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AKcidentalwriter's avatar

I am with Megan!! We have turned to a neutered self censored people. We are not embracing truth. For me if you are not embracing truth and not censoring yourself then why are you writing for to be published?

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Olivia/O. J. Barré 🐉's avatar

Great post, Tom, thank you! I'm heading over to check Megan out.

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Jared Writes's avatar

I’m unexpectedly shook by this. A great fear for me is being authentic (especially online). I think it’s because a greater fear for me is… I’m boring.

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Tom Kuegler's avatar

I felt that same fear all my life Jared, and then writing online helped me see I wasn't as boring as I thought, because people were actually resonating and liking what I was saying. It is probably the same with you.

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Jared Writes's avatar

Thanks. I’ll keep grappling and pushing…

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Pam Vale's avatar

Another great reminder, Tom, as I dig in and formulate my next creative steps. Stay true, stay honest and stay authentic to myself.

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Jean McKinney's avatar

Maybe it's just me, but doesn't it sound kinda weird to use an AI to help you be authentic?

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Tom Kuegler's avatar

It's ironic as heck, Jean. But allow me to share with you a comment a reader of mine, Sharon Hines, sent me after using the IdentitySmith tool..

"Wow, wow, wow! And a couple more wows! This was soooo helpful!

I started out thinking, well, I already have a niche I’m happy with. But as I answered the standard questions, I began uncovering my concerns. IdentitySmith forced me to think about my journey and my challenges on paper, in an insightful way. It showed me where my strengths are, voice-wise, and where my competitive advantage is. Both are super-super-important pieces of information.

It helped me to more clearly see my audience’s pain points, which will help me to address them. It gave me a content plan that will help me break out of the tendency to write in a linear series on one topic—a strategy that hasn’t been working so well for me. It showed me how to talk about a topic I have been reluctant to bring up—and demonstrated unexpected specific knowledge about my topic. And it helped me to see how to target, rename, and reframe existing content.

I spent an hour and 45 minutes on this. I now have a fully fleshed out content strategy for the next year, in PDF form. Thankfully, I had a lot of unused credits. (Don’t really know how many I burned today.) I’m so pumped! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Tom, for creating this tool!!!"

It's so sad that the AI hysteria is so loud that people don't even want to try these tools at all. The secret hidden in plain sight is that it can help people so, so much! Give it a try, Jean. I promise you won't be disappointed.

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Jean McKinney's avatar

I was just pointing out the irony. As some readers on Substack know, I train AIs for a living! I'm not averse to giving AI tools a try, but I worry about their impact on good old human ingenuity and creativity when the bot does your thinking for you.

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Tom Kuegler's avatar

Got it Jean. I'm sorry! I just get so many comments from people that hate AI that I can get overly defensive about it lol.

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Jean McKinney's avatar

I gave the IdentitySmith tool a whirl yesterday. Granted, I was on the free trial, but it seems better suited for nonfiction writers than fiction writers like me -- or did I miss something?

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Megan Lee's avatar

Tom!!!!!!!!! Holy hairy hell I was NOT expecting this and I am nearly speechless!!!!

*Alexa, pls slap this newsletter in my face every time I doubt myself and think I’m too much and too vulgar and too weird and too whiplash to write on Substack or just… exist 😭😂*

This means SO much, for so many reasons. 🥹🙏 This is why being raw and real and messy and uncomfortably authentic is ALWAYS worth it. Not for the praise (although it feels fucking fantastic I cannot lie 😅), but because nothing feels better than connecting honestly with other humans. To be seen for the real me? That’s hotter than heroin. And I’m hooked.

Thank you for seeing me, and for writing this massively amazing shoutout. I’ve got all the happy chills and will *absolutely* be re-reading when I need a face slap as to why I do what I do.

You shine with such authentic integrity and it warms my heart. Thank you for being you!!!

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