It’s alright. Your 20s are not about being a published writer. You experiment. You erase. You edit yourself, not just on the page, but in life. You let your characters be flawed. You let yourself be flawed. You write stories that are half truth, half fiction, and yet fully yours.

But life, in its mischievous wisdom, threw me a lifeline during my board exams. Our school switched math teachers, and the temperature dropped from volcanic to room temperature just like that. The new teacher, let’s call him Mr. Calm-and-Clarity, was firm yet kind.

You can also try “model-guided prompting.” This works well if you’re a bit fuzzy on the details yourself. It’s a great way to feed your own ideas into the AI, and then the AI uses that info to give you exactly what you need.

The simple act of articulating your challenges, of hearing others voice their own, can be profoundly liberating. It breaks the illusion of isolation, reminding you that you are not alone in this journey. It validates your feelings, dispels the guilt, and provides a sense of belonging.

This practice makes the critic less jarring and more like a calm reminder. After your first draft, take a short break. Then come back and read your work out loud. Pick three lines you love. These are your strengths. Polish around them. Tidy up weak spots and keep the parts that sing. Think of revision as gentle sculpting, not harsh cutting.

We reflect the gold they didn’t even know they had. That’s the job. It’s not showy. It’s not always credited. But it’s essential. You’re the one who can hear narrative tension in a throwaway anecdote. You know how to ask, “Tell me more about that?” in a way that leads to something honest. You can see — sometimes before they can — how the story will land.

The simple act of articulating your challenges, of hearing others voice their own, can be profoundly liberating. It breaks the illusion of isolation, reminding you that you are not alone in this journey. It validates your feelings, dispels the guilt, and provides a sense of belonging.

Compare a bland description like, “This lamp brightens up your room,” with, “Change your living space with our elegantly designed lamp—it’s like inviting a gentle sunset into your home.” The second description doesn’t just sell a lamp, but an experience.

Truth be told, spending prolonged periods in an urban environment can create a disconnect from these fundamental, often overlooked, aspects of communication. We become accustomed to the sophisticated jargon, the sleek visuals, and the calculated marketing strategies of the urban world. But the hinterland offers a stark contrast, a reminder of the power of simplicity, authenticity, and raw, unadulterated creativity.

Like Tajha, I now work with businesses to distil their identity into words—words that are sharp, specific, and emotionally resonant. When she spoke about AI tools, it wasn’t in the voice of a technophile or a sceptic. It was a realistic evaluation from someone who’s watched the newsroom become the brand studio and seen the red pen yield predictive text.

Centre your narrative around the emotions you wish to evoke. Ask yourself: What do I want my readers to feel after reading this? Joy, hope, empathy? Ensure every sentence contributes to that emotional journey.