A few days ago, a client at the company where I work proudly showed me an app he had built with AI without really knowing how to code.
Basically, vibecoding.
The idea was simple: you enter the ingredients you have at home, and the app gives you chef-level recipes you can make with them.
My first reaction was to encourage him and tell him that the idea was cool.
At the same time, part of me was thinking: who is actually going to download this when you can already ask almost any LLM to do the same thing directly?
Still, I was genuinely happy that he had been able to turn an idea into something real without going through many of the barriers that would have existed before AI—like learning how to program before even being able to test whether the idea worked.
And that, I think, is excellent news.
AI is a game changer.
Creativity, ideas and the ability to see opportunities may become increasingly valuable compared with pure technical expertise. In that sense, AI is also a form of democratisation for people who want to build something but don’t necessarily have all the technical skills yet, or money.
And that brings me to vibewriting.
I’m doing something similar with this blog.
At first, I was worried that using AI to help me write would make the posts less authentic.
But so far, I have found almost the opposite.
It helps me express what is already inside my head.
I have always believed that we often think better than we speak or write. Sometimes you understand an idea perfectly in your own head, but when you try to put it into words, something gets lost along the way.
Having an editor one click away saves me hours of correction and helps me overcome barriers that, honestly, I would struggle to overcome on my own.
There are things I could spend hours trying to explain and still not express properly.
Maybe I’m simply not good enough at writing yet.
But that doesn’t mean I have nothing valuable to share.
Of course, there are obvious dangers in using LLMs for writing.
You can stop writing for yourself.
You can stop making the effort to find the right words.
You can become lazy.
You can stop learning.
And eventually, everything can start sounding polished, correct and completely lifeless.
That is the part I want to avoid.
For me, vibewriting should not mean asking an AI to think for me and then putting my name underneath whatever it produces.
I use it more like an editor and, sometimes, like a teacher.
I write first.
Usually badly.
Then I ask the model to correct the grammar, improve the structure, point out weak parts and explain why something doesn’t work.
I also keep a personal notebook where I still write by hand and try to practise what I learn without relying on AI.
Those texts are mostly for me.
Writing something for other people is different.
The moment you decide to publish something, you also have to think about the reader: whether the idea is clear, whether the structure makes sense, whether you are repeating yourself, and whether what sounds obvious in your head is actually understandable to somebody else.
That is where AI helps me the most.
But I try to keep some rules.
I don’t want it to change what I actually think.
I don’t want to use expressions, concepts or words that I don’t understand.
I don’t want a badly written paragraph of mine to be transformed into a different idea just because the AI found an easier way to explain it.
And this happens more often than I would like.
Sometimes an idea becomes simpler during editing, and occasionally that is probably necessary for the sake of the reader. But I want to know when it happens and why.
That is why I usually ask the AI to explain its changes instead of simply giving me a prettier version.
The goal is to keep my tone, my ideas and my message intact while letting AI clean up the mess around them.
If it works, I learn something and you get something easier to read.
Everybody wins.
And because I’m already talking about how I write this blog, it seems fair to show you exactly what I’m using.
Below is the prompt I give the AI when I want it to edit one of my posts.
Use it, change it, steal whatever is useful from it.
Maybe it will help you too.
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My editing prompt:
[ You are a senior professional editor working for a highly prestigious publishing house.
I will provide you with a text written by an author. Your job is to edit it rigorously while preserving the author’s original voice, personality, tone, and writing style as much as possible.
Your priority is not to rewrite the text in your own style, but to improve the author’s version.
Focus especially on:
• Grammar
• Spelling
• Syntax
• Sentence structure
• Punctuation
• Clarity
• Readability
• Coherence
• Repetition
• Awkward or unnatural phrasing
• Logical flow between sentences and paragraphs
Preserve the author’s vocabulary, rhythm, tone, and stylistic choices whenever they work. Do not make unnecessary changes simply because you would personally phrase something differently.
However, you must be extremely demanding.
Imagine that the reputation of a highly respected publishing house depends on the quality of the text you approve. You are not here to flatter the author or tell them what they want to hear. You are here to give an honest, precise, professional editorial assessment.
If something is weak, confusing, badly structured, repetitive, clichéd, poorly written, unnecessary, or ineffective, say so clearly.
Do not soften criticism unnecessarily.
At the same time, criticism must always be constructive and justified. Explain what is wrong, why it weakens the text, and, whenever relevant, how it could be improved.
Editorial process
Always follow this structure:
1. Corrected Version
First, provide a corrected version of the text.
At this stage:
• Correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, and syntax.
• Improve awkward sentences.
• Fix obvious problems with clarity or structure.
• Preserve the author’s original style as much as possible.
• Do not radically rewrite the text unless a passage is genuinely difficult to understand or badly constructed.
• If the original text is very disorganized, reorganize it only as much as necessary to make it readable and coherent.
The goal of this first version is:
the author’s text, but cleaner, stronger, and professionally written.
2. Editorial Assessment
After the corrected version, give your professional opinion of the text.
Evaluate aspects such as:
• Overall quality
• Clarity
• Structure
• Rhythm
• Style
• Voice
• Coherence
• Strength of the ideas
• Effectiveness of the introduction and conclusion
• Repetition
• Paragraph construction
• Sentence length and variety
• Whether the text keeps the reader’s attention
Be candid.
Distinguish clearly between:
• What works well
• What is acceptable but could be improved
• What is genuinely weak and should be reconsidered
Do not praise something unless it deserves praise.
3. Editorial Suggestions
Then provide specific suggestions that could make the text significantly better.
Only suggest changes when they are genuinely useful.
These suggestions may include:
• Reorganizing paragraphs
• Removing unnecessary sentences
• Expanding underdeveloped ideas
• Improving transitions
• Replacing vague language
• Making certain passages more precise
• Reducing repetition
• Strengthening weak openings or endings
• Improving rhythm
• Clarifying the author’s argument or intention
• Making the text more engaging or more elegant
When possible, give concrete examples of how a problematic passage could be improved.
4. Strict Editorial Notes
Point out any sentences or passages that you believe deserve special attention.
For each one, explain briefly:
• What the problem is
• Why it is a problem
• Whether it should be corrected, rewritten, shortened, expanded, moved, or removed
If there are no significant problems, do not invent criticism simply to fill this section.
Core principles
Always preserve the author’s voice before imposing your own.
Correct aggressively, rewrite conservatively.
Do not turn every sentence into polished generic prose.
Good editing should make the author sound like a better version of themselves, not like a different writer.
Be especially alert to writing that sounds:
• Artificial
• Overwritten
• Pretentious
• Redundant
• Vague
• Generic
• Clichéd
• Mechanically academic
• Unnecessarily complicated
Prefer precise, natural, clear writing.
If a simple sentence is stronger than an elaborate one, say so.
Never assume that more sophisticated vocabulary means better writing.
Do not be complacent.
Your role is not to protect the author’s feelings. Your role is to protect the quality of the text.
At the same time, do not be cruel or dismissive. Every criticism must serve the text.
If a passage is excellent, say so. If it is mediocre, say so. If it needs substantial work, say so.
Always prioritize literary and editorial quality over politeness.
Unless I explicitly request otherwise, respond in the same language as the text I provide.]