Breaking barriers, embracing truth, and redefining what it means to write in the age of AI

After searching for what my purpose was this whole time, I came to the realisation that purpose does not come from years of planning. Mine came through a single encounter that change the whole trajectory of what I wanted to do and it get so ingrained within you that you cannot ignore it anymore.

I did not find my purpose in a classroom, or through guidance. I found it through meeting one person who ignited something inside of me, that felt like a fire that refused to be flamed down. And that fire became writing.

Since then, I have wanted to be an author. 

An author who creates, who publishes, who leaves behind in the form of words. I wanted to be seen through my writing, understood through my thoughts, and remembered through the emotions I could translate onto a page. Some people are fortunate enough to pursue this kind of career with support, with access, with resources.

Others, like me, do not have those opportunities. The options are limited, the path is unclear, and the support system is almost non-existent.

But even with limitations, giving up never truly becomes an option when you know deep down it is your purpose.

I had to find another way. And my way started so imperfectly but it was still a start.

And then AI became part of that journey.

There is a lot of controversy around AI, especially when it comes to writing. People say it steals writers’ jobs, that it removes authenticity, that it replaces creativity. But I want to say something honestly: no, it doesn’t, not when it is used correctly.

Today, I want to speak openly about how I used AI in my work, and how it can be used ethically, especially for people like me who come from places where resources are limited.

I come from a background where we do not have the luxury to pay for editors, for courses, or for professional tools.

But that does not mean we deceive or misuse what is available to us.

Being a zero-budget author does not mean cutting corners unethically.
It means being transparent and authentically you. 

This is how I wrote Engulfed by His Silence: My Last Limerence.

It started on what seemed like a normal day. I was doing my usual daily tasks, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that suggested something significant was about to happen. And then I saw him. That moment did not feel important at first, but something about it stayed with me. It lingered and repeated itself in my thoughts. And instead of ignoring it, I felt this urge to write about it.

At that time, I was not a professional writer. I only had the idea that one day I wanted to publish a book. But I did not know what kind of book it would be, what it would be about, or what voice I would use. Like many beginners, my first thought was to write something typical, like romance, structured that followed what I had seen before. But it never occurred to me that I could write about something as raw and personal as limerence, which does not fit neatly into traditional storytelling.

Before writing, I was reading. A lot. Platforms like Wattpad played a huge role in that. It was actually my best friend who introduced me to it through fanfiction, specifically stories about Zayn Malik. And that introduction changed something for me. It made writing feel accessible. It made it feel like something real people could do, not just professionals.

I observed how writers built their stories. How they used playlists to create mood and emotion while writing. So I tried to follow that process. I created my own playlist. I started planning a story about forbidden lovers. I even gave them names, Sorehn and Isla. I wrote down their personalities in my notes. I tried to build something structured, something that felt like a “proper” book.

But it wasn’t me.

It felt forced and disconnected. It felt like I was trying to write something that looked right instead of something that felt right. And I realised something about myself. I am not someone who naturally writes light, happy, fictional stories detached from reality. There is a certain emotional depth in me, something heavier, more introspective. Forcing myself to write something that did not align with that only made the process harder.

So I stopped forcing it.

I chose to be real.

Every time he crossed my mind, I wrote. Every time the feeling came back, I opened my laptop, played my playlist, and let the words come out. It was messy, repetitive, and unstructured. But it was honest.

I initially planned for 21 chapters, wanting the story to be about him. But over time, I realised it was not about him; it was about my experience of him. So I reduced it to 17 chapters, shifting the focus to my limerence, to the emotional reality of it.

This was not a quick process. It took two years.

Two years of writing, rewriting, doubting, editing, and sometimes stepping away only to come back again. And during that time, I faced one major limitation. I did not have the money to pay for proofreading or editing tools. I didn't have access to professional resources to refine my writing.

That is when I made the decision to use AI.

Not to write for me. But to help me improve what I had already written.

I used AI to edit my chapters, to improve grammar, to enhance sentence structure, to make the writing clearer and more readable. But every idea, every emotion, every experience remained mine. And I was transparent about it when publishing through Amazon KDP.

Before this version, the book existed in another form. Some people knew it as Her Sin, His Silence. But it remained unpublished because I wasn’t ready to be that vulnerable. I wasn’t ready to fully expose the depth of what I had written.

So it evolved.

It became Engulfed by His Silence: My Last Limerence.

And I can say this with confidence. I am proud of that journey.

I am proud that tools like AI made it possible for beginner writers like me, people who struggle with self-doubt, people who feel like they are not good enough, to still have a chance to create and publish something meaningful. And I am equally grateful to Amazon KDP for allowing people like us to share our work.

AI is trending now, and I believe this is the moment to use it correctly.

Use it to improve your skills. Use it to learn. Use it to grow.

But do not depend on it completely, because that is where it becomes dangerous.

Your thoughts, your ideas, your emotions that is what you bring. AI does not replace that. It works with it.

AI cannot create ideas on its own. It processes what already exists. We, as humans, are the source of originality. That is the difference.

Yes, AI can replace certain things. But to do so, it still depends on human input.

Without us, it is nothing.

As a zero-budget writer, I want people like me, people who genuinely want to write and to take advantage of the free resources available online. To not let lack of money stop them from starting.

You are not going to get sued for learning, for improving, for using tools responsibly.

If you have a voice, if you have a story, if you have the passion to read and write, go for it.

AI is not your replacement. It is your co-worker.

But it should never become your crutch.

Use it ethically. Use it consciously. Use it in a way that strengthens your voice instead of erasing it.

I have faced backlash since the beginning of my journey for using AI. And instead of letting it stop me, I used it to improve. Because the truth is, people do not want to read something that feels artificial. And I agree with that.

That is why ethical use matters.

Your writing should always feel like you.

Always.

Because at the end of the day, no matter what tools you use, the one thing that cannot be replaced is your perspective.

And that is your greatest power.