“Your lead should give readers something to care about before it gives them dry background information”

These days, everyone can write, especially in the age of AI. It becomes increasingly easier for people to craft something that could generate viewership which eventually leads to some type of monetary value. This is why, while I was reading this book 100 ways to improve ‘your’ writing by Gary Provost, that was intended for freelancers, especially freelance writers and the likes, I was wondering of its relevance. I had a few questions in mind especially when it comes to the implication of AI that becomes increasingly acceptable to be used in our life.

First, why should we upgrade our knowledge when AI can do what writers do faster?

Secondly, why should we, as a writer, care about this type of book in this day and age?

After flipping through its pages and researching more about Gary Provost, I realized that what he said isn’t some type of bollocks. While he passed away in the 90’s there is still some relevancy of what he’s saying in the book. As the first few pages start off smoothly with the basics of writing, he touches on the writer’s block and how to overcome it. In this book, he gives a clear example between bad vs good writing and how we can refine the ideas that we’re writing.

While even in the age of AI, to become a prompter, it is necessary to have these basic knowledge on how to write. These basics can help fine tune the prompt to give an exact and more elaborate style. For example, there are many images created by Dall-E with a certain prompt that could mimic the style of big names animators. Without a good grasp of writing, this could have been impossible.
Though this type of book might lose its relevance in the future, I think as a seasoned writer and beginners should not hesitate to upgrade our writing knowledge. I learned from this book that I still struggle in using active voice rather than passive voice. Gary mentioned in the book that ‘ it holds the reader closer to what you write because it creates a stronger sense that “something is happening.

Another thing that I find quite intriguing from the book is also “ how to make people like what you write”. In this section Gary lays out a few approaches that help readers sympathize with our writing. He writes “In order to write successfully, you don’t have to become a great writer. But you do have to make yourself likable.” This is different from AI’s approach where it feels lifeless and void of humanity. It’s another reason that if you’re serious about writing, you have to check out this book. As much as he also writes about how to make people like our writing, he also has a section that advises what to avoid in writing.

What I personally enjoyed towards the end of the book is the section on how to edit our work. There’s a part where some questions are laid to see if our writing is actually ready to be published out there. That gives the perfect ending to this book and it’s like a smooth landing from an aircraft. While some of its information is quite outdated, there are parts that still have relevance even in the age of AI writers. Finally, another takeaway is that,giving life into writing that is not devoid of humanity which could help people relate and read our writings.