The Joy Factor: How to Use AI Without Losing What You Love About Writing

Why protecting your creative happiness is more important than following anyone else's AI rules

Kevin McLaughlin almost quit writing.

This successful author with 108 published novels, someone who'd been writing professionally for over a decade, was ready to walk away from the career he'd built. Not because of market changes or burnout or any of the usual suspects that drive authors to retirement.

He was ready to quit because AI was stealing his joy.

In an interview on our Brave New Bookshelf podcast, Kevin shared his story of experimenting with AI for drafting, only to discover that it was shortening the part of writing he loved most (creating the initial draft) while adding mountains of revision work — the part he enjoyed least.

"I hit the point last summer where I almost quit writing. I almost just gave it up. I almost just stopped. And I was like, this isn't fun. So if I have to use the tool in this way, then I'm gonna quit because it's just not fun for me anymore."

But here's the beautiful part: Kevin didn't quit. Instead, he made a revolutionary decision. He chose joy over pressure, happiness over productivity metrics, and his own creative fulfillment over what anyone else thought he "should" be doing with AI.

The False Choice We've Been Sold

Somewhere along the way, we've been sold a false narrative about AI and creativity. The extremes dominate the conversation:

• One side screams: "AI is theft! If you use it at all, you're not a real author!"

• The other side insists: "You must use AI for everything or you'll be left behind!"

Both sides are wrong.

The real answer lies in a question most authors have never been asked: What brings you joy in the writing process?

Not what's most productive. Not what's most efficient. Not what will make you the most money or get you the most praise or avoid the most criticism.

What makes you happy?

Rediscovering Your Creative Joy

Kevin's solution was brilliant in its simplicity. He kept the drafting for himself — the part that made him excited to sit down at his computer every day. But he let AI handle transcription when he dictated, brainstorming when he needed fresh ideas, and image creation for his covers.

He even returned to handwriting in notebooks, using AI to transcribe his work later. "Everything old is new again," he told us, describing how he could now leave his computer and phone at home, sit somewhere beautiful with just a pen and paper, and write without distractions.

This isn't about rejecting AI. It's about being intentional with it.

My Own Joy Revolution

I've had to make similar choices. I've always hated writing first drafts. Always. It's been a painful, dreaded part of my process since the very beginning. But I love story development, working with AI to flesh out details, connecting dots, creating compelling narratives that make readers invested in the characters.

And I absolutely love editing. Taking all the pieces and making them shine, polishing until the story gleams — that's where I find my creative bliss.

So why would I force myself to suffer through first drafts when AI can handle that heavy lifting? Why would I let anyone else's opinion about "real" writing make me miserable during the part of my job that used to drain my creative energy?

I chose joy. And my writing career has never been better.

The Balance Between Joy and Productivity

I see authors struggling with two extremes:

1. Maximum productivity, minimum joy — Using AI for everything, cranking out content, but feeling disconnected from their creative work.

2. Maximum joy, no finished projects — Protecting their creative process so fiercely that they never actually complete anything.

The sweet spot is somewhere in the middle, and it's different for everyone.

Kevin chose joy over pure productivity when he decided to keep drafting for himself, even though AI assistance might have been faster. I chose productivity for first drafts because that's where I was stuck and miserable.

Finding your balance requires experimentation. Try different approaches. Pay attention to how you feel during and after different parts of your process. Adjust accordingly.

Finding Your Pain Points and Joy Points

Most authors instinctively know what brings them joy in the writing process, but they've been trained to ignore it in favor of what they think they "should" be doing.

Here's what I tell authors: Identify your pain points — the parts of the process that are most annoying and aggravating. Then let AI handle the majority of the work in those areas.

Some examples I've seen:

• The author who loves plotting but hates description now uses AI to flesh out scene details while keeping all the plot development for themselves.

• The author who adores character development but struggles with pacing uses AI to help structure scenes while diving deep into character work personally.

• The author who enjoys dialogue but finds action scenes tedious collaborates with AI on fight scenes while writing every conversation by hand.

There's no right or wrong way to divide this work. The only rule is to protect your joy.

The Suffering Myth Needs to Die

Let's crush this toxic idea once and for all: You are not supposed to suffer for your art.

The notion that you have to practically open your veins and bleed onto the page for your work to be any good is romantic nonsense that's keeping authors miserable. If writing is your full-time job, why are you making yourself miserable doing it?

Think about it this way: If you had a friend who was constantly miserable at their job, you'd tell them to quit or find a different approach. You wouldn't tell them that suffering was necessary for success.

I want my writing career to be a total joy. I can still write stories that people love and enjoy every moment of the process. I don't need to suffer, and neither do you.

Escaping the Outrage Culture

One of the biggest threats to creative joy right now is the constant outrage surrounding AI. Social media is flooded with hot takes, virtue signaling, and performative anger designed to get clicks and engagement.

"AI is theft!" "AI was trained on stolen work!" "If you use AI, you're complicit!"

Here's what I've learned: This noise exists primarily on social media, and you can choose not to engage with it.

I've largely stepped away from the outrage cycle. I stopped engaging with controversial AI posts on Facebook. I only spend time in specialty groups focused on constructive discussion. I've drastically reduced my social media consumption and instead spend that time reading and enjoying puzzle games.

I'm all about the joy now. I will not play into the outrage anymore.

The Permission You Don't Need (But I'm Giving You Anyway)

Many authors feel guilty about using AI at all. They worry that using AI assistance means they don't "own" their stories anymore, or that they're somehow cheating.

Let me be clear: AI is a tool. It doesn't do anything on its own without your direction. All it's doing is assisting you, the author. You don't feel guilty about using spell check or grammar tools or writing prompts or any of the other countless tools that help you craft better stories.

You don't need anyone's permission to use AI exactly how you want to use it. Not mine, not your critique partner's, not some stranger ranting on social media about "real" authorship.

You also don't need permission to NOT use AI for everything. Despite what some productivity gurus might tell you, you don't have to maximize every possible efficiency. You don't have to use AI for every task just because it exists.

Your Creative Future is in Your Hands

The beautiful truth about AI and creativity is that you get to choose how to use it. Not the productivity gurus, not the outrage merchants, not the gatekeepers who want to tell you what "real" authorship looks like.

You get to decide:

• Which parts of your process bring you joy and deserve protection

• Which parts cause you stress and could benefit from AI assistance

• How to balance efficiency with creative fulfillment

• What tools serve your creative vision and which ones don't

Kevin almost quit writing because he thought he had to use AI in a way that made him miserable. The breakthrough came when he realized he could use it exactly how he wanted — or not at all.

Your breakthrough will come when you give yourself the same permission.

The Joy-Centered Approach

Here's what I want you to try:

1. Identify your joy points — What parts of writing make you excited to sit down at your computer?

2. Identify your pain points — What parts make you procrastinate or feel drained?

3. Protect the joy — Keep those parts for yourself, regardless of what anyone else says about efficiency.

4. Experiment with assistance — Try using AI for the parts that drain your energy.

5. Ignore the noise — Social media outrage is not your creative compass.

6. Remember why you started — You became a writer because you love stories, not because you love suffering.

The technology will keep evolving. The outrage will keep cycling. But your creative joy? That's precious and irreplaceable.

Kevin found his joy in drafting and kept it for himself. I found mine in story development and editing, and handed off the parts that made me miserable. Your joy configuration will be different from both of ours, and that's exactly as it should be.

The future of creative work isn't about humans versus machines. It's about humans using machines to amplify the parts of creativity that bring them the most fulfillment.

Choose joy. Protect what matters. And ignore anyone who tells you that suffering is required for great art.

---

What brings you the most joy in your writing process? And what parts would you be happy to hand off to AI assistance? Share your thoughts in the comments below. I'd love to hear about your own joy-centered approach to writing. Learn more about Kevin McLaughlin and listen to his interview on Brave New Bookshelf.