The Old Way Wasn’t Working

I’ve always been a private blogger. No schedule. No pressure. Just me writing when inspiration strikes.

That used to be enough.

But life has a way of changing the game on you. When kidney issues landed me on dialysis, everything shifted. The energy I once had for longer writing sessions? Gone. The focus needed for those longer posts I loved crafting almost 15 years ago? Scattered.

I’d sit down with brilliant ideas bouncing around in my head. But translating them into coherent, engaging posts felt like pushing a boulder uphill. The gap between what I wanted to say and what I could actually produce became this frustrating chasm.

Writing stopped being joy. It became work.

The Unexpected Journey to AI

My path to AI-assisted writing didn’t start with writing at all.

It began with images. MidJourney caught my attention first - the idea of creating visuals from text descriptions fascinated me. I’m a coder at heart, so the concept of prompt engineering felt natural.

From there, curiosity led me to ChatGPT. Just playing around. Testing limits. Seeing what this AI thing could actually do.

TypingMind entered the picture as a better interface for managing these AI conversations. But the real breakthrough came when I discovered Anthropic’s Claude models. Something about Claude’s responses felt more… human. More collaborative.

That’s when I started thinking: if AI can help with images and casual conversations, maybe it can help with the writing that’s become so challenging.

What AI Actually Does for My Blog

Here’s what people get wrong about AI writing assistance. They think it’s about replacing the writer.

It’s not.

For me, AI bridges the gap between having ideas and having the energy to execute them properly. It’s like having a research assistant, writing partner, and editor all rolled into one - but one who never gets tired when I need to take breaks.

The AI handles the heavy lifting of research. It pulls current facts, finds relevant examples, and organizes information in ways that make sense. When writer’s block hits (and with health challenges, it hits more often), the AI helps me push through by generating different angles or approaches I hadn’t considered.

But here’s the key: I’m still driving the process. Every idea comes from me. Every direction change is my call. The AI just helps me get there without burning through the limited energy I have each day.

Since embracing this approach, I’ve published more than I have in years. Not because I have a schedule to maintain, but because writing is enjoyable again.

Keeping It Real

Let me be crystal clear about something: if a post doesn’t sound like me, it doesn’t get published.

Period.

The AI might help craft sentences or organize thoughts, but every published word has to pass my authenticity test. I work with the AI through multiple iterations, adjusting tone, refining arguments, and polishing until it genuinely feels like something I would write.

This isn’t about tricking readers or taking shortcuts. It’s about having the tools to express my actual thoughts and ideas when my body isn’t cooperating with my creative ambitions.

The iterative process is crucial. I’ll ask for revisions on specific paragraphs, request tone adjustments, or completely redirect sections that don’t feel right. The AI is patient in ways human collaborators might not be - it doesn’t get frustrated when I need the fifth version of the same paragraph.

My Current Workflow

The Setup That Changed Everything

I built my writing process around TypingMind, which lets me create specialized agents with different skills. My “Professional Blog Writer” agent is like having a writing partner who actually knows me.

The agent comes loaded with plugins that do the heavy lifting:

  • Perplexity Search for current research and facts
  • Sequential Thinking for structured outlines
  • Memoryplugin to remember my writing style and preferences
  • TubePlus for YouTube content analysis
  • Firecrawl for web scraping when I need specific sources
  • Image Search for visual inspiration

From Idea to Published Post

My process is surprisingly simple now. I start with just a topic idea or maybe a short summary of what’s bouncing around in my head. Nothing fancy.

The AI immediately pulls up research, creates an outline, and we go back and forth until it feels right. Sometimes that’s two exchanges. Sometimes it’s ten. Depends on the complexity and how clear my initial thoughts were.

Then comes the actual writing. Here’s where the Memory Plugin really shines - it usually nails my writing style on the first or second attempt because it remembers how I like things phrased, my sentence patterns, even my weird quirks.

The Back-and-Forth Dance

When something doesn’t feel right, I’m specific: “Make this section more conversational” or “This paragraph is too formal for my voice.” The AI adjusts, and we keep refining until I hit that moment where I think, “Yes, this sounds like me.”

The whole thing outputs in Markdown, so I just copy-paste into my blogging software. No reformatting headaches.

Why This Works for Me

The energy I used to burn on research and first drafts now goes into the creative refinement. I’m collaborating rather than grinding. And because the AI learns my style over time, each post gets easier to perfect.

Looking Forward

The future of AI-assisted blogging isn’t about replacing writers. It’s about amplifying what they are already good at while compensating for their limitations - whether those are time, energy, health, or simply the occasional creative block.

For bloggers dealing with similar challenges, my advice is simple: start small. Pick one aspect of your writing process that frustrates you most and see if AI can help with that specific piece. Don’t try to revolutionize everything at once.

The key is maintaining control. The AI is a tool, not a replacement. Your voice, your ideas, your standards - those don’t change. What changes is having the support to express them even when life throws curveballs.

I’m more excited about blogging now than I’ve been in years. Not because AI does the work for me, but because it helps me do the work I want to do, even when my body isn’t fully cooperating.

And honestly? That’s made all the difference.

This post was written with the assistance of Claude AI through TypingMind, following my usual collaborative process of research, outlining, drafting, and refinement until it properly captured my voice and experience.