You used AI to help with a scene. Now you’re reading it back and something feels off. The words are correct. The grammar is fine. But it doesn’t sound like you. How do you know if your writing sounds too “AI”?
This is one of the most common worries fiction writers bring up once they start using AI tools. And it’s a fair one. AI-generated writing does have recognizable patterns, and readers can often sense them even if they can’t name them.
The good news is that learning to spot AI-sounding writing is a skill. Once you know what to look for, you can fix it fast.
This article explains the warning signs, gives you a quick self-test, and shows you how to make AI-assisted writing sound like yours again.
How Do I Know If My Writing Sounds Too “AI”?
AI writing often sounds too formal, too smooth, and too generic. Common warning signs include overused phrases like “delved into” or “it’s worth noting,” sentences that are all the same length, and descriptions that could fit any story. If your writing feels polished but lifeless, or if it sounds like a helpful brochure instead of a story, it may be showing its AI origins.
Your writing should sound like you, not like a well-organized manual.
What Does AI Writing Actually Sound Like?
AI writing tends to be competent but flat.
- It avoids strong opinions, uses balanced sentence structures, and fills space with phrases that feel professional but vague.
- AI rarely takes creative risks.
- It explains when it should show.
- AI also summarizes when it should pull the reader in with specifics.
The result is writing that checks all the boxes but doesn’t make you feel anything. Competent writing is not the same as compelling writing.
The Smoothness Problem
Real writing has texture. Some sentences stumble on purpose. Some are too short. Others run long to mirror the character’s anxiety. AI writing is often too smooth where every sentence flows into the next without friction or personality. That evenness is comfortable, but not as unique as your own voice.
Rough edges are part of your voice.
The Vagueness Problem
AI tends to describe things in ways that could apply to anyone. “She felt nervous” instead of “her hands wouldn’t stop straightening her placemat.” General descriptions are easier to generate than specific ones. But specificity is what makes readers feel like they’re actually inside your story.
What Are the Most Common AI Writing Red Flags?
The clearest AI writing signals are overused filler phrases, sentences that are all roughly the same length, descriptions that lack specific sensory detail, and emotional statements that tell instead of show.
IMPORTANT: You may also notice an absence of humor, quirk, or contradiction, which are the things that make real characters feel human and unpredictable.
Overused AI Phrases to Watch For
Certain words appear so often in AI-generated text that they’ve become red flags. Watch for: “delved into,” “it’s worth noting,” “in the realm of,” “moreover,” “furthermore,” “tapestry,” “nuanced,” “underscore,” and “navigate.” If those words are showing up in your fiction, the AI left its fingerprints.
AI also loves to overuse em-dashes. Remove every one, except for those that truly belong.
Run a quick search for these words before you call a draft done.
The Same-Length Sentence Problem
AI tends to write sentences of similar length. Real prose mixes it up. When every sentence is medium-length and well-constructed, the rhythm becomes monotonous. Readers don’t consciously notice this, but they feel it as a kind of sleepiness.
I call the short sentences “punchy sentences.” They emphasis something. “She froze.” For additional emphasis, put that punchy sentence on a line of its own. AI rarely does this.
She fainted.
The rhythm of short and long sentences is part of the voice you bring to the work.
Telling Emotions Instead of Showing Them
AI often names emotions directly: “She was devastated.” “He felt a surge of hope.” Real fiction earns the emotion by showing what it looks like in the body, in behavior, in what the character does or doesn’t say. Stated emotions slide off readers. Shown emotions stick.
She was devastated becomes: She covered her face with her hands.
He felt a surge of hope becomes: He smiled and looked up.
How Do I Test My Own Writing for AI Patterns?
The simplest test is to read your writing out loud at normal speaking speed. Your ear catches what your eye misses. If you stumble over a phrase or it sounds like you’re reading a business report, that section needs work.
A second test is to ask: “Would my character actually say or think this?” If the answer is no, rewrite it.
The Read-Aloud Test
Use a Read Aloud feature, such as the one in Word. Don’t read along. Instead, turn your head and listen to what’s being said. When something strikes you as off or boring, stop the audio and make it your own.
Or print the page or pull it up on your phone and read it out loud as if you perform it. Don’t skim. Don’t fix as you go. Just listen. The sentences that feel unnatural to say out loud are almost always the ones that need rewriting.
These techniques work for both dialogue and narration.
The “Would I Say This?” Test
After reading each sentence, ask yourself whether you would ever actually say those words in a conversation. AI writing often uses slightly formal construction that real people don’t use.
AI also overstates:
“You’re going to the play?”
“Yes, I’m going to the play.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Rarely, are the 2nd and 3rd line needed.
Ask a Friend to Read the Text
Find a friend who will read over your work. Ask these questions:
- Does this sound like me?
- Does it sound like something I would write?
- Are there places that seem to be written by someone else?
Always Add Your Own Thoughts
Treat AI’s draft as a framework. Add your own thoughts and experiences to every draft. This will make the work uniquely yours.
Remove anything that doesn’t sound like something you would say. There may be times when large portions of the AI draft need to be cut to say exactly what you want to express.
Make sure you agree with everything that’s stated in final writing. Don’t keep something from AI just because it increases your word count.
And remember, AI can be wrong and often is. Double check anything that doesn’t sound correct to you.
What About AI Detection Tools?
Detection tools like GPTZero or Copyleaks can flag AI-generated writing, but they’re not reliable enough to trust completely. They produce false positives, flagging human writing as AI, and they miss plenty of actual AI text.
Use them as a loose second opinion, not a final verdict. Your own ear is still the best detector you have.
Can AI-Sounding Writing Be Fixed?
Yes, and it usually doesn’t take long once you know what to target. The fix involves three things:
- Replacing vague descriptions with specific sensory details,
- Varying sentence length to create rhythm,
- Removing filler phrases the AI dropped in as placeholders or transition words.
Most AI-assisted drafts need editing. Learn to edit to make the text sound like your voice, and you’ll be fine. You don’t have to rewrite everything. You do have to rewrite what’s flat.
Replace Generic with Specific
Go through the draft and find every description that could apply to any story. Replace it with something only your character, in your setting, would experience. “The room was cold” becomes “The cold came up through the floor and into her feet before she even took off her coat.”
Specific details make a scene come to life.
Vary Your Sentence Length
Look for stretches where every sentence is roughly the same length. Break one. Combine two. Add a fragment. “She waited. Nothing.” Short sentences create tension. Longer ones can slow time down, pull the reader deeper into a moment, or mirror a character’s prolonged thoughts.
Mix them up—deliberately.
Cut the Filler Phrases
Do a search for your personal list of AI red flag words and delete them without mercy. “It’s worth noting that she was nervous” becomes “She was nervous.” Better yet, show the nervousness. “She picked at her fingernail.”
Filler phrases add length without adding meaning.
How Do I Keep My Voice When Using AI?
The best way to keep your voice is to treat AI output as a first draft that needs your writer’s touch. The first draft is never the finished product. Tell the AI your character’s personality before you ask for help. Give it examples of your writing style. Then modify every line in your own words before it goes into your manuscript.
Your Next Steps
Take a page of AI-assisted writing you’ve done recently and run it through three quick checks.
- First, read it out loud. Mark anything that makes you stumble or sounds overly formal.
- Second, search for common AI phrases, such as “delved into,” “it’s worth noting,” “furthermore”, and delete every one you find. Also, delete all the em-dashes unless you would have put them into the text before AI existed.
- Third, find vague descriptions and replace them with something specific to your character and your story’s world.
Three passes. Your writing will sound more like you and less like a very helpful AI assistant.
Read Other Articles on Using AI for Fiction
How Do I Use AI Without Losing My Unique Voice?
Why AI Can’t Replace Your Writing Voice Unless You Allow It
When AI Suggestions Feel Generic And How to Fix It
Three Foundational AI Techniques for Every Fiction Writer
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