Technology of Writing Hub
AI, software, and the technology writers actually need
Richard uses AI tools every day. He also knows exactly where they fail. After 33 years in enterprise IT (20 of them as Director of Computer Operations at Trader Joe’s) and a current writing practice that produces 2,000 to 12,000 words daily, these articles cover the technology side of writing from someone who works at the intersection of both fields. AI assistants, writing software, digital publishing, security, and the emerging technologies reshaping how books get written.
The articles below are honest assessments. Some of these tools are genuinely useful. Some are overhyped. A few are actively harmful to writers who don’t understand their limitations.
No pitch. No pressure.
AI and writing technology
AI is the most significant shift in writing technology since word processors. These articles cover what works, what doesn’t, what to watch out for, and the copyright implications every writer needs to understand. Richard uses AI daily in his own work, and he also knows exactly where it falls apart. For the complete, dedicated collection, see the AI & Writing Hub.
- ► Why Every Writer Should Embrace AI as a Digital Assistant
- ► Why AI Falls Short for Writers (and Where It Doesn’t)
- ► 40 AI Writing Phrases to Avoid (and What to Use Instead)
- ► How to Make AI-Generated Content Feel Real
- ► AI and Writing: What It Actually Does Well and Where It Will Wreck Your Book
- ► AI Copyright for Writers: What You’re Probably Getting Wrong
- ► Why AI Will Not Write the Book You Need
- ► AI Writing Prompts That Actually Work (and Why Yours Don’t)
- ► AI Is Not Your Friend: When Digital Assistants Replace Human Life
- ► Build a Thriving Culture: AI-Powered Strategies for Today’s Leaders
- ► ChatGPT for Content Creation: What It Does Well and Badly
- ► Microsoft Copilot vs. ChatGPT: 5 Big Differences in Writing
- ► AI Personality Test: Which Chatbot Handles Stress Best?
- ► When Your AI Assistant Becomes Your Best Life Coach (And Threatens to Haunt You Back)
- ► Why Cursing at ChatGPT Actually Works (And What This Means for Your Business Writing)
- ► Why AI Writing is Soulless: Human Heart Builds Real Authority
- ► MIT Research Shows ChatGPT Weakens Your Brain: A Professional Writer’s Guide to Using AI Without Losing Your Edge
- ► Best AI Assistants: Claude vs ChatGPT vs Grok – Real User Review
Digital writing tools and platforms
The tools you use shape how you write. These articles cover grammar checkers, publishing platforms, workspace setup, WordPress, security, and the practical side of running a writing business on digital infrastructure.
- ► Why Grammarly and ProWritingAid Are Making Your Writing Worse
- ► My Writing Setup: The Converted Dining Room Where 113+ Books Happened
- ► Writing Quality Control: From Draft to Publishable
- ► Phone Security for Writers: 8 Ways to Protect Your Work
- ► Self-Publishing Platforms: Where to Publish Your Book
- ► ACX Audiobooks: What I’ve Learned from the Process
- ► Formatting Guide: From Manuscript to Published
- ► Why I Started Offering WordPress Services for Business Owners
- ► WordPress Reality: What Nobody Tells You About Building a Website with WordPress and Elementor
- ► Home Computer Security: A Complete Guide from 33 Years in Enterprise IT
- ► Website Backup Guide: Protect Your Site From Total Disaster
- ► Robots.txt: The Most Dangerous File on Your Website and How to Configure It Without Destroying Your Search Rankings
- ► QR Codes for Authors 2025: Marketing Guide + Security Tips
- ► Tools I Actually Use
- ► When Everything Goes Wrong: A Tech Disaster That Nearly Killed a Company
- ► Your Web Designer Wrote Your Website Copy and It Shows
- ► How to Optimize Your Blog SEO: A Complete Guide for Authors
- ► Why Dictionaries Still Matter for Writers
- ► Eliminating Distractions | What Happened When I Unplugged My TV for a Decade
- ► 10 Critical Lessons on Grammar and Spelling from Word Crimes
- ► How to Get Real Value from LinkedIn Learning: A Practical Guide
- ► HARO for Authors: How to Get Media Coverage That Builds Your Authority
- ► How to Get Backlinks to Your Website: A Writer’s Guide to Link Building
- ► How Blogging on Your Author Website Sells Books
- ► Learn the Rules of Punctuation. Stop Guessing
- ► Stop Listening to the Gurus About Your Writing
- ► Core Web Vitals: The Three Numbers That Measure How Your Website Feels
- ► Divorcing Your Page Builder: What It Cost Me to Leave
- ► Why So Many WordPress Themes Are Frankenstein Monsters
- ► The Plugin Diet: Trimming WordPress Without Losing Muscle
Internet history and digital culture
The internet shaped how we write and read. These articles look at where digital culture came from, what it got right, what it got wrong, and what writers can learn from platforms that no longer exist.
- ► Discover Geocities: Internet’s Lost City
- ► Learning About the Internet: A Step-by-Step Beginner’s Guide
- ► What 40 Years Online Taught Me About Staying Safe
- ► How Not to Make Money Online (I Learned the Hard Way)
- ► The Truth About “Free Stuff” on the Internet: Exploring the Hidden Costs
- ► Obsolete Technology in Fiction: Period Details That Ground Your Story
- ► Tales from the Digital Trenches: War Stories from the Early Days of Computing
- ► What Zork, SimCity, and Oregon Trail Taught Me About Writing
- ► The Enshittification of Writing
Technical and professional writing
Technical and professional writing demands precision and clarity, often about complex subjects for readers who aren’t specialists. These articles cover documentation skills, the tools modern technical writers actually use, and how to produce user manuals, policy documents, and instructional content that gets read instead of ignored.
- ► Technical Ghostwriting: When Your Book Needs a Writer Who Understands the Technology
- ► How to Document Security Policies and Procedures: A Strategic Approach Beyond Compliance Checklists
- ► Security Policy Regulatory Documents: How to Identify, Organize, and Interpret the Standards That Apply to Your Business
- ► Software Testing: 10 Things Most Teams Get Wrong
Emerging technologies in writing
These articles cover the technology topics Richard ghostwrites about for clients: blockchain, cybersecurity, metaverse, and related fields. They demonstrate both subject matter expertise and the ability to make complex technical topics accessible to general audiences.
- ► Ghostwriting About Blockchain: 5 Practical Tips
- ► Cybersecurity Ghostwriting Services
- ► How a $3,000 Scam Became My Best Storytelling Lesson
- ► The Mars Mission: A Fascination that Could Change Everything
- ► Will Publishing a Cybersecurity Book Help Attackers?
- ► The Single Maintainer Problem: Who Keeps Your Software Alive?
- ► The First Trillionaire Is Trying to Make Us Multiplanetary. Almost Nobody Is Writing It Down.
Science fiction and technology writing
Science fiction is where technology meets storytelling. These articles and book reviews cover the craft of writing believable futures, from technique guides to analysis of series like The Expanse that get the balance between science and story right.
- ► Writing Science Fiction: World-Building, Characters, and Getting Published
- ► Ghostwriting Science Fiction: Why It’s Different from Every Other Genre
- ► The Multiverse in Fiction: Why It Works, Why It Fails, and How to Write It
- ► Why The Expanse Is the Best Science Fiction Series Ever Made
- ► I Watched the Moon Landing at Eight Years Old. It Changed Everything I Read and Wrote.
- ► Dive into Star Trek Day: 5 Glorious Moments That Moved Us
- ► Zork Chronicles: 9 Highlights from the Game That Started It All
- ► How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy (book)
- ► Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy (book)
- ► The Craft of Writing Science Fiction that Sells (book)
- ► Science Fiction Handbook (book)
- ► Science Fiction Writers’ Phrase Book (book)
- ► Aliens and Alien Societies (book)
- ► Space Travel (book)
- ► How to Write Realistic Zombies and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction (book)
Scams
Real-world case studies of scams targeting writers and business owners.
Ready to discuss your book project
Whether your book is about AI, cybersecurity, blockchain, or any other technical subject, Richard brings 33 years of enterprise IT experience to ghostwriting that makes complex topics accessible without dumbing them down.
No pitch. No pressure.