brainstorm → clear book concept.

Step 2: Outlining: The Backbone of Sanity

Before starting any book you need to have clarity on 3 essential questions. The brainstorming in Step seeks to find clear answers to:

  • WHAT is the book about?
  • WHO is it for?
  • WHY does it matter?

Once you have those answers—Wababai can help you extract them automatically from your idea chat— it is time to generate an outline. Wababai auto-generates an outline with chapters and sections. I can tweak it, restructure it, or rewrite it entirely, but now I’m no longer staring into the void.

Pro tip: I define my voice early in the process. That way, any future AI suggestions or edits will sound like me—not like a grammar robot who drinks decaf.

Step 3: Drafting: One Section at a Time

From the outline, I tackle each section bit by bit. Wababai helps me write, edit, and refine—without judgment and without breaking my flow.

The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is momentum. (Perfection comes later, after caffeine and mild panic, when it’s time to revise the first draft).

Step 4: AI-Powered Refinement

Once I finish the full draft, I run a rubric-based assessment inside Wababai. It gives clear feedback on structure, clarity, tone, and more—without sending me into a spiral of self-doubt.

Now I know what’s strong, what needs love, and what should be fed to the wolves.

Step 5: Revise without losing Control

I go through as many iterations as needed—but I stay in control. The AI doesn’t rewrite me; it just helps me move faster and cleaner.

It’s like having an editor or a writing coach who never sleeps or judges your overuse of em-dashes.

Can You Do This in ChatGPT? Yup.

While I use Wababai for everything in one place, you can recreate this whole workflow in ChatGPT. Just ask it to generate prompts for each stage:

  • Brainstorming your concept
  • Defining your writing style
  • Creating a book outline—using your concept and style as inputs
  • Drafting chapters—from the outline you crafted
  • Giving feedback based on a rubric
  • Helping you rewrite while preserving your tone

Bottom line: You don’t need a team of ghostwriters or a six-month writing retreat. You just need a good process, a little AI, and a lot of caffeine.

Now go finish that book. The world’s not going to read your Google Doc drafts.