The one thing AI can't do for you
Hey there!
Everyone’s obsessed with AI prompts.
But I’ve been teaching writers to use AI for over two years now, and the writers getting the best results with AI are the ones who show up with something to say before they even open ChatGPT or Claude.
Which means the real bottleneck isn’t the perfect prompt.
It’s what you’re bringing to the conversation.
So over the next few emails, I’m going to show you how to develop the one skill that makes AI 10x more useful: the art of fresh thinking.
But first, let’s talk about why most writers get this wrong.
You can’t prompt your way out of stinkin’ thinkin’
People are lazy thinkers by default.
It’s not your fault. Everyone wants a shortcut. And if you can prompt a robot and get a good result, then why not, right?
The problem is people go hunting for the golden goose prompt that will do everything for them. They download prompt libraries. They subscribe to prompt newsletters (like this one). They think if they just find the perfect template, AI will write amazing content for them.
But this is a fool’s errand.
Because no prompt—no matter how well-engineered—can make up for the fact that you haven’t clarified what you actually want to say. You’re asking AI to do the thinking for you.
And that’s not how it works.
AI can’t do your thinking for you
If you handed a blank notebook to a great ghostwriter and said “write something about remote cohosting Airbnbs,” they’d ask you twenty questions first.
Who’s your target audience?
What’s the problem you’re helping them solve?
What’s your point-of-view on the topic?
What examples can you share?
And so on.
AI is no different.
Except it doesn’t ask you those questions, it just executes whatever instructions you give it. If you show up with vague thinking, you’ll get vague outputs. But if you show up with clear thinking, AI becomes a powerful amplifier. It helps you generate better ideas and write faster.
But you need to bring the thinking.
This is the difference between writers who get results with AI (some making $10K+/month from AI-assisted content) and writers who don’t.
Why learn the art of fresh thinking
Without fresh thinking, you’re just another voice saying the same thing as 10,000 other writers.
Fresh thinking generates frameworks, mental models, and perspectives that are yours. This becomes IP you can package into courses, newsletters, books, and consulting services. It’s the difference between being a commodity writer who competes on price versus a category-of-one expert who commands premium rates.
Your original thinking is your moat.
People don’t follow writers for information (they can get that anywhere). They follow writers for interpretation.
And without fresh thinking, you’re stuck playing the content creation hamster wheel—more volume, same thinking, diminishing returns.
So, how do you think like a writer?
That’s the real question, isn’t it?
Which is why over the next several days, I’m going to show you exactly how to do this.
We’ll cover
The 3-second audience test that prevents you from writing generic content (most writers skip this and wonder why AI gives them vanilla outputs)
How to notice things other people ignore (this observation skill alone can 10X your ideas—and it’s completely trainable)
The 7 questions that move people to action (master these and you’ll never stare at a blank page again)
How to use AI to pressure test your thinking (not replace it—this is where most people get it backwards)
How to create obvious and non-obvious content (the difference between reflexive and reflective thinking)
And more
By the time we’re done, you’ll never again stare at ChatGPT wondering “why does this output sound so bland?” You’ll know exactly how to think through your ideas first—so when you hit generate, you get content you’d actually want to publish.
Chat soon,
—Dickie & Cole
Co-Founders of Ship 30 For 30
Co-Founders of Premium Ghostwriting Academy
Co-Founders of Typeshare
Co-Founders of Write With AI
PS…Want a head start before tomorrow?
Most people will read this and wait for tomorrow.
But if you want to feel the difference right now, pick a topic you write about, then give this prompt a try:
I write about [your topic] for [audience].
Most advice in this space says [common advice].
But I’ve noticed [something different or contradictory].
Help me think through:
1. Why might the common advice be incomplete?
2. What’s my observation revealing that others are missing?
3. What could I say differently based on what I’ve noticed?
See what happens when you feed AI an observation instead of just asking for tips.
That’s the shift we’re making over the next few days.
More tomorrow.
Thank you, Cole and Dickie!!!
I just used this prompt but just answering the questions was clarifying. Merci!