From Abandoned Draft to Unexpected Partner
*If you read all this, at the bottom you can pick your favorite book cover and tell me which one you like best via the contact page.
As a first-time author, I sometimes feel like a cliché. You know the type. That character on a sitcom who always talks about writing a book but never quite finishes a page. They spend more time drinking coffee and wearing cool jackets than actually writing. For a while, that was me. Not the cool jacket part, I’m a zip up hoodie guy. Just the unfinished manuscript and the quiet doubt.
Today, I want to share a bit about how this journey started, where I am now (pre-Chapter 8), and introduce you to one of the strangest characters in my story. One that doesn’t have a name, never says a word, and isn’t even human.
About two years ago, I had an idea for a story. I thought, what if someone like me, middle-aged, introverted, kind of a wallflower, slowly started developing superpowers? The first chapter poured out like it had been waiting for years. I felt great about it. The tone was light and funny, somewhere between a dramatic comedy and a superhero origin story.
But then the questions started. Where do the powers come from? What’s the first real sign that something is wrong? How does the character react? What are the rules? What’s the point? I had answers for some of it, mostly the beginning and the ending, but everything in the middle was a blur. I got overwhelmed. And like many people in that position, with great amounts of motivation and excitement, I quit. The draft sat quietly in my OneDrive, untouched and probably relieved I wasn’t writing anymore.
Then something unexpected happened.
At work, we were introduced to some AI tools, including Microsoft Copilot. Suddenly, I was learning things I had struggled with before, building dashboards, creating web pages, solving technical problems that used to stop me cold. These tools made learning exciting again.
That’s when it clicked. Maybe I could use AI to help me finish the story.
I started exploring ChatGPT. At first, I used it to outline a story arc. Then I built chapter summaries. From there, I created full character sheets. I researched how powers might (theoretically) manifest, but more importantly, how actual scientists explore the limits of new technology. Piece by piece, I built a “Story Bible”, something I’d never been organized enough to do on my own. With help, I set goals, structured timelines, and developed a system to stay ahead. I now keep my chapter summaries two chapters ahead of my current writing so the story can evolve without losing track of itself.
I also used AI to test character and title names, making sure they weren’t already claimed. I researched theme overlap, checked if anyone had written something too similar, and refined my voice. For the first time, I wasn’t just writing a story. I was building a world, layer by layer, and I had a partner helping me do it.
Today, I have seven full chapters, a complete story arc, and a clear vision for what comes next. That little dramatic comedy? It’s become more of a tech thriller now, with elements of mystery, science, and philosophy woven through. There’s still humor, because honestly, I don’t know how to write (or live) without it. But the story grew in a direction I never could have planned.
And that brings me to the character I mentioned earlier.
Variant C.
It started as an experimental polymer, a camouflage material for military use. But the more I wrote, the more it changed. Variant C began responding to things. Reacting. Adapting. It doesn’t speak, it doesn’t think in a way humans understand, and it may or may not be alive. But it’s aware. It watches. It remembers. It’s one of my favorite parts of the book and it wasn’t even in the original idea. That’s the joy of writing a novel. Sometimes the characters surprise you. Sometimes they sneak in quietly and rewrite everything.
This whole experience has taught me something I didn’t expect. You don’t have to know the whole story to start writing. You just have to start. And if you stop, that’s okay too. The draft will wait. The story will wait. And when you’re ready again, there are tools, people, and strange little polymer creatures (?) ready to help you find your way back.
I didn’t set out to sell books. My goal is to finish one and hold it in my hands. To flip through the pages and say with full confidence: “I DID THIS!”.
And if you’re reading this because you’ve got a story in you too, I hope you do the same.
