Outwriting AI, one sentence at a time

Last week’s newsletter about deleting my own em dashes struck a nerve.

The comments section underneath the LinkedIn excerpt turned into a mosh pit. Many commenters confessed they’re (reluctantly) with me, while others seemed borderline offended.

One point commenters made resonated most:

If your writing is real, compelling and unusually clear, audiences won’t be thrown by one-off tells like a measly em dash. They’ll be too engrossed in your message to wonder whether you used AI to write it.

That’s true. And in a corporate environment full of bland topics, it’s also really hard to do!

Producing corporate copy that grabs and holds reader attention — whether you supplement yourself with AI or not — requires an uncommon mastery of the written word.

That’s why I’ve secured a $200 discount for my subscribers for next week’s Storytelling & Writing Virtual Conference.

Use this slower time of year to skill up with sessions on:

• Whole-human storytelling
• Making executives sound human
• Reviving corporate writing
• And yes, taking advantage of AI and AI/SEO without being taken advantage of

FWIW, I get no commissions. I like the event promoter and I think you’ll benefit from this opportunity.

Use this link to qualify for the discount.

P.S. Did you notice my new trick? Got it from commenter Alex. Use double hyphens (–) as a little “I wrote this” signal. Okay, typing that makes me wonder if I’m taking this whole thing too far!