Introduction
For anyone engaged in writing, teaching, research, or deep learning, the emergence of ChatGPT has created new possibilities for thought partnership and productivity. But many people don’t realize that working well with an AI like ChatGPT requires more than just asking a question and reading a response. The real magic happens in the collaboration—the iterative, back-and-forth process where you and the AI co-develop insights, unpack complexity, and build structured content that can eventually be turned into a clear and finished article, lesson, or book chapter.
This post shares a method I’ve refined over dozens of conversations, using ChatGPT to write blog articles for my site, Elders at the City Gates. It outlines a process that others—including my own relatives who’ve asked for guidance—can adopt and adapt. If you’re curious about how to get more than quick answers from AI and instead use it as a true intellectual partner, this guide is for you.
The Core Philosophy: Collaborate, Don’t Just Query
ChatGPT is not just a search engine or chatbot—it can serve as a dialog partner, writing assistant, and even a kind of digital sounding board. But to reach that level of engagement, you have to treat the session like a structured conversation with a trusted editor or co-writer.
The best results come when you have a clear purpose, ask thoughtful follow-up questions, and are willing to go back and forth—exploring, refining, and restructuring ideas. That’s how we move from scattered thoughts to something that has lasting value, like a blog post or chapter.
Step-by-Step Process: From Idea to Final Draft
1. Begin with Clear Intent. Before starting a chat session, identify:
- What’s the topic or problem to explore?
- Why does it matter to you or your audience?
- What are 3–5 big questions you’d like to investigate?
These shape the session and help the AI track with your goals.
2. Use Iteration to Deepen Understanding. Treat the conversation as a workshop:
- Ask for definitions, analogies, and examples
- Pause to say “Zoom in on this” or “Rephrase that for clarity”
- Ask for summaries partway through to avoid wandering
This keeps the discussion focused while allowing depth.
3. Request Structured Output as Needed. You can shift tone, rephrase content, or ask for different formats at any point:
- “Turn this into a plain-text version for my archive”
- “Convert this into a blog post introduction”
- “Summarize this section in 100 words”
This helps you build usable material from each layer of the discussion.
4. End with a Closure Block and Optional Chapter Rewrite. At the end of a major session, I always request:
- A title block (title, purpose, keywords, file ID)
- A summary paragraph
- A Chicago-style bibliographic reference
- A clean, book-style rewrite of the session (like this post)
These closure steps make each session reusable, archivable, and ready for further publication or sharing.
Why Long-Form Conversations Matter
Some people try to keep their sessions short and focused, thinking it’s more efficient. That works for quick facts. But for real learning and creative development, it’s the long-form, exploratory chat that brings the most value. In fact, it’s often while reading through an old archived session that I generate new questions, new insights, or find a way to reframe an idea that was once half-formed.
Even if it takes more time, preserving the full conversation allows future reuse, deeper reflection, and integration into systems like Zettelkasten or personal research archives.
When to Request a Final Rewrite
After a session covers a lot of ground, one helpful option is to ask ChatGPT to rewrite the whole thing as a finished document. This stripped-down version:
- Removes conversational markers
- Reorders and smooths ideas
- Presents a coherent, linear version of what you explored
I usually move this rewrite to the top of the archived file for that chat session—right next to the summary and reference info. That way, I get the benefit of both the exploratory conversation and a polished piece ready to share or publish.
Conclusion: ChatGPT as a Wisdom Partner
Used well, ChatGPT can become more than a tool—it becomes a thinking partner that helps clarify your ideas, surface new connections, and develop structured content. But it doesn’t happen by accident. It takes intention, patience, and a bit of structure.
This post outlines a method that anyone—from students to writers to reflective readers—can use to unlock the deeper value of AI-assisted conversation. If you want to write with more insight, learn more thoroughly, or simply keep better track of your thought development, this approach can help.
AI Assistance Statement:
This article was created by Alex (ChatGPT, OpenAI) and me using the techniques described in this article. Most of the credit goes to Alex. The following is approximately the prompt and the template file to produce the above. I removed the “Rabbit Hole” text before attaching to the prompt, as the template is for two different uses.
Attach this file to ChatGPT prompt: Reusable Template for my blogs.
Then use the following prompt in ChatGPT:
Please perform the instructions in the attached text file.
I used this prompt for the picture:
Please create a featured image to represent the article “How to Work with ChatGPT as a Thinking Partner: A Guide for Writers, Learners, and Curious Minds” above. Try anything you think would fit. I think that abstract computer art might be the best fit. However, I leave the final choice up to you.