A Note on My Writing Process

Over the last few months, many of you have been reading the serialized stories I've been publishing here. It's been one of the most creatively fulfilling stretches of my life — building worlds in real time, following characters into unexpected places, and shaping the writing identity I want to carry into my books.

Because of that, I've been thinking about how I want to show up honestly for the readers who spend time in these worlds.

So I want to talk directly about how I write.

My workflow is a system

I write sprawling science fiction and fantasy — the kind with mythologies, magic systems, parallel worlds, and characters shaped by culture and place. Writing these stories at the pace I do requires a particular workflow: fast, iterative, exploratory. I draft a lot. I cut a lot. I revise endlessly.

Over time, I've built a collection of tools to support that: notebooks, mutating outlines, research spreadsheets, audio notes I record while walking — and yes, AI tools, which I use extensively as part of that larger system.

What that actually looks like

I use AI throughout my process — brainstorming, outlining, and drafting. It's not a shortcut or a replacement for imagination. I use it the way some writers use writing groups or co-authors: as a collaborative surface to think against. A way to test ideas, expand possibilities, discover angles I wouldn't find alone, and accelerate the parts of the process that would otherwise slow me to a crawl.

In practice, that means: stress-testing plot turns, exploring character psychology, producing fast messy drafts that I then rewrite heavily, breaking down scenes, revising with fresh perspective.

But the vision, the decisions, the voice, the themes — the final work — are mine. AI is one tool among many. It's part of my process, not the author of my work.

Why I'm saying this now

I should have mentioned this from the start. I don't believe in secrecy around creative methods, and I don't want to build a readership on false pretenses. This is how I work, and it will continue to be part of my process as I move toward publishing books.

I understand this is controversial. Some of you may decide this isn't for you, and I respect that.

At the end of the day, what matters is the work itself: Do the characters feel alive? Do the worlds feel immersive? Do the stories stay with you? If the answer is yes, then the tools that helped me get there are part of the craft, like any author's tools.

Thank you for reading and for being here at the beginning of this journey.

Comments are open if you have questions about my process, but I'm not here to debate the philosophy or politics of AI. This is simply a window into how I create, for those who are curious.