How Custom GPTs Can Become Your Secret Weapon in Writing Unforgettable Novels
First Steps to Using AI in Your Writing Process (Without Losing Your Creative Voice).
Hey AI novelist,
Have you ever experienced that frustration of sitting at your desk, staring at a blank page, trying to nail down the perfect story idea, but nothing quite clicks?
You’ve got all these fragments of ideas floating around, but nothing that makes you go, Yes, that’s it!
Yeah, I’ve been there too. But…
What if you didn’t have to sit there alone, banging your head against the keyboard? What if you had a tool—a sort of brainstorming buddy—that’s always ready to help you turn those half-baked ideas into something readers won’t forget?
Let me introduce you to Custom GPTs.
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I know, it sounds all super techy and weird, but stick with me.
Think of a Custom GPT as a super-eager writing assistant that’s designed to work with your specific voice, your brand, your ideas, and your readers.
But Coach Dana… What if I don’t have readers yet? I got you too. Stick with me. 😉
It’s like having someone in your corner but without awkward meetings. Trust me, once you see how this works, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start using it sooner.
My Journey with Custom GPTs: From Skeptic to Believer
Okay, confession time.
When I first heard about Custom GPTs, I wasn’t exactly jumping up and down with excitement. It felt like something that was probably more trouble than it was worth, or worse, something that would take all the creativity out of my writing.
I’m not the writer obsessed with making the model sounds just like me. So, I kept it pushing.
Then one day, while doing some niche research I decided to give it a shot, and—wow—I finally understood the hype.
This will be a series of posts over the coming weeks. Today, I want to share some of my favorite use cases for Custom GPTs. But first, let me give you my low-tech, super-simple explanation of what a Custom GPT is.
What is a Custom GPT?
A Custom GPT is like having a super-smart writing buddy who's always ready to brainstorm with you. It's an AI tool that's tailored specifically to your writing style, your brand, and your creative process.
Imagine having an assistant who knows your work inside and out, can help you develop ideas, and even understands what your readers love about your stories.
Unlike a generic AI, a Custom GPT is tailored to work with your unique voice and goals. This is because you provide the knowledge base—including examples of your writing, niche research, and brand goals—allowing it to understand and align with your specific needs.
You feed it your information and then let the model do its thang.
I started by asking myself a couple of simple questions:
What do I want this thing to do for me?
How can it actually help my writing process?
For me, I needed to do two big things:
Understand what my readers love about my stories. Like, really understand. I had a pretty good idea, but I wanted to dig deeper and make sure I wasn’t missing something important.
Build a stronger, more cohesive brand. I mean, I’ve got ideas for days, but they were all over the place. I needed to nail down what my books are about and how they align with my brand so I could create series that feel more intentional, more me.
Maybe your goals are a little different—maybe you're stuck in the middle of a plot or trying to make a character arc work. Or maybe you’re just overwhelmed with all the moving pieces that come with writing a novel.
Whatever the case, a Custom GPT can help with that too.
Creating Custom GPTs is a benefit of using the paid version. There are ways to simulate the same or similar process. It’s not as good, in my opinion. But I’ll share alternatives in the next installment of this series. ✍🏾
Let’s Talk Brainstorming: Your New Best Friend
Have you ever been halfway through a book and thought, Ugh, where do I go from here?
Or maybe you’ve hit a wall before you’ve even started writing. Here’s where a Custom GPT can really shine. It’s like having a brainstorming session, but without the awkward silence when neither of you has an idea.
You throw out some basic ideas or themes, and it starts giving you options—lots of them.
For example, I once asked my GPT to give me story ideas around a few specific themes: redemption, forbidden love, and multicultural relationships. It generated ideas that sparked so much inspiration.
I didn’t use every single idea it gave me, but I suddenly had this whole new well of concepts to pull from.
Here’s how you can use a Custom GPT to brainstorm:
Generate story prompts: Feed it a broad idea like, “What if two rivals in the workplace slowly fall in love?” and watch as it spits out fresh takes on that theme.
Expand on tropes: If you love the enemies-to-lovers trope but want to find a new angle, the GPT can give you creative ways to twist the idea.
Develop character backstories: You can ask the GPT to create complex characters with layers of backstory, helping you flesh out your next lead.
The GPT won’t replace your creativity, but it will give you more tools to play with, helping to push your ideas further.
Get Clear on Your Brand (Because Readers Need to Know Who You Are)
One thing I’ve learned—especially as a romance writer—is that readers don’t just fall in love with your stories.
They fall in love with you—your voice, your vibe, your unique way of telling a story. And that means your brand needs to be consistent.
If you’re like me, though, that’s easier said than done.
I write across several distinct niches, and sometimes my brain gets a bit muddled trying to keep them all straight. 🥴
Enter the Custom GPT.
When I started working with my GPT, I had it analyze my work, my style, my niche and the themes I kept coming back to. My GPT helped me zero in on what makes my stories unique and how to lean into that.
Here’s how Custom GPT can help you with branding:
Analyze your writing: Have it break down your stories and give you feedback on what readers are likely loving.
Refine your messaging: Use the GPT to help you draft an author bio or brand statement that perfectly captures your style.
Stay consistent: Once you've nailed down your brand, you'll start seeing how your stories connect and how to market them better.
Now, I leverage my custom brand information to amplify my ideas, novels, and marketing strategies. And you can too.
Your Secret Weapon: Exceeding Reader Expectations
Readers want to be swept away, but they also want consistency.
When they pick up one of your books, they’re looking for a certain experience. Your job is to deliver that, and a Custom GPT can be a powerful tool in making sure you exceed their expectations every single time.
Here’s what you can do with your GPT to keep readers happy:
Compile feedback and reviews: Ask the GPT to analyze reader feedback so you can see patterns—what they love and what could be improved.
Create dynamic characters and plots: Feed it a rough idea, and let the GPT build out complex character arcs or detailed plotlines.
Refine your writing process: The GPT can help you organize, brainstorm, and refine your ideas faster and more efficiently than going it alone.
Once you start using a Custom GPT, it’s like having a writing assistant who’s always ready to help with a new idea or feedback, whether it’s organizing reader input or helping you brainstorm your next big idea.
What’s Next
All right, my AI writing friend, this is just the beginning.
We’ll explore each of these use cases, and I’ll provide examples and demonstrations throughout this series.
In our next conversation, we’ll focus on how to set up and create a Custom GPT for writing. We’ll personalize it to fit your writing style and goals. I’ll show you step-by-step how to get started and what you can do to make it your perfect writing assistant.
And it will be easy peasy. Even for us non-techies.
I'm looking forward to hearing from you, and I’ll see you next week with more ideas, inspiration, and AI writing tips.
Happy Writing,
Coach Dana
AI Novelist Takeaways
Custom GPTs help you brainstorm and get unstuck. No more staring at a blank page or feeling lost in the middle of a story. Your GPT is there to generate fresh ideas, expand on your tropes, or help you dive deeper into character development.
You can use a Custom GPT to analyze reader feedback and refine your brand. Let the GPT give you insight into what readers are really resonating with, and then use that to create a stronger connection with your audience. Your stories become not only more entertaining but also more aligned with your brand.
A Custom GPT is like having a super-powered writing assistant. It won’t replace your creativity, but it will amplify it. From outlining plots to drafting character backstories, GPT can keep you moving toward that next addictive novel.
Question for You:
What’s one task in your writing process that you wish an AI assistant could help you with? And do you currently use Custom GPTs in your process? If yes, how so?
I’d love to hear your thoughts—drop a comment below!
I would love help with brainstorming when I'm stuck. When I reach - what I call - the slog.
I absolutely love working with my AI. I use it for pretty much everything, analyzing market trends, plotting, world building, character development, chapter by chapter, outlines summary, and detailed, creating a four act novel, adding sensory details, writing my novel, reviewing my novel, blurb writing, blurb reviewing, author bio, newsletters. I’m sure I left something out but I think you get the idea. What I haven’t done I love that you have mentioned is analyzing reviews, learning more about what my readers expectations are. I know I have a certain writing style. I know I need to be more consistent about the heat level. I’m providing this is some thing I’m working on.