by Lisa Norman

Four years ago, I wrote a post listing five reasons why AI could never replace human editors. I’d heard some publishers talking about replacing editorial staff, and I was furious. Stepped up on my soap box and complained.

Since then, AI has gotten stronger, faster, and more than a little overconfident. It can generate beautiful prose, fix dangling modifiers, and churn out whole chapters on command. I’ve learned to work with it as a tool for productivity, letting it help with early passes and busywork so I can focus more on the creative parts I love. I actually enjoy vibe writing with a trained AI companion.

But no matter how shiny the technology gets, one truth hasn’t changed: a skilled human editor brings something AI can’t.

Here’s my updated list for 2025, now even longer, of why tech still can’t replace a good editor and why I don’t think it ever will.

1. Right can be wrong

I once read a scene from a book where the same character entered the same room twice, both times sitting down on the same sofa. It wasn’t a repeated page. The second instance was very different from the first. The author had just forgotten that they’d already brought the character in. Every word was spelled correctly. The grammar was flawless. And yet, the scene made no sense.

AI might have flagged a typo, but it wouldn’t have caught that moment of déjà vu. An editor sees it immediately because they’re holding the story in their head, watching the thread weave through every moment.

2. Wrong can be right

One of the fastest ways to flatten a story is to “fix” what wasn’t broken. A fragment for impact. An odd turn of phrase that reveals character. Repetition used like a drumbeat to drive a point home at just the right crisis moment.

AI can be taught to leave these alone. But it’s not reading for effect. It’s not using those techniques for power or tension. It’s reading for conformity or stylistic patterns. A human editor understands that voice matters more than rules, and that sometimes breaking the rules is exactly what makes a story sing.

3. Content can be missing

Years ago, I gave my editor a scene I thought was vivid. She said, “I can’t see it. Where are we?” I realized I’d been seeing the image in my head, but never put it on the page. She could tell it was supposed to be important, something was supposed to be there. And she cared enough to help me track down the missing bits.

An AI might suggest, “Add description here,” but it doesn’t know if that detail fits the mood, the pacing, or the character’s emotional state. An editor will guide you toward what belongs in that moment.

4. Right may not be good enough

Some scenes need more than correctness; they need power.

For instance, AI can tidy up grammar and even expand a scene if prompted. But it can’t feel when a turning point lands flat, or when the ending doesn’t deliver the emotional release the story has been building toward. A great editor will push you to take it further, to dig into the rawness and risk that transforms “good enough” into unforgettable.

5. Writing gets messy

Stories aren’t built in straight lines. One moment we’re trapped in a corner, the next we’re staring at a loose thread, and before we know it, a scene has grown so heavy it collapses under its own weight.

AI can suggest fixes, but it doesn’t know the emotional logic or subtext behind your choices. An editor will talk you through the mess, ask the questions that matter, and help you find the clean path forward. A good editor will care as much for a story as the author does and will help find a path that works for the story you meant to tell.

6. AI bias and genre mismatch

AI learns from massive datasets, but those datasets lean toward the familiar. That can mean “helpful” suggestions that actually pull your work away from your genre’s expectations and tropes.

A human editor who knows your genre will protect its nuances: the rhythms of a cozy mystery, the stakes of a thriller, the lyricism of fantasy. Instead of sanding them down into something generic, a skilled editor will help you make your work uniquely yours.

7. Ethical and cultural nuance

Sensitivity is more than word choice. It’s about context, history, and impact. AI might catch certain flagged terms, but it won’t stop to ask whether a character’s portrayal could hurt the readers you most want to reach.

A talented editor can. They’ll spot the moment where an unintended implication slips in and causes harm, and even better, they can help you address it without losing the heart of your story.

8. Voice development, not just preservation

AI can mimic your style. If you’ve worked with it long enough, it can help you maintain consistency. Sometimes it can even help you grow, but in predictable ways, showing you techniques that are powerful but not showing you how to make them your own.

An editor will challenge you to deepen your voice, to stretch in new directions, to polish what’s uniquely yours. They don’t just hold the line; they push you to do better.

9. Emotional resilience and accountability

A human editor knows the struggles an author is going through. When you have a good relationship with a talented editor, they’ll notice when you’re starting to falter. They’ll remind you why this story matters, celebrate with you when a stubborn scene finally works, and nudge you to keep going when you want to walk away.

AI doesn’t care. It doesn’t notice when your confidence falters or when you’ve been staring at the same sentence for an hour. It may mimic empathy, but it can’t really understand what you need in a moment of crisis.

10. Editors notice AI “tells” and know when to call them out

Every tool writers use leaves a smudge of ink on the page. AI is no different. It might lean too hard on certain turns of phrase, produce paragraphs of suspiciously even lengths, or fill a page with words that sound polished but say almost nothing. It will use an em dash every chance it gets. And while it can learn to sound like you and write like you, there will still be moments when its voice interrupts yours.

Real editors see these tells. They can hand a page back to you and say, “This doesn’t sound like you.” The right editor will restore your voice.

The heart of humanity

AI is powerful. I use it for brainstorming, outlining, research, even drafting. I value what it can do and I growl when an update changes it. But an AI doesn’t care about you or your story. It doesn’t notice the small nuances that make a reader lean in. It doesn’t hold you accountable to the best version of your work.

As an indie publisher, I’ve worked with many editors. Some good, some bad. If you’ve only worked with a mediocre one, you might think an AI could do better, and you might even be right. But the real magic happens when you find a skilled, professional editor who understands your vision and challenges you to meet it. My favorite editor is a self-proclaimed “Grammarwitch” with skills that exceed mere mortals.

A good editor is rare and precious. They see the book you’re trying to write and become a vital partner in the adventure.

What about you? Have you worked with both AI and human editors? What differences have you noticed in the way they shape your work?

About Lisa

Lisa Norman's passion has been writing since she could hold a pencil. While that is a cliché, she is unique in that her first novel was written on gum wrappers. As a young woman, she learned to program and discovered she has a talent for helping people and computers learn to work together and play nice. When she's not playing with her daughter, writing, or designing for the web, she can be found wandering the local beaches.

Lisa writes as Deleyna Marr and is the owner of No Stress Writing Academy. She also runs Heart Ally Books, LLC, an indie publishing firm.

Interested in learning more from Lisa? Sign up for her newsletter or check out her school, No Stress Writing Academy, where she teaches social media, organization, technical skills, and marketing for authors!

Top image by Deleyna via Midjourney.

by Becca Puglisi

Writing in multiple viewpoints is a great way to explore a story from more than one angle, but it creates problems if readers can’t tell who’s talking. You don’t want them feeling lost or disconnected from the story. So whether you're writing a dual point-of-view romance, a family saga, or a thriller with alternating perspectives, here are six tips for being clear about who’s speaking.

Who Should Narrate?

Before we tackle how to differentiate narrators, there’s a key question you need to ask: who should narrate each scene? It’s an important decision because each narrator will tell the story differently. As an example, just think about the first Harry Potter story being written from Hermione’s viewpoint, or Ron’s. Or Snape’s. Each viewpoint would change the story dramatically.

So when you’re deciding who should be in charge of a given scene, ask yourself: which character has the most at stake? Who will be most emotionally impacted by the scene’s events? Which character can provide new or unexpected insight into what’s happening?

If you’ve planned your story beats or outlined major turning points in advance, look closely at the key emotional shifts in those moments. The character who’s experiencing a big change, is being challenged, is experiencing the most emotional turmoil, or has a choice to make will often make the most compelling narrator.

One at a Time!

Once you've chosen a narrator for a scene, stick with that character’s point of view until the scene or chapter ends. Head-hopping—jumping between characters' thoughts in quick succession—can confuse readers and pull them out of the story. To maintain clear transitions, wait for a scene or chapter break to change narrators. This keeps the focus on one character’s experience throughout the scene so readers can stick close to them.

Give Each Narrator a Distinct Voice

When the narrator changes, readers should be able to tell.

A character’s voice is a reflection of who they are, so each one should sound different. A teenaged girl with a rebellious streak won’t think, process events, speak, or notice things like a retired detective who’s seen too much. Factors like age, personality, regional influences, education level, and emotional range will influence each character’s word choices, speech patterns, and tone. Once you know these things about your character, you can write their scenes in their voice, and readers will begin to recognize it.

This is especially important when you’re writing in first person because there are no proper nouns to remind the reader who’s talking. If narrators sound too similar, readers will have to puzzle out who’s speaking. Whatever point of view you choose, make sure each character is narrating in their own particular style. You can find more tips on nailing a character’s voice here.

Alternate Between Viewpoints or Tenses

For a dual narrative, consider using a different tense or viewpoint for each narrator. So, one speaks in past tense, and the other talks in present. Or one speaks from the first-person point of view and the other is in third person. Each viewpoint and tense has a slightly different flow and sound, so readers will pick up on the pattern, and it will be easier for them to identify who’s talking.

The trick here is consistency. It's easy to forget which tense or viewpoint belongs to each character, so you must pay close attention to avoid mistakes that will impact the reader’s engagement in the story.

Use the Chapter Title

A simple hack that works well is to indicate who’s speaking in the chapter title. When a new chapter starts, it says Jennifer. Chapter Two is Matteo, and so on. Authors often use this technique when they’re writing parallel stories in different time periods; the principle is the same, and it’s an easy way to provide clarity when you’re writing from multiple viewpoints.

Study the Masters

One of the best ways to write a story in multiple viewpoints is to study authors who do it well. Find stories with distinctly different narrators that you—the reader—could easily tell apart so you always knew who was talking. Analyze them to see what tips or tricks the author used. Find character voice exercises online and practice developing each narrator’s unique style and perspective. With a little study and a lot of practice, their individual voices will become natural and easy to write.

Multiple-viewpoint stories are a bit more complicated than those told by a single character. But when they’re written well, the payoff is often a richer story with more depth that explores themes, events, and relationships from varying perspectives. With some background work into who your characters are, thoughtful decision making around who gets the spotlight, and consistency, it will be clear who’s narrating. And readers will stay grounded in the story, no matter whose head they’re in.

Have you written a multi-viewpoint story? What has your experience been?

About Becca

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and other resources for writers. Her books have sold over 1 million copies and are available in multiple languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online resource for authors that's home to the Character Builder and Storyteller's Roadmap tools.

Featured image from Pixabay.

by Jenny Hansen

Most of us live in a world that’s always connected. Our screens light up, our feeds refresh, our attention splinters. We have online friends all over the world. And yet. . .current research shows that most people feel lonelier than ever. Like significantly more lonely, especially for the younger crowd.

While the social isolation of the pandemic didn't help, the percentage of people reporting that they are "extremely lonely" hasn't significantly decreased in the time since. The reason for this surprised me.

One of the significant drivers of loneliness. . .

Technology. Research is finding solid evidence that loneliness is correlated to technology. The article I linked to above reports that in January 2025: 

• Digital device addiction is at an all-time high. 56% of respondents consider themselves addicted to their digital devices. 
• Fifty-seven percent of U.S. adults surveyed agree that technological advancements have contributed to increased feelings of loneliness. Whereas just 10% disagree (the remaining 33% are neutral). 
• Devices are a form of escapism for many Americans. 52% of respondents say they’re at least somewhat dependent on technology as a form of escapism from everyday life.

So why do stories matter?

We're writers. We absolutely believe stories are essential. But let's zoom out from us to the people who don't have fiction in their daily lives. What could stories be doing for them?

In the cacophony of today's world, stories are stillness. They slow us down enough to listen. To ourselves, to others, to what it means to be human.

Stories remind us who we are.

They connect us, calm us, and give us language for chaos. Especially for avid readers, stories aren't (just) decoration for the soul, they’re an important structure that keeps that soul standing strong.

As writers, that makes our work profoundly important.

Let me tell you a story about a very uncomfortable car ride.

Backstory: From my earliest memory, I've always been obsessed with books. And I hang out with a lot of other writers, so I didn't really understand that there was anything unusual about my reading habits.

Fast-forward to 2012, and I'm in a car going to a holiday lunch with three of my favorite ladies from work: an accountant, the HR director, and one of the admins. My HR friend brought up a great book that she'd read, and we started talking about it. The accountant chimed in that she'd read four times as many books that year as she did the year before.

I was so excited for her, and super-excited for me, thinking I'd met an insane book-lover like myself. My daughter was a toddler, so my own reading had been cut in half. I expressed that lack and how much it bummed me out. And that's when things went downhill.

The Accountant: "How many books did you read this year, Jen?"

Me: "Probably between a hundred and a hundred and fifty. I wouldn't trade my baby girl, but I miss my old 'Bed Days.' I'd bring two or three books and a bunch of snacks to bed and read all day long. Those were the best! How many books did you read this year?"

And there was dead silence in the car. Weird silence. The kind of silence that tells you that crazy just landed and everyone's trying to decide what to do with it.

Finally, the accountant said, "Four. I read four books this year. And I was super proud of that five minutes ago!"

It was the first time I'd ever been mortified about reading. Mostly I was mortified about embarrassing her. But under it all, I was so sad for her. She'd read one book the year before. ONE. I'd have had a mental breakdown.

How does anyone handle life-ing without great stories?

I didn't really understand how much stories help humans cope until I read Lisa Cron's Wired for Story. I highly recommend it for anyone, but especially for writers. You can read her Writers in the Storm posts here.

3 Reasons Why Readers NEED Stories

Most writers don’t just read for plot. We read to feel something true. We read to travel to different worlds and meet new friends. We read to light up our brains and feel more alive. In doing so, many of us quietly repair pieces inside ourselves.

But what about readers? What are they gaining from reading fiction?

1. Stories Build Empathy

Reading fiction strengthens our ability to understand others’ emotions and perspectives. As stated above, this goes for readers and writers.

Research shows that when we follow a character’s inner life, our brain lights up in the same regions used for real-world empathy. In a separate 2022 study, researchers found that fiction readers consistently perform better on emotional recognition and perspective-taking tasks.

In other words, when a reader enters a great story, they practice being another person. That rehearsal of empathy is a muscle that gets tuned up with reading fiction.

2. Stories Help Us Process Emotion

Stories give readers a safe place to experience big emotions. Feelings like grief, rage, fear, and love can all be felt without risk. When we project our own worries or hopes onto fictional characters, we can confront feelings we might avoid in real life. Stories provide a mental rehearsal for courage and healing.

That's no coincidence. Humans have always learned through story.

3. Stories Offer Calm

Clinical research on bibliotherapy (aka that cool word meaning "reading as therapy") shows that stories reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms and foster emotional resilience. Stories remind us that even pain has an arc and that every ending carries the seed of meaning. And it explains why so many readers love the "happily ever after" of romance.

3 Reasons Why Writers Need Stories Too

If readers heal through stories, writers create the medicine. And the cool thing about writing is that same medicine cures us too.

1. Writing Restores Meaning

Writers make chaos make sense.

When life feels scattered, writing allows us to create something that makes sense out of an idea or event that made no sense to us. In his book, Opening Up, psychologist James Pennebaker shares his research showing that "even short bursts of expressive writing can reduce stress, strengthen immune function, and boost mental well-being."

When we shape emotion into words, we stop being victims of our stories and become authors of them.

2. Writing Reconnects Us

Writing connects our inner world with the outer one. Each word you write becomes part of a larger conversation about what it means to be alive. Somewhere, someday, someone will read it and think their generation's equivalent of, "OMG, me too."

That moment of recognition is like building a bridge over a fragmented world. Bridges matter, and so does your story.

3. Writing Creates Flow

When we lose ourselves in creation (what psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi called flow) our brain chemistry shifts. Dopamine rises. Our cortisol level drops. Our inner critic quiets. Flow is the mind’s most natural meditation.

Writing is a vital act of service.

Writers map the emotional terrains others are often afraid to cross. We go first. We name what hurts and what heals. When readers see themselves reflected in our words, they rediscover their own capacity to endure. And they maintain their belief in hope.

Every short story, blog post, or scene that helps someone breathe easier or feel less alone exemplifies humanity being healed in real time.

I hope you put some version of this on your writing wall:

• Creativity isn’t self-indulgence.
  It’s self-preservation.
• When the world feels fragmented,
  stories put us back together.
• When life feels meaningless,
  stories help reframe it.
• When we can’t speak what we feel,
  our stories can whisper it for us.

I truly believe stories can save humanity one word at a time.

Final Thoughts

If you ever doubt the worth of what you’re doing, remember just a few things.

Every story you finish makes the world a little less lonely. And every time you let a character reveal something true, you remind someone else that being human is still a story worth living.

Keep going. Your words matter. They always have.

Now it's your turn. What does reading and/or writing do for you? (They might be different things!) Have you noticed any emotional difference between the people in your life who read fiction and those who don't? Does it change your own emotional set when you don't take time to read?

About Jenny

By day, Jenny Hansen provides brand storytelling, LinkedIn coaching, and copywriting for accountants and financial services firms. 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.

All photos created in Canva Premium.

Source List:

I read widely for this article, with a lot of journals and research that I'll be happy to share if you like to geek out on things like I do. But an article someone sent me from the Free Press on Substack about an author named David Foster Wallace is what started me down the rabbit hole. In the mid 1990s, he predicted that technology addiction would destroy us. He predicted all that screen time would make people far less connected and far more depressed. And just think, he made this prediction before social media!