How To (Really) Write With AI — Jimmy Soni

Video Description

I interviewed Jimmy Soni, who is currently writing a book about Kobe Bryant. He spent six years on his previous book about the origin story of PayPal and has mastered the art of investigative biography. We talked about his 4am writing routine, how he blends research and writing to battle writers block, why he finds the best stories by talking to people on the periphery, his thoughts on using AI as a writing tool, and his experience creating a new publishing company. If you're interested in writing better non-fiction, doing deeper research, or finding the stories everyone else misses, this conversation will show you exactly how to do that. Enjoy! 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:37 Why Kobe Would Have Been on How I Write 00:06:19 How Kobe Turned a Poem Into an Oscar-Winning Film 00:17:00 Why Love Outlasts Ambition in True Mastery 00:25:01 Why I Protect 4AM Writing Time at All Costs 00:31:42 How Blending Research and Writing Beats Writer's Block 00:35:22 Why Great Stories Come From People on the Periphery 00:44:59 The King of Non-Fiction Biography 00:51:57 Why AI Elevates Every Stage of My Writing 00:58:39 Why AI Can't Replace Writers But Makes Them Better 01:04:07 How AI Expands Your Creative Canvas 01:11:40 The Problem with the Publishing Industry 01:20:47 Why I Wrote A Coffee Table Book Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible. Follow me Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv X: https://x.com/david_perell