Policies
Last updated on: February 17th, 2026
AI is everywhere these days, and if you’re like most of the writing community, you’ve probably had at least one moment of panic about it. Maybe you’ve wondered whether AI will replace authors, or whether your stories will even matter in a world flooded by machine-generated content. Or maybe you’re quietly experimenting with AI tools amid all the chaos. Either way, I think you deserve a clear answer on where The Novel Smithy stands on AI and writing.
I believe AI can be a genuinely useful tool for writers—but it can never replace the human voice behind good storytelling. The novels readers remember make them feel something meaningful. And that requires a human author to share their creativity, imagination, emotions, and experiences. Trust me, I’ve read books “written” by AI. They don’t work.
That said, I’m not wholly anti-AI.
I think there’s a difference between replacing your creativity with a machine, and using it to support your writing process. AI tools can help with brainstorming, organization, and many other tasks in ways that are both beneficial and ethical.
Where I draw the line is when AI starts doing the storytelling for you—generating prose, building characters from scratch, or plotting your novels wholesale. At that point, the story is no longer yours, and you’ve removed what could have made your novel meaningful.
I’m happy to work with writers who use AI tools to assist their creative process, including LLMs like Claude and more specialized tools like ProWritingAid. In my view, that’s not something to be ashamed about, and those decisions will not change my willingness or ability to support you. So long as you actually wrote your novel, we’re all good.
However, please let me know upfront.
This is a practical request, because in order to fully support you as an author, I need to understand how your draft came together. This will help me give you better feedback, and is the same reason I ask about things like genre, goals, and where you are in the writing process.
If you’re a student in one of my courses or a member inside the Forge, the same principle applies. You’re welcome to use AI to support your writing, however you are not welcome to upload course materials or other resources you get from The Novel Smithy into any AI tool. These resources are copyrighted—but legality aside, this is also a matter of respect. I will never share your manuscript with an AI without your permission, and I ask that you show me the same courtesy.
With that said, while The Novel Smithy isn’t strictly anti-AI, that doesn’t mean the industry as a whole agrees. The publishing industry is still figuring out its policies around AI use, and copyright of AI-generated and AI-assisted works is an ongoing question. I’d encourage you to stay up-to-date as you make decisions about your publishing path, and to think carefully about how much AI intrudes into your work as an author.
I also want to be transparent about how AI shows up in my own work. I occasionally use AI tools to help with things like organizing notes, finding comps for review, line editing (such as with ProWritingAid, which I recommend to many of my students and use myself), and handling behind-the-scenes business tasks. However, all of my courses, coaching, books, and editorial feedback come directly from me and my experience.
When you get feedback from Lewis, it will always be from Lewis.
My frameworks, methods, and insights are built from years of working with real writers on real stories. They’re not something that can be generated by a machine.
When used thoughtfully, AI tools can give you back time and energy for the work that matters most: writing your novel. But it should never replace your voice.
— Lewis
