Why A Real Writer Is Irreplaceable

The other day, I came across a piece of software that is an article spinner and rewriter — online. Did I feel threatened? Did I heck. No piece of software can replace a real writer. Here’s what real writers do that pieces of software don’t:

• They read, so they are always up to date with changing nuances in language. This makes it easy for them to produce writing for different audiences.

• They write, sometimes for years, so that the written word becomes a finely tuned instrument. (Article rewriting software, on the other hand, is a blunt instrument and is none too clever.)

• They talk to other writers, so that they know what’s going on in their sector and others. (When is the last time a piece of software visited a blog other than to drop spammy links?)

• They adapt to changing client requirements, and if they don’t know something, they can do research. (If article rewriting software has to go beyond the included vocabulary, then you’re likely to come out with nonsense.)

Many of these pieces of software work from a database of synonyms. I remember when I was at school having to learn synonyms for various words (abandon: desert, forsake, leave). But those words are not interchangeable — they have nuances which a piece of software just can’t pick up.

When a real writer writes, you are likely to be affected by the writing, whether you are touched, moved, pleased, angry or feel some other strong emotion. When a piece of software spins the article, you are likely to feel puzzled, as if something is not quite right.

Of course, when people use these tools, they may not care about this. They are looking for something that will game the search engines, rather than appeal to real readers. If that’s what they want, fine, but let’s not confuse it with real writing.