Right now, someone is using AI to,

• Publish 60 junk books with zero remorse

• Cheat readers out of their money

• Copy and paste fake ideas

And the worst part is some are doing it in God’s name.

If Christians don’t learn to use AI with integrity, someone else will

—without it.

So today is all about AI:

1. Why you’re not getting replaced by AI

2. Three AI tools all writers need to AVOID

3. A quick (and free) way to find your next big story using AI

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VERY GOOD AI

AI is quickly becoming a tool I use every single day.

It’s one thing to read about AI on social media or see some viral demo, but it’s another entirely to actually use it. The moment you do, the impact becomes very real.

Here’s what I’ve learned watching the rise of AI:

1. There’s fear in creative industries (especially among writers) that AI is coming for their jobs.

2. For some, that fear might be front and center, for others it's quietly sitting beneath the surface.

Personally, I don’t think AI is going to take your job.

I think writers who learn how to leverage AI will steal bad writers’ jobs.

The tech isn’t your enemy. And if you’re not learning how to leverage AI—and someone else is—that’s the real risk.

It’s simple math: those who spend more time using AI understand more than those who avoid it. They become faster, sharper, and more informed. That’s the advantage.

The way I see it, you’ve got two options:

Option 1: Spend 10+ hours learning how to use AI to improve your writing, automate your systems, brainstorm faster, and level up.

Option 2: Avoid AI altogether and get outperformed by someone who didn’t ignore it.

This is no different than the artist who could draw cartoons by hand and the artist who could draw cartoons 10x faster and with 100x different styles with the new technology.

Which one is going to get the job?

Photography. Cinematography. Architecture.

Every creative field has faced a shift like this.

And just like before, we’re watching three responses form:

1. The Bottom-Feeders. These folks chase volume at all costs. They crank out 60+ low-quality books a year using AI and flood Amazon KDP with junk. It’s not creative work.

2. The Purists. They retreat. They say “real writing” means isolation, hotel rooms, coffee-stained notebooks, and waiting for the story to “find them.” They see AI as a betrayal.

3. The Leveragers. These are the curious ones. They don’t worship the tool. But they don’t fear it either. They see it as a means to simplify, speed up, and amplify the creative process.

What helped me in these discussions was imagining Walt Disney or Dr. Seuss having access to AI. I don’t think they’d have seen it as a threat over an opportunity.

It’s all about perspective.

At Christian Story Lab, we are not:

❌ The bottom-feeders who exploit people’s attention.
❌ The purists who hike to the desert with a typewriter and plug our ears.

We experiment. We stay human. We learn. We test. We embrace the tools that can help us tell better stories and comment on the dangers that come with them.

So with all that said, let’s get more specific about AI tools.

I’ve spent a fair amount of time experimenting with AI in my own writing to find more and more ways to use it effectively and honestly.

Here are some of my finds.

3 AI Tools Worth Your Time

1. ChatGPT. The only LLM I pay for monthly. Fantastic for brainstorming, outlining, and rapid content ideation. The new project folders are gold. (Also testing Claude and Deepseek.)

2. RightBlogger. Great for video-to-article conversions. Plug in a YouTube link or video script and get a readable article back in seconds.

3. Originality.AI. Truth and ethics matter. This helps test the accuracy and integrity of your AI-generated content—vital for anyone writing from a Christian worldview.

3 AI Tools Not Worth Your Time

1. Grammarly. After testing, I found its suggestions were minimal, basically what GPT-4.1 already does better. I do use Grammarly for all my typos, though!

2. Rytr. Slants heavily toward commercial writing. Not terrible, just unimpressive and not built for creative depth.

3. Sudowrite. Fine for beginners. But it’s more “parlor trick” than powerhouse once you get serious with story structure.

I don’t see a future without AI. This tech is here, and it’s going to live alongside us.

And while many will use it to cheat, plagiarize, to manipulate...

Christians have the opportunity to use it differently.

👉 To advance the Kingdom, not just our platforms
👉 To create better lives for others, not just easier ones for ourselves
👉 To tell stories that actually change hearts and minds

That’s why I’ve been experimenting, learning, and building…

…and today I want to give you something fun (and free) that might just unlock your next great story.

🥁🥁🥁

THE MASTER STORY OUTLINE GENERATOR

Here’s how it works:

1. Paste the full prompt into your favorite AI tool (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.).

2. Answer the questions it asks about your story (genre, theme, character, etc.).

3. Review the story outline it generates, and use the final section to refine or request variations.

It gives you a rich, evocative story outline built on a proven story formula.

Here are just a few it’s generated:

🟪 In a floating city where dreams are currency, ex-hacker Lira Vale wants to redeem her brother’s stolen mind. But when she uncovers a corporate AI siphoning consciousness, she must trust a blind dream-walker who offers a risky plan to infiltrate the dreamstream.

🟩 Twelve-year-old Beatrix Widdersnap just wants to win the Grand Goblet Gardening Fair, but her village is cursed to grow only weeds. With help from a sarcastic talking shovel and a banned book of enchanted seeds, she plants a rebellious garden that may save—or overrun—her town. (Oh, and the flowers have teeth.)

🟥 In 1890s Venice, a violinist named Emilia is desperate to escape an arranged marriage and join the Royal Conservatory. When she meets a widowed shipwright who secretly composes forbidden music, they plot a daring performance under false identity.

🟦 After her father’s sudden death, college dropout Tessa Monroe returns to sell the family hardware store—but finds his journal filled with prayers and unfinished goals. Guided by his words and a relentless youth pastor, she must decide whether to run... or rebuild a life of purpose.

I MEAN COME ON. These are good.

And the best part is you can use the prompt yourself.

No strings. No signups. No $$. Just fun.

👉 Snag the Master Story Outline Generator

1. Try the Prompt. If you write something great, please share it! Tag me on LinkedIn or reply directly to this email. I want to read what you create.

2. Help Me Improve It. If you’ve got ideas for how to make the prompt better, cleaner, smarter, more intuitive, I’d love to hear them.

MY BEST FINDS

Here are Payton’s Picks for the week. If you find something worth sharing with the rest of the Lab, reply to this email!

🧙‍♂️ Story

• Every logo has a story. Some are boring. Others are rad.

• Green Eggs and Ham started as a $50 bet between Dr. Seuss and his publisher. The bet was to write a children’s book using 50 unique words. Here they arr:

📧 Email

• How Matt McGarry would build his email list with a $20 per day budget (YouTube)

• Christian leader Carey Nieuwhof has jumped on the email bandwagon. No, this is not a video from 2009. (YouTube)

✝️ Faith

• Cool things are happening at Faith-Driven Entrepreneur in their newest teen branch. The idea is simple: In a world promoting greed and selfish ambition, the next generation needs a vision for success and significance.

👀 ICYMI

• 5 ways I keep my integrity while launching and running a business.

🔦 Spotlight

• I’m going to take this moment to spotlight The Master Story Outline Generator 🐲 ← I felt like it needed a dragon that time. Seriously, give it a whirl and let me know what happens.

Before you go, here are 3 ways I can help:

1. Very Good Email Playbook: If you’re tired of writing “meh” emails that get ignored, I’ll show you how to write ones people actually want to read. It’s free, and it’s packed with everything I’ve learned the hard way.

2. VeryGoodGhost Agency: I handle every aspect of content creation, from research and writing to editing and optimization, so you get scary good results.

3. Reply to Book a Free Call: Want to chat about your story, email strategy, or how to do this whole thing without losing your soul? Reply to this email, tell me what you’re working on, and I’ll send over a calendar link.

Keep writing what matters,

— Payton