What AI misses in writing, how to find your voice, and use AI the right way to write.
Years ago, I was alone in Lagos writing my first book. I had no idea what I was doing. I wasn’t sure I was a writer. I wasn’t sure the book was any good. I wasn’t sure anyone would care.
What I was sure of was that ’s podcast helped me feel less alone.
Right About Now was his show then – a podcast where he talked to writers about their processes, their fears, their creative lives. I’d listen while writing, or on walks, or when I was avoiding writing. The message that came back to me again and again was: you’re not alone. People have similar struggles. Keep going.
When I finally finished the book, I reached out cold to say thank you. I figured he’d never respond. He responded.
Today, Jon is on Practice Ground.
Thirty Years of Writing for Others
Jonathan has spent thirty years in journalism. He wrote for women’s magazines as a man – finding his niche as the guy who could explain what men were thinking. He wrote for Entrepreneur Magazine. He edited for publications. He did the work.
And now, finally, he writes for himself.
Small Talk is his Substack and podcast – about Gen X culture, creativity, and living with intention in a world that’s increasingly not designed for either. It’s the freest he’s ever written. He calls it liberating.
“Pretty much ninety-five percent of the stuff that I write is for somebody else,” he told me. “And this one has actually been a lot more natural – which is kind of freeing for me.”
The Magic
When we got to AI, Jon didn’t panic and he didn’t dismiss it. He uses it every day as a writing partner – for research, brainstorming, copy editing. It handles the grunt work he never liked anyway. He gives it clear instructions not to rewrite, and it mostly behaves.
But he’s clear about where it ends.
He talked about AI-generated videos – fake animal videos, fake moments. The same content as something real. Sometimes even better. But people are already tired of them.
“It’s just not fun when it’s not real,” he said. “And I feel like it’s going to be the same experience with reading a book. If you find out a human didn’t really write that book, it takes away the magic. It loses its magic. And I can’t even describe what that magic is in words.”
I believe him. And I think he’s right.
Just Start It
When I asked Jonathan how you know an idea has meaning, he gave me the most honest answer I’ve heard in this whole series.
He said he doubts most of his ideas. He doesn’t think you can know whether an idea has meaning until you start engaging with it. The meaning is never in your head – it’s in the process of making.
“You might start a project thinking you’re doing something about A, and then all of a sudden it’s Z. You don’t even know how you got there. You got there because you started it.”
That’s all. Just start it.
Watch the Full Conversation (above)
We also talked about the flow state and why protecting it matters, morning pages and walking, why he thinks books will always survive, and what his daily practice would look like in a utopian world.
The full episode is embedded below (paid subscribers get early access to Practice Ground episodes).
Also on YouTube and Spotify/Apple Podcasts.
This one’s been a long time coming. Thank you for writing back, Jon.
—Nifemi
