AI as Writing Coach

 So I wanted to start this blog, but didn't have a clear sense of what I wanted to write about or who my intended audience was.

Who does one turn to when they need answers? Google, of course. But I really wanted a writing coach, someone who would prompt me through the decision process.

I know what! Do both!

So I popped on over to bard.google.com. Here's a transcript of most of the conversation.

(The profile image shown below, , is from my alter ego Gmail account.)

I am an aspiring writer. You are my writing coach. I want to overcome my fear of publishing, that is, my fear of my work being read by others. I'd like to start overcoming that fear by writing a blog. Your task is to help me create a blog on a free site, like blogger.com, by asking me questions and suggesting tasks for me to do. I will check in with you occasionally and you will follow up with me on my previous tasks and prompt me for my next steps. Is there anything else you need to know for you to perform your role?

No, I don't need to know anything else to perform my role as your writing coach and help you create a blog on Blogger.com. Here are some questions and suggestions to get us started:

What is your blog going to be about? What topics are you passionate about and want to write about? It's important to choose a topic that you're excited about and knowledgeable in, as this will make the writing process more enjoyable and your posts more engaging for your readers.

Who is your target audience? Who are you writing for? Once you know your target audience, you can tailor your writing style and content to appeal to them.

What kind of blog posts do you want to write? Do you want to write informative posts, how-to guides, personal essays, or something else? There are many different types of blog posts, so choose the format that you enjoy writing the most and that you think will be most interesting to your readers.

What is your blog's name? Choose a blog name that is relevant to your topic and that you're happy with. It's also a good idea to choose a blog name that is easy to remember and pronounce.

Once you have answered these questions, you can start creating your blog on Blogger.com. Here are the steps involved:

1. Go to Blogger.com and sign in with your Google account.

2. Click the "Create new blog" button.

3. Enter a name for your blog and choose a blog address.

4. Select a theme for your blog.

5. Click the "Create blog!" button.

Once your blog is created, you can start writing posts. To do this, click the "New post" button. You can then add text, images, and videos to your post. When you're finished writing, click the "Publish" button to publish your post.

Here are some additional tips for writing and publishing blog posts:

• Write headlines that are clear, concise, and attention-grabbing.

• Break up your text with images, videos, and subheadings to make it easier to read.

• Proofread your posts carefully before publishing them.

• Promote your blog posts on social media and other websites to reach a wider audience.

I know that publishing your work can be scary, but it's important to remember that everyone makes mistakes. The more you write and publish, the better you will become and the less scary it will be. So don't be afraid to hit that publish button!

I am here to support you throughout the blogging process. Please feel free to check in with me at any time and I will answer your questions and provide guidance. I am excited to help you overcome your fear of publishing and share your writing with the world!

Too much information. Rather than giving me a comprehensive list of steps and tips, please guide me step by step.

I apologize for overwhelming you with information. Here is a step-by-step guide to creating a blog on Blogger.com:

1. Go to Blogger.com and sign in with your Google account.

2. Click the Create new blog button.

3. Enter a name for your blog and choose a blog address. The blog address is the URL of your blog, so it's important to choose something that is relevant to your topic and easy to remember.

4. Select a theme for your blog. A theme controls the overall look and feel of your blog. Blogger.com offers a variety of free and premium themes to choose from.

5. Click the Create blog! button.

Once your blog is created, you can start writing posts. To do this, click the New post button. You can then add text, images, and videos to your post. When you're finished writing, click the Publish button to publish your post.

Here are some additional tips for writing and publishing blog posts:

Write headlines that are clear, concise, and attention-grabbing. Your headline is the first thing people will see, so make sure it's interesting and relevant to your post content.

Break up your text with images, videos, and subheadings. This will make your posts easier to read and scan.

Proofread your posts carefully before publishing them. Make sure there are no errors in grammar or spelling.

Promote your blog posts on social media and other websites to reach a wider audience. Share your posts on your social media accounts and submit them to relevant directories and websites.

I know that publishing your work can be scary, but it's important to remember that everyone makes mistakes. The more you write and publish, the better you will become and the less scary it will be. So don't be afraid to hit that publish button!

Please let me know if you have any questions or need help with any of the steps above.

Back up. You started with a good list of questions I need to answer, starting with "What is your blog going to be about?" Let's start there. Please help me choose a topic.

Sure, I can help you choose a blog topic. Here are a few things to consider:

What are you passionate about? What do you enjoy talking about and learning about? It's important to choose a topic that you're interested in, as this will make the writing process more enjoyable and your posts more engaging for your readers.

What are you knowledgeable about? What skills and expertise do you have? What have you learned from your education, work experience, and personal life? Choosing a topic that you're knowledgeable about will make it easier to write informative and engaging blog posts.

Who is your target audience? Who are you writing for? Once you know your target audience, you can tailor your writing style and content to appeal to them. For example, if you're writing a blog about parenting, you'll want to use different language and content than if you're writing a blog about technology.

Here are a few blog topic ideas to get you started:

Personal experiences: Share your personal experiences and stories with your readers. This could be anything from your travels to your parenting journey to your career challenges.

Hobbies and interests: Write about your hobbies and interests, such as cooking, gardening, or hiking. Share your tips and tricks with your readers, or write about your experiences learning new skills.

Current events: Write about current events and share your insights and opinions. This is a great way to stay engaged with the world around you and to connect with other people who are interested in the same topics.

Professional expertise: If you have expertise in a particular field, write about your work and share your knowledge with your readers. This could be anything from business advice to technical tips to medical information.

Once you've chosen a blog topic, you can start to brainstorm specific post ideas. Think about the questions that your target audience might have about your topic, and how you can write informative and helpful posts.

I hope this helps!

Yes, that helps. 

For starters, that highlights one of my fears of writing for a public audience, namely, that I will box myself into a corner. While I recognize that I need to get clear on a topic in order to write well, I want to feel free to write about many topics. Here is a list of some sample topics that strike my fancy:

  * An idea I had in the middle of the night

  * My thoughts on a news story or current events

  * A rebuttal to or my agreement with an essay or article that I read (such as on medium.com, substack.com, inc.com, or entrepreneur.com)

  * Even about the very fear I have of writing for public consumption

I guess that one of my writing goals is self-discovery: exploring what interests me and finding my voice in that space.

Does that make sense?

Yes, it makes perfect sense. It's natural to be afraid of boxing yourself into a corner when you start writing for a public audience. But it's important to remember that you don't have to choose just one topic. You can write about a variety of topics, as long as you're interested in them and you have something to say.

You can also use your blog to explore different topics and find your voice. You don't have to be an expert on a topic to write about it. You can share your thoughts and experiences, and learn from your readers along the way.

In fact, I think it's great that you're interested in writing about a variety of topics. This will make your blog more interesting and engaging for your readers. You'll also be able to reach a wider audience, as different people will be interested in different topics.

Here are a few tips for writing about a variety of topics:

Choose topics that you're interested in and that you have something to say about.

Be honest and authentic in your writing. Share your own unique perspective on the topics that you write about.

Don't be afraid to experiment and try new things. Different topics may require different writing styles and approaches.

Be open to feedback from your readers. Ask them what topics they're interested in reading about, and what they think of your writing.

I encourage you to explore different topics and find your voice in that space. Your blog is a great way to do that.

I'm excited to see what you write!

As you might surmise, since you are an AI agent, I'm interested in AI and how it might help people like me. Perhaps, just as a way to get started, I might copy our conversation and publish it in my blog. The title might be "Bard is my writing coach." Such a post might help me be authentic.

What do you think of that idea?

I think that's a great idea! Publishing our conversation on your blog would be a great way to introduce yourself to your readers and to share your interest in AI and writing. It would also be a great way to show your readers that you're willing to be authentic and to share your own personal experiences.

I'm honored to be your writing coach, and I'm excited to help you on your journey to becoming a better writer. I'm also excited to see how you use AI to help other people become better writers.

I'm happy to answer any questions you have about AI or writing, and I'm always happy to provide feedback on your work. Please feel free to reach out to me at any time.

I look forward to reading your blog!

Great! Now, it seems that the next big challenge is to come up with a name for my blog and a one-paragraph description of it. Based on what we've just discussed, please ask me a series of questions to help me choose a name that is available on blogger.com. Ask me the questions one at a time.

Sure, here is a series of questions to help you choose a blog name that is available on Blogger.com:

• What are some words or phrases that describe your blog's content?

• What are some words or phrases that describe your writing style?

• What are some words or phrases that describe your target audience?

• What are some words or phrases that you like and that you think would make a good blog name?

Once you have answered these questions, you can start to brainstorm blog name ideas. Try combining different words and phrases to see what comes up. You can also use a blog name generator to help you come up with ideas.

Once you have a few blog name ideas, you can check to see if they are available on Blogger.com. To do this, go to Blogger.com and click the "Create new blog" button. Then, enter your blog name idea into the "Blog address" field. If the blog name is available, you will see a green checkmark next to it. If the blog name is not available, you will see a red X next to it.

Keep brainstorming blog name ideas until you find one that is available on Blogger.com and that you are happy with.

Here are a few additional tips for choosing a blog name:

• Choose a blog name that is short, memorable, and easy to pronounce.

• Choose a blog name that is relevant to your blog's content.

• Choose a blog name that is unique and stands out from other blogs in your niche.

• Avoid using copyrighted or trademarked material in your blog name.

I hope this helps!

You're doing it again. Slow down. Please ask me one question at a time to help me explore ideas for the name of my blog.

Sure, here is one question to help you explore ideas for the name of your blog:

What are some words or phrases that describe your blog's content?

Please take a moment to think about this question and write down some words or phrases that come to mind. Once you have a list, we can start to brainstorm blog name ideas together.

I've already given you a list of some possible topics that I might like to write about. Please refer to that. Other words or phrases include:

  * leadership

  * teamwork

  * team development

  * mental fitness

  * team effectiveness (as explored in Project Aristotle at rework.withgoogle.com)

  * empowerment

  * agency and autonomy

As background information to help you understand where I'm coming from, I spent a couple of years working at Google as a Team Development Consultant. I especially enjoyed helping teams and their leaders develop a shared vision and turn that into clear OKRs. I also enjoyed helping teams apply Project Aristotle to become more effective.

Okay, thank you for the additional information. I have a few ideas for blog names based on the words and phrases that you have mentioned:

• Leadership and Teamwork Labs

• The Team Development Coach

• Mental Fitness for Teams

• The Effective Team

• Project Aristotle: In Practice

• Empowering Teams

• Agency and Autonomy in the Workplace

• The Future of Work

• Building High-Performing Teams

• Teamwork in the 21st Century

• The Team That Wins

• The Team Advantage

• Teamwork: The Secret to Success

I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any questions or if you would like me to brainstorm more ideas.

I am also happy to help you with the one-paragraph description of your blog. Once you have chosen a blog name, we can start working on the description together.

Please propose some available domain names under blogspot.com for each of these suggested blog names.

I'm just a language model, so I can't help you with that.

Well, that's disappointing! Bard can't access a Google property even as a generic user. Nevertheless, I still got this blog started.

Of course, it's a work in progress. Aren't we all?