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In this week's episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Ana del Valle Distasio, author, book coach, and host of The Novelist Studio podcast. 

Ana brings a fascinating mix of creative writing chops and tech-savvy brilliance to the table — and she’s on a mission to help writers harness the power of AI without compromising their voice or creative control.

We talked about everything from her early love of storytelling (her first story was a love story… written in Spanish at age six!) to her journey through Silicon Valley and why she made the bold leap from fantasy YA under her pen name S.N. Blue to her upcoming humorous women’s fiction novel, Valley of the Dudes.

But where things really got juicy? When we dove into how Ana is using tools like ChatGPT to support novelists — not to replace their creativity, but to amplify it.

Ana’s take is refreshingly grounded. She reminds us that AI isn’t some evil robot out to steal your manuscript. Instead, she likens ChatGPT to a super-smart assistant — like a “robot librarian” that can help you brainstorm, organize, and refine your work… if you know how to guide it properly.

We got into the common fears writers have around AI — like privacy, copyright, and whether the output is even any good (spoiler: it can be, but only if you know how to prompt it well). Ana explained how she’s built a thoughtful framework for using ChatGPT to outline, edit, and develop character backstories — all while ensuring that the writer remains in full control of the story.

We also didn’t shy away from the big-picture stuff: bias in AI, its environmental impact, and whether we risk losing skills like summarizing or editing when we rely on tools like this. Ana had such a thoughtful and honest perspective — especially on how to train ChatGPT to work in a way that actually supports your process.

If you're curious about using AI as a co-creative ally — especially for outlining or developmental edits — this episode is a must-listen.