Writers in the Storm

By Edie Melson

Getting blog posts found has always been a struggle and has evolved through black-hat keywording, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and now we have to content with Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) also sometimes called Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). Both of these last two—GEO and AEO—deal specifically with how to get our sites found through an  Artificial Intelligence (AI) search. For years I’ve been known as an SEO expert. Now, the majority of queries for information come through an AI program. So—in a lot of ways—it feels like we’re back to square one. Optimizing for AI may feel like stepping into an entirely new country, but it’s not.

We’re going to go through the process comparing SEO to AI, but the biggest takeaway from this chapter needs to be how to optimize your site for AI.

SEO Optimization

I used to explain SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and how to use keywords effectively by using an imaginary businessman. His name is Joe, and he’s a plumber.

He’s a smart business owner and began his company back in the early 1990s. He named his business, ABC Plumbing. He chose carefully because with that name, he had a good chance of being the first listing in the phone directory under plumbers. That was thirty years ago and that ad in the telephone directory kept him supplied with customers, in addition to making him visible around the community. But as time went by, fewer people looked in the telephone directory when they needed a plumber. Instead they looked online.

Well, Joe is a with-it sort of guy, and he had a website built in the early 2000s. It wasn’t fancy, but it did the job, just like the old ad in the directory. Actually the two looked a lot alike. But even with that, Joe’s traffic and customer base diminished. This decline was because when someone searched on the Internet for a plumber in his area, his website didn’t come up first. In fact, it didn’t come up until page three of the search.

Information on the Internet isn’t categorized alphabetically.

After some research, Joe found he needed to add some information to his site to come up higher in the search engine. That was when Joe came face-to-face with the new acronym SEO. Search Engine Optimization became his key to getting the name out about his business. So he started a blog and began tweaking the information on his site. But all this digital work began to eat into the time he spent running the plumbing side of the business.

At this point, the light bulb came on. Joe realized he was a plumber, not a writer. And this is where we come in. We can provide valuable services to businesses small and large. We can do what we do best—write—while allowing them to get on with business.

All good stuff, but does any of this have anything to do with AI optimization?

AI Optimization

Absolutely, to discover how to use AEO, let’s go back and look at Joe the plumber. Joe did everything right. He learned SEO. He added keywords. He started a blog. His website finally began showing up in search results. But then something changed. Instead of typing, “plumber near me,” people started asking questions like:

• “Why is my sink backing up?”
• “What causes low water pressure?”
• “How do I fix a leaking pipe under my sink?”

And instead of clicking through ten different websites, they began reading a single answer—right at the top of the page. Sometimes they didn’t even click a link at all.

That’s because AI stepped in. Search engines are no longer just finding information.
They’re interpreting it, summarizing it, and presenting it directly to the reader. And that means we, as writers, need to adjust how we present and organize the information we’re sharing.

So, in a nutshell, optimizing for AI is the process of writing content that is easy for artificial intelligence tools to:

• Understand
• Summarize
• Quote
• Recommend

Think of it this way: SEO helps your content get found. AI optimization helps your content get chosen. That’s a critically important distinction. Now, instead of competing for a click, we’re competing to be the source of the answer.

How AI “Reads” Your Content

Unlike early search engines that relied heavily on keywords, AI tools read more like people do.

They look for:

• Clear meaning
• Context
• Structure
• Authority
• Relevance

They’re asking:

• Does this answer the question clearly?
• Is this trustworthy?
• Is this easy to understand?

And here’s the good news, as writers, this plays directly into our strengths.

The Foundation of AI-Friendly Writing

We don’t need to be a tech expert to write for AI visibility. We simply write more intentionally.

Here are the core principles:

1. Write to Answer Real Questions. Remember Joe’s customers? Their main search isn’t to find a plumber, it’s to find an answer to specific plumbing questions. Then, if the answer is too technical they will search for the plumber. Your readers are doing the same thing. Instead of writing broad topics like Blogging Tips. We write to answer the question, “How do I start a blog that people actually read?” Further more, the more your title and content match the way people naturally ask questions, the more likely AI will use your content as an answer.
2. Be Clear More Than Clever. Just like with SEO, clever titles can hurt discoverability in an AI search. AI tools don’t interpret humor, puns, or vague language well. For example:
3. When Words Won’t Come (clever—but unclear)
4. How to Overcome Writer’s Block and Start Writing Again (clear and searchable)

You can still be creative—but clarity must come first.

• Structure Your Content for Easy Understanding. AI favors content that is easy to scan and organize. So we follow these tips:
• Use headings and subheadings
• Break content into short paragraphs
• Use bullet points and numbered lists
• Keep sentences focused and readable

If a human reader can quickly find the answer, AI can too.

• Lead with the Answer. This is one of the biggest shifts.Don’t make readers (or AI) dig for your point.Instead of building slowly to your answer, give it early. For example:
• Question: How do I stay focused when writing?
  Answer: The most effective way to stay focused when writing is to practice single-tasking—eliminating distractions and giving your full attention to one project at a time.

Then expand from there. This increases the likelihood your content will be quoted or summarized.

• Write with Authority and Authenticity. AI doesn’t just look for information—it looks for credible information. That means:
• Speak from experience
• Be specific
• Avoid fluff
• Provide meaningful insight

You don’t have to sound academic—but you do need to sound trustworthy.

I’ve been blogging on The Write Conversation since December of 2008. I've watched blogging evolve in every way I thought possible—and then AI (Artificial Intelligence) came on the scene. At first I was hesitant—using AI felt like cheating. However, I've come to realize I can use it just like I would a virtual assistant. It can help with the repetitive drudgery and with brain storming. Like any new tool, AI can be used to help us or hurt us. Learning about Artificial Intelligence is the best way to evaluate where it will help your blogging efforts. 

Are you changing the way you write your blog posts to make them more AI-friendly? Why or why not?

Edie’s updated bio:

Edie uses the truths God has taught her as an author, photographer, and blogger to encourage others. As a sought-after speaker, she’s empowered and challenged audiences across the country and around the world. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands and has been on the Writer’s Digest Top 101 Sites for Writers since 2017.

As a blogging expert, she’s worked with clients who range from authors and speakers to business and ministry leaders. Her award-winning book for writers has been re-released as Blogging for Today’s Writers 2^nd Edition. She’s also the executive director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and board member of the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association.

Connect with her on her website, www.EdieMelson.com and through social media.

Header image from deposit photo

by Rhea Dionne

First let’s get a definition:  What is Found Family?

It is the phenomenon where a group of people come to love each other like family, even through (and because) they aren't biologically related. The LGBTQ+ community in particular tends to favor this trope because it allows them to escape overbearing or harmful biological family.

Found families can be found in real-life as well, as close friend groups may feel closer to each other than to biological family.

Found Family is also known as Families of Choice.

The "Found Family" or “Family of Choice” trope refers to a device in literature and media where a group of characters find themselves united in a family-bond based on shared experiences, mutual understanding, and interpersonal connection. These arrangements often bring familial love they may have otherwise missed into their lives. Rather than the blood ties that may dictate some biological families, found family stories emphasize the connections and communities we choose for ourselves.

These narratives are often especially resonant for members of disenfranchised communities, such as those in the LGBTQ+ community, who keenly understand that unconditional love comes in all forms, and so do families.

Some examples of Found Family in fiction:

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is one example that utilizes both the band of misfits and LGBTQ angles to forge together her lovable band of rogues.

Seanan McGuire’s series-all of her book series have characters that protect those who are different and gather other misfits to their side.

A final use of the found family trope is that of a displaced ruler. Sometimes this character may or may not know their royal heritage. The Ash Princess trilogy by Laura Sebastian and Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas are two such examples. However, eventually, they set off to reclaim their birthright, encounter friends and allies along the way who become closer than family.

Now why is it important and how can it enhance your writing style?

Many of us were either different from our families growing up or had families that were not the best to say the least. I had a dysfunctional family, and while I have interests in common with some of my family, we were not close. So my friends became my family, especially as I grew older and have lost the family that I was closest to. Others never had family they were close to so friends have become their family.

Seeing the concept in fiction, in gaming, film and television, gives a model that we can relate to, that allows us to see ourselves reflected back. Just like LGBTQ and POC, it is important to have this representation.

1. Drives Character Development

Found families offer a built-in support system. By pairing characters with opposite backgrounds, you create natural friction. These differences challenge their perspectives and assign them unique social roles within the group.

• The "Cheerleader": A character who lifts up a struggling protagonist.
• The "Mom" or "Dad": A member who acts as the anchor or caretaker.

2. Creates Meaningful Conflict

Unlike traditional families with fixed hierarchies, found families lack a safety net. Members must learn to accept hard feedback, navigate disagreements, and overcome difficult circumstances to stay together. These internal arguments and discomforts push the story forward. When characters reconcile after a fight, their bond feels incredibly strong.

3. Builds High Stakes and Motivation

Nothing forces characters to grow quite like having something to lose. When a protagonist finds people they genuinely love and want to protect, the external stakes (such as saving the world or the city) become deeply personal. This motivates characters to take risks and make sacrifices for one another that they would never make on their own.

4. Resonates Deeply with Readers

Found family stories appeal to a wide range of readers. For individuals with complicated or absent family ties, this trope offers a message of hope—that you can find people who care for you unconditionally. For readers with great families, it demonstrates that you can create your own community and support system as you navigate life.

5. Balances the Tone

Writing a high-stakes adventure or a dark story can be exhausting for readers. Found families provide a natural mechanism for pacing and levity. You can insert moments of comfort, playful bickering, and quiet support between the more intense or dangerous plot points.

Honestly, for me as a writer, Found Family is something that not only resonates with me as a reader but I think makes my writing better. I tend to write characters that fall into the LGBTQIA spectrum and my characters need to forge connections outside the standard family.

When I incorporate the Found Family trope into my writing, I have stronger characters, and it allows me to add secondary characters who have a stake in the action and narrative. It allows me to resonate with readers and give them hope that there are communities that will accept them for who they are.

Beyond adding value to my writing, connecting with readers like myself is the most important aspect to Found Family. I hope you will consider using it in your writing as well.

Have you used the found family trope in your own writing, or do you have a favorite example of it as a reader? Please share it with us down in the comments!

About Rhea Dionne

I’m a native Arizona girl that grew up loving sci fi, fantasy, gaming and comics. Characters started whispering to me in grade school and I’ve been writing ever since, especially lgbtquia characters. I took a winding road which includes movie and book reviews but my fiction includes romantic fantasy and horror. I have a horror story published in the anthology Post Mortems and am putting out a serial, Rekindling, a Gay Romantasy on my Patreon,  www.patreon.com/RheaDionne.

You can find more about what I’m working on at my website, www.rheasdesigns.shop.

Header image from Deposit Photo

by Jenny Hansen

Having recently completed a rigorous scientific investigation into the relationship between writers and holly bushes (over at Writers Helping Writers), I felt obligated to continue my “research.” My snarky writing-self demanded it.

Backstory

For those who missed my Writers Helping Writers post, here’s the scoop:

Holly leaves don't begin life with spikes. They start smooth, and get stabby only after repeated encounters with grazing animals. The plant adapts. It develops defenses. It becomes (in less-than-botanical terms), quite stabby.

The Parallels with Writers Can’t Be Unseen

This holly bush discovery explained so much about writers that I immediately began cataloging the various subspecies. After decades in writing communities, conferences, critique groups, and online forums, I can report that Writer Holly exists in several distinct varieties.

You’ve likely met some of these sub-varieties of “Writer Holly.” (You’ll have to let me know in the comments if you belong to one. I sure do.)

The Critique Group Holly

This variety can hear the phrase "I have a suggestion…" from three blocks away.

Researchers believe their hearing evolved after prolonged exposure to comments such as:

• "The middle feels a bit slow."
• "I wasn't connecting with the protagonist."
• "Have you considered cutting Chapter Eight?"

The remarkable thing about Critique Group Holly is that it voluntarily returns to the very environment that wounded it. Sometimes weekly. (Scientists remain baffled.) It is undetermined whether the repeated stimuli of weekly vs monthly vs quarterly make a difference in the spiky-ness of Critique Group Holly.

More research is needed.

The Query Letter Holly

This sub-species begins life cheerful and optimistic. The ego-chomping nature of querying changes their leaves from smooth to spiky, almost overnight.

After approximately thirty rejections, new spikes appear.

After sixty rejections, their spikes look sharp enough to key a car.

After one hundred rejections, this subspecies can identify a form rejection from the first six words and has developed the prickly protection of a medieval fortress.

Common behaviors include:

• Refreshing email every nine minutes.
• Interpreting silence as an ominous communication strategy.
• Saying things like, "I'm fine," while maintaining a spreadsheet that would impress an auditor.

This variety survives almost entirely on caffeine and spite.

The Conference Holly

Conference Holly appears friendly. But beware of sitting too close during industry panel discussions.

This subspecies has spent hundreds or thousands of dollars to hear publishing professionals answer pressing writer questions with:

• "It depends."
• "The market is changing."
• "Nobody really knows."

Conference Holly develops a fascinating defense mechanism. Ask what they're writing, and they'll immediately launch into a polished pitch they've rehearsed in the shower, in traffic, and while standing in line for coffee.

It should be noted that Conference Holly members are champion queue-ers. They’ll stand patiently in line for coffee, elevators, book signings…and industry chats.

The Amazon Review Holly

One of the most sensitive species in the ecosystem.

Amazon Review Holly can receive ninety-nine glowing reviews and one negative review. Guess which one it remembers? A five-star review is treasured. A one-star review can trigger more spikes than a cactus.

Years later, the writer will still remember: "I couldn't connect with the characters." Meanwhile, they cannot recall where they left their keys ten minutes ago.

Amazon Review Holly memory is an ongoing mystery.

The Goodreads Holly

This species evolved from the Amazon Review Holly, but in a much harsher environment.

Goodreads Holly understands a terrifying truth: Readers are talking about your book even when they aren't talking to you. Their reviews are not intended for the author, and that changes everything.

A Goodreads reviewer might write: "The heroine annoyed me." And fifty-seven strangers will arrive to discuss the heroine as if she were a problematic aunt at a holiday dinner.

Goodreads Holly tells itself: "Reviews are for readers." (Then immediately reads every review.) Goodreads Holly also possesses an extraordinary ability to locate a two-star review hidden among hundreds of positive ratings.

The writer then spends the rest of the afternoon wondering whether the reviewer was right. (Even when the reviewer admits they only read three chapters.)

The Social Media Holly

This subspecies, which did not exist when I started writing, now appears everywhere.

Social Media Holly can spend four hours creating content about writing in order to avoid writing.

Its natural habitat includes:

• Instagram analytics
• Facebook engagement reports
• LinkedIn impressions
• Threads conversations
• Twenty-seven browser tabs explaining algorithms

A common mating call is: "I should really be working on my manuscript." (The manuscript, meanwhile, has not seen its creator in days.)

And finally we come to…

The Veteran Writer Holly

This is the most interesting variety of all.

At first glance, it still appears prickly. The spikes are definitely there. But something changes after enough years of being gnawed on by predators.

Veteran Writer Holly learns the difference between criticism and catastrophe. It learns that one rejection isn't the end. One bad review or disappointing lunch isn't the end.

It learns that most writing wounds are survivable.

More importantly, it has learned that not every deer deserves a response. Veteran Writer Holly has wisdom. And exhaustion. (But mostly wisdom.)

Final Thoughts

What fascinates me most about holly is that the plant itself never changes. Underneath every prickly leaf is the same DNA that existed before the outside world nibbled at it. The spikes are an adaptation, not an identity.

Maybe that's true for writers too.

Beneath the rejection letters, critique comments, conference pitches, Amazon reviews, algorithm panic, imposter syndrome, and emergency chocolate...

...the original writer is still there.

That person who loved stories. Who wanted to make something. The one who sat down one day and thought, “Writing sounds fun.”

That person still lives inside each of us.

Even on the days when we’re exhausted by the rest of it. Even when we’re feeling a bit stabby. We still keep writing, and we still love words. (Which may be the strongest evidence yet that writers are a little bit crazy.)

But at least we're all here, hanging out together in this writing forest.

Cheers, y’all!

So now enquiring minds want to know... Do you belong to one of these various writing subspecies? Perhaps to several? I'd love to hear about it down in the comments!

About Jenny

By day, Jenny Hansen provides brand storytelling, LinkedIn coaching, and copywriting for small businesses. By night, she writes humor, memoir, women’s fiction, and short stories. After 20+ years as a corporate trainer, she’s delighted to sit down while she works.

Find Jenny here at Writers In the Storm, or online on Facebook or Instagram.

Top photo purchased from Depositphotos