What "Storytelling" Means in the Age of AI Writing
Most writers get these 3 steps wrong.
Last weekend, I lost a ton of sleep because of a Netflix show called “All of Us Are Dead.”
If you’re a fan of zombie thrillers, you should check it out. If you’ve already seen it, please lay off my back — I know it’s been around for years now. Yes, I’ve been missing half my life the whole time. Sue me.
Anyway, the Netflix series is an intoxicating mix of sci-fi themes, social critique, and teenage drama.
But the best part of it was how believable it all was.
And no, not in the scientific “proof” of how probable a zombie virus is, which many zombie movies tend to overemphasize. They kinda glossed over that, which I’m very thankful for. No, it was because of how the characters acted.
The characters acted logically, if emotional and fearful, every step of the way.
You see yourself in their shoes. You can feel what they feel. You see how their mind weighs a moral dilemma. You question whether or not you’d do the same things they did.
In short, it’s good storytelling.
And herein lies a lesson for all of us: good storytelling is not about you, but the audience.
The Biggest Storytelling Pitfall
Most writers treat storytelling as a diary entry.
They believe being “authentic” and “real” sets them apart from AI and everyone else. This mindset assumes that a personal story is inherently valuable just because it’s personal.
It’s not.
AI can mimic any story you tell about yourself. It can craft heartwarming, dramatic, or even quirky narratives at the press of a button.
If your focus is solely on expressing your life and thoughts, AI can replicate that. Very easily. Go on, ask AI to give you an “authentic story” about something. You’d be amazed — spinning yarns like that is exactly what AI is meant to do.
But perhaps the most important thing is that stories like these fail to connect with readers.
Here’s the hard truth: nobody cares about your story.
Assuming people do is egoistic writing—perating under the assumption that just because you’ve written something, it deserves attention. However, your readers don’t owe you their time. Readers are selfish, they want to maximize the value of every second they spend reading.
As they should. You see, readers are giving you parts of their lives they can’t take back. They have a right to be selfish. They have more to read, people to talk to, and lives to live.
Your Story is Merely A Vessel
So, what makes a good story?
Instead of being valuable in its own right, your story is valuable because of what it gives the readers.
Your story is a vessel that delivers value.
Think back to the best books you’ve read or the best movies you’ve watched. Why did you like them so much?
Last week, that was the Korean Netflix series All of Us Are Dead, a series about high school students surviving a zombie apocalypse.
Looking further back, it’s this series called Dungeon Crawler Carl, a book series that follows Carl, a human player living in a world turned into an MMORPG “dungeon.” And yes, it’s as wacky and out-of-this-world as you think.
The common thread between them is how they transport me, the reader, into the book’s world, and make me see myself as the main character. Like they were created for me alone.
What about your writing?
Whatever value you want to create is up to you. Whatever story you tell is up to you — as long as the readers see themselves in it. See their challenges and hopes and aspirations reflected in your words. That’s a good story.
This is what creates compelling storytelling — because AI can’t do this by itself. Why?
Because this requires different levels of thought processes:
Understand yourself
Understand your audience
Draw hidden but meaningful parallels
Think in abstract ways to engage the senses, emotion, etc
Balance your authentic expression with your audience’s needs
This is something AI can’t copy. Go ahead and try. At best, AI can spin you a good tale, but it can’t replicate how you connect with your audience.
3 Steps to Write “Unpromptable Stories”
So, how do you write stories that AI can’t steal?
✅ Find the story itself. This can be from personal experience, learnings, or even hypothetical. It doesn’t have to be anything special — just very, very relevant. Also, ensure it has three basic parts: the beginning, middle, and end.
✅ Draw the value your audience will get. The core of your story. This requires you to know your audiences, what they want, and how they want to get it. Everything must revolve around this.
✅ Add the engaging elements. These are the accouterments that make your story eye-catching and worth reading to the end. This is your imagery, figures of speech, writing style, etc.
Broadly speaking, these three steps are how to capture unpromptable stories. Stories that AI can’t replicate. (Yes, it seems sparse, but don’t worry — I plan to hash this out more in my next emails.)
Then, it’s simply a matter of finding ways to insert it into your broader theme.
Final Thoughts
From the dawn of time, ancient humans have been telling stories around a campfire.
Stories are critical to the human experience. It’s how we understand the world — and thus, it makes for powerful writing. Or, powerful writing makes stories.
But just because stories are essential doesn’t mean every story will do. Not all tales are created equal. The best stories are those that your readers can see themselves in. They’re the ones that endure.
So, how about you, what’s your story?
James, as someone “learning to write” on SubStack to help and teach others, etc., I found your article very educational. I plan on printing it out and following these guidelines to storytelling.
It made me think of the times that our ancestors sat around the fire telling stories, and passing information around and down to each generation. I think I was born in the wrong era.