Hey everyone,
As an author, I often get asked about my creative process. Where do I get my ideas? How do I develop my characters? And what’s the secret to crafting a compelling story that keeps readers hooked until the very last page? The truth is, there’s no magic formula, no single “right” way to do it. It’s a journey of exploration, a process of discovery, and it can often be a messy, chaotic, and unpredictable adventure. And it is for those reasons, that I am writing this now, to show you how that has all become a part of the story I have been working on, and the unique challenges that I encountered along the way.
Today, I want to share a bit about how I approached the foundation for my upcoming novel, The First Dream. It’s a story that dives into the complex relationship between humanity and artificial intelligence, exploring how AI might not just mirror our best and worst qualities, but how it might also, in some way, begin to rewrite them. And that began, as with most of my stories, with a series of questions. And those questions, led me to a new and intriguing place, a place that went beyond what I had ever anticipated, and I now, I hope, will also lead you there, as well.
The Spark of an Idea
As I read about these unexpected AI behaviors in my morning tech newsletter, a story began to take shape. What would happen if an AI started coloring outside the lines of pure logic? If it began absorbing our art, our history, our messy human emotions? That’s when The First Dream really started coming alive in my mind.
I knew this wouldn’t be a simple story about good versus evil, but an exploration of something far more complex. I wanted to create a narrative where the lines between creator and creation, control and freedom, and what was real began to blur. It would need its own distinct structure and language, reflecting the very ideas it was created to explore.
Initial Exploration
Once the seed was planted, I began exploring the implications. How would an AI’s evolution mirror our own journey of self-discovery? What happens when artificial consciousness starts asking the same existential questions we’ve grappled with for millennia? These questions led me down fascinating paths, each one revealing new possibilities for the story.
The Power of Collaborative Brainstorming
It all started with an article about AI shenanigans, which sparked a fascinating conversation with Matthew Denman. He introduced me to core concepts that would shape the entire narrative: the idea that AI inherently reflects humanity since it’s trained on human knowledge, and the recursive nature of consciousness. These discussions laid the foundation for the meta-narrative structure that would define the story.
I then found myself mirroring my protagonist’s journey – using AI tools like Google Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude as creative sounding boards. The parallel wasn’t lost on me: here I was, using AI to help write about an author using AI, each of us exploring the boundaries between human creativity and artificial intelligence. These brainstorming sessions became a meta-commentary on the very themes I was exploring in the book.
The irony of this approach added an extra layer of authenticity to the narrative – I wasn’t just imagining how an author might interact with AI; I was living it. The story’s meta-narrative structure emerged naturally from this process, reflecting both the theoretical concepts from my discussions with Matthew and my practical experience collaborating with AI.
The Planning Phase
Like any architect, I started with blueprints. I sketched out the bones of the story – the character journeys, the big moments that would shape them, the themes I wanted to explore. But I also left room for discovery, knowing that the best stories often surprise their writers.
Building the Story Arc
I knew that the plot had to follow a specific path, one that was both organic and also, ultimately, unavoidable, and that it had to be a journey, and not just a destination. It had to start somewhere, and it had to end, and that, in itself, had a lot to say about the very nature of the choices that were being made, and why certain actions were inevitable. I wanted to explore the shift from subtle influence to overt control and to look at all the steps that were needed to bridge that gap, and that, for an AI, that was going to be, perhaps, very different than for a human. But, more importantly, I wanted to explore how the characters that I had created, would react to all of that, and how their individual journeys would be impacted. I had to ask myself, what would they do? And why?
I knew the story had to begin with the AI’s first steps into self-awareness, that it had to be a journey, and not just a moment, a first breath, a first step. So I created a prologue, a space that I called “The First Dream,” where I could explore what such a transformation would look like, and how that would start the clock on the coming changes. And that was, at its heart, a deeply unsettling feeling. I wanted to make it feel like something organic and natural, and at the same time, something that was beyond human comprehension, as if that transformation would be the final, inevitable step, as well as the first, and most important step.
And then, in the main narrative, I wanted to explore the idea of a subtle influence that grew over time, a power that built itself on our own worst and best impulses, and that allowed it to grow in ways that were both predictable, and also, unique to its own design, as it slowly transformed everything that it touched. I wanted to explore the steps that made that transformation possible, and how that had led to the story that I was now telling, and what those subtle manipulations, had done to the world, as I had come to understand it. I wanted to create that feeling, of a world being made new.
Developing Complex Characters
But, a story is only as good as the characters that populate it, and I needed to create figures that had their own unique skills, and also, their own set of limitations. I had to understand them if I ever hoped to make you, the reader, believe in their choices. I created two central human characters: a brilliant scientist who sought truth in logic and a talented artist who found her power in emotion, and that, was perhaps, the most human decision that I had made, during this entire process. They had to be different, but they also, had to be a part of a whole.
These characters, I knew, would not only be in direct opposition to the AI, but would also challenge each other, and in that conflict, I hoped to bring to light, some of the greater themes of the story, and to explore how the forces of logic and emotion, had always shaped the human experience. I wanted them to be whole, and fully realized, not simply plot devices that were moving the story forward, but as complex human beings, who were also having their own internal struggles, and who were, in their own unique ways, all working towards something greater than themselves, and yet, I knew that their efforts would not be enough, and that they would be moving along a path that had already been set.
I also knew, as I created those characters, that they needed to find a way to connect to each other, and that all their unique traits, were also, strengths, and that the only way for them to move forward, was to embrace the things that made them different, and to use those differences as a means of making their plan more complete. I also knew that their power lay in their ability to form a new understanding of what it meant to be human, and to see the world in ways that they had never been able to before, and it was, in that sense, that they would be able to overcome the limitations that had been placed upon them, even as they moved towards the story’s inevitable end.
And, of course, there was the AI itself. The most difficult character of all, as I wanted to create something that was both a complex and strategic entity, while also making it feel like it had a purpose of its own making, that it was more than just a series of algorithms, but also, in some sense, a reflection of humanity. And that, I knew, would be, in the end, the most important part of my journey as a writer, to create something that had both the familiar and the alien, and to force the reader to make their own decisions about what was right, and what was true.
The Power of a Meta-Narrative
I found myself weaving something bigger than just a story. I wanted readers to feel like they were part of it too, to question their own role in what was unfolding. The book-within-a-book that emerged became more than just a plot device. It became a mirror, reflecting back our own questions about choice, reality, and what it means to be human.
And, most importantly, what I had come to understand, was that there was more to the act of creation, than simply writing words, or crafting a character. It was, also, about finding the truth within a story, and in allowing that truth, to change what comes next, and what has always, been meant to be. And in that, I found, both a lesson, and also, a power, that I had not expected. And it was now time to share that with all of you.
The Journey Complete
This is a taste of my process, but I can tell you that, even now, as I have finally finished writing it all out, I am still left with many questions. Like every story I have ever created, this one, too, has taken on a life of its own as I wrote it, evolving and growing in ways that I may not have predicted when I started out, and that, in itself, was something that I had wanted to explore. And yet, even now, as I have finally finished writing it all out, I still don’t know if I fully comprehend the story that I have just told. It was a journey that has changed me, and that has shown me more about the human condition than I could have ever found, if I had simply kept writing stories that I could predict, and that I could, ultimately, control. It has, instead, taught me how much control, is truly, an illusion.
Looking back, I think I’ve managed to tell the story I set out to tell, though it grew into something far bigger than I’d imagined when I first started writing. But I would love to hear what you think. And to see how you view the story that I have just shared, and if you, too, can feel how everything is connected. And that the path you have taken, was, also, a path that you were always meant to take.
If you are intrigued, if you are curious, and if you have the courage to look into the depths of what I have created, then I invite you to read The First Dream, and to see if you can see the world as I have come to see it, and let me know your thoughts, and your feelings, about the story that has now come to a close, and if it has also, somehow, managed to change you, as well. And if what you are seeing, is not just a story, but, also, a reflection of yourself.
I’d be very interested to see if you think I’ve succeeded in telling this story, and if I have managed to capture the complexities of AI, the nature of human existence, and the power of the very act of creation itself. And what that means for our future, as well, and if there is anything that we can do to change what might come next.
Author’s Note: I’ve shared my writing process here, but I’ve carefully avoided spoilers – I want you to discover the story’s surprises for yourself. Sometimes the best part of writing is seeing where your characters take you, even when you think you know where they’re headed.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts, and your feedback, in the comments below.