Weird to frame this in a way where using LLMs is the default way to write. Is this what we’ve come to as a species?

Is the problem motivation, or creativity? For motivation, there’s a reason writers in a coffeeshop is a cliche. It helps to get away from your regular situation and just have a notebook and a nice drink. Set a timer and that is your writing time. It doesn’t need to be good. You learn to write by doing it, a lot. You can go over it and edit later.

For creativity, read. Especially outside your normal interests. If you don’t read nonfiction or fiction, read some ones in the other space. Maybe a text about the history of sailing will inspire ideas for a mystery novel. You also learn what kind of writing you admire, and aspire to. What feels good in a sentence structure, and what doesn’t work for you.

Mostly, don’t hold too tightly to things if you’re just starting. Write a bunch of little stories, scenes, dialog. Maybe one of them you’ll love and want to polish up, but each time you write anything, you’re learning. Even if/especially if it sucks.

Sometime, find an art blog for someone you admire who’s been posting for years, and go back to the beginning and compare. Unless they’re an established professional since they started posting, you’ll notice a clear difference in quality. The same thing happens with writing.

I am not a writer myself, so take this with a grain of salt, but it might be better to just start writing things down in a short framework, even if elements of the story are missing or incomplete. Like you may think about a specific scene/situation so you can jot that down, then you might write something like “there would be a problem that caused X character to be here” just to have a placeholder so later you can come back and replace it with something.

Also consider that studies have shown physical activity can help stimulate your mind. So maybe go for a walk to think about your story or what you want from it

Read the book storyworthy by Matthew dicks. Set up a framework for a 3 act structure or heroes journey. Fill in the framework to find your story everything else is gravy. I do this professionally. The steps are simple. But the inward searching of your soul, that’s the hard part.

That’s a broad question, man. People dedicate years of their lives learning to write. I don’t know if anybody on lemmy is going to be able to answer ‘what should I do to write?’ Stephen King said in his book ‘On Writing’: “If you don’t have time to read, then you don’t have time to write.” I would start with reading books, some of which could be about writing, and maybe taking some classes at your local community college. Khan Academy also has some free courses for writing, I think.

Now writing with LLMs is a bad idea. However, if you set it up right, you can use an LLM locally downloaded as a tool to point out errors, mistakes, and other quirks, to help with your writing style.

Edit: Since the gatekeepers are ticked off at this, maybe I need to clarify it a bit. The LLM would not do anything, if prompted correctly, to alter your writing. It would only point out mistakes, and give you actionable advice that you would then fact check for yourself. That’s how you properly use it. Otherwise, you’re not really going to have good job security.