Watch the episode: https://y outu.be/ACXoq_dldAU

AI can help you write faster—but can it do that without stealing your voice? In this episode of The Author’s Mic™, I sit down with Donovan Riddenbach, author of Prompt Virtuoso, to dig into what “co-writing with AI” really means, where your human judgment stays in charge, and how to protect your tone from sounding robotic.

The short version

AI isn’t “intelligent.” It’s predictive—autocomplete on steroids—not a better writer than you.

Author first, AI second. Use AI to organize, tighten, and polish—not to replace your cadence.

Guardrails keep you authentic. Voice boards, read-aloud checks, and a final human pass matter.

Speed with control. Donovan finished in ~6 weeks by drafting freely, then refining with AI.

How Donovan co-wrote with Claude (and kept his voice)

Pulled key material from his first book (Master the Art of ChatGPT Prompting).

Drafted stream-of-consciousness to capture real voice and ideas.

Asked Claude to organize and tighten chapters (structure + clarity).

Edited as the author-in-charge—accepting what fit, rewriting what didn’t.

“When AI writes from scratch, it often feels hollow. When I massage and shape it, it feels like my own.”

The “mirror” idea: AI reflects your mind, not your face

From fairy-tale mirrors to modern tech, each “mirror” changes how we see ourselves. Donovan argues AI is a new mirror for thinking—it can reflect patterns and possibilities, but you decide what’s true and what belongs in your book.

Practical ways to keep your voice

Build a voice board: Save 2–3 short samples that sound 100% like you; compare AI edits to these.

Use AI for tedious tasks: global word swaps, POV changes, outlines, beat lists, style notes.

Read aloud: AI rarely nails rhythm; your ear catches what your eyes miss.

Finish human: Always do a final author line-edit before you publish.

Links from the episode

Guest website (as shared): https://donovanriddinbach.com 

Prompt Virtuoso (book): Amazon

Master the Art of ChatGPT Prompting (book): Amazon

Work with me / stay connected

Be a guest on The Author’s Mic™: https://brightheadedpublishing.com/be-a-guest 

Download my free 44-page guide – So You Wanna Write a Book: https://brightheadedpublishing.com 

Explore my books – You Sound White and Weight For It: https://brightheadedpublishing.com 

Join our book club, the Indie Reader Society: https://bookclubs.com/the-indie-reader-society/join/

Target keywords: co-writing with AI, keep your author voice, AI writing for authors, Claude for writers, Donovan Riddenbach interview, Prompt Virtuoso, indie author tools.