If you wish to be a writer, respect it as a craft. Learn to regret the losses you have accrued by throwing away growth for sake of expediency.
Read a book about writing, think about writers whose writing touched you, discover the voice you want to have, the people you want to reach. Human connection is the point.
Hand edit a piece until you are satisfied, then run your default AI loop on the original. Observe with clear eyes what was lost in the process. What it missed that you discovered in the process of thinking deeply about your own thoughts.
You’re right, and that’s fantastic advice for anyone serious about the craft of writing. For me, it’s always been more about the message and story than the craft itself. I’m not aiming to be the next Hemingway, I just want to share experiences in whatever format I can.
That said, I do love writing. I still have boxes of old fiction drafts from before the internet was even a thing. For me, it’s the story that matters most. If dependingly heavily on AI early on came across as the wrong approach, I apologize. I’ve learned from it, and I’m working to improve. You’re absolutely right that time and words should be cherished.
It's not like you depend on the AI to craft your apologies for depending on the AI, or anything. You can quit any time you want!
I think it would improve your writing if you go off at tangents, use weird idioms, prefer obscure references to cliches, attempt implausible feats of lateral thinking, and yell at people and call them wrong. This may also make you unpopular, but that's a detail.
What if that’s not me? I guess I’ll need to practice my “F- this s#!” reps and work my way up.