The Feedback Loop

How AI Can Help You Take Your Essay from Good to Great

Breaking the Myth of the Lone Writer

Writing has long been romanticized as a solitary act—the image of the writer alone at a desk, agonizing over every sentence, waiting for inspiration to strike. But what if the secret to great writing isn’t isolation, but collaboration—even if that collaboration comes from AI?

That’s what I discovered when I set out to refine an essay that was good, but not quite great. I wanted it to land harder, flow smoother, and leave a deeper impact. But like many writers, I was too close to the work to see exactly what wasn’t working. That’s when I decided to use two AI tools in tandem: our very own Great Dames Essay Coach and ChatGPT.

One gave me structured, objective feedback, while the other helped me brainstorm, rework, and refine. Together, they created a feedback loop—a cycle of critique and revision—that took my essay to a whole new level. And the process wasn’t just efficient; it was surprisingly creative.

Here’s how I used AI not just to edit my essay, but to fundamentally rethink it—and how you can use this same process to elevate your own writing.

The Starting Point — A “Good” Essay That Needed More

I started with an essay titled “When Silence Isn’t Neutral”, a reflection on a moment where my inaction in a meeting left someone unsupported. It explored themes of allyship, complicity, and the weight of silence. The bones were strong—the message was clear—but I knew it wasn’t hitting as hard as it could.

I liked parts of it. The tension in the opening scene worked. The core message landed. But something felt… flat. The pacing lagged in places, transitions felt abrupt, and the conclusion didn’t quite deliver the emotional impact I was aiming for.

This is where many writers hit a wall. You know something’s off, but you can’t quite see it. Or worse—you know what’s wrong but don’t know how to fix it.

That’s when I decided to test a new approach: creating a feedback loop between Great Dames Essay Coach and ChatGPT.

Building the Feedback Loop — Two AI Tools, One Collaborative Process

1. The Great Dames Essay Coach — Objective, Structured Feedback

First, I ran the essay through Great Dames Essay Coach, a tool designed to evaluate essays based on specific criteria:

• Narrative Pacing & Flow

• Voice & Style

• Depth of Reflection & Personal Insight

• Thematic Resonance & Reader Connection

• Conclusion & Lasting Impact

Instead of vague advice like “tighten this up” or “make it more engaging”, I got precise feedback. The tool highlighted that the transition between the meeting scene and the reflective analysis felt abrupt, disrupting the essay’s flow. It pointed out that while the voice was engaging, it sometimes shifted into a more instructional tone, losing its reflective edge.

But what really clicked was the feedback on the conclusion:

“The ending is reflective but could be more impactful by showing how the author’s behavior has concretely changed since the initial moment.”

That was the kind of insight I needed—not a full rewrite, but tweaks that would deepen emotional resonance.

2. ChatGPT — Real-Time Revision & Creative Brainstorming

Armed with that feedback, I turned to ChatGPT for the next phase: reworking the essay.

I started with the rough transition the Essay Coach had flagged. I asked ChatGPT:

“How can I make the shift from the meeting scene to the reflection smoother, so it feels like the weight of the moment lingers?”

It suggested adding a paragraph where the narrator lingers in the empty meeting room, feeling the unspoken tension before leaving—letting the emotional weight sink in before launching into reflection. The result? A much smoother, more cinematic transition:

“The meeting wrapped up like any other—papers rustled, chairs scraped back—but I stayed seated, my hands flat against the table. No one noticed. Or maybe they did and chose not to. Her words, the ones that never got the space they deserved, hovered in the air long after the room emptied.”

ChatGPT didn’t just fix structure—it helped deepen the emotional tone.

Then came the humor. I wanted to add a moment of levity to break up the heaviness. I told ChatGPT I wanted to include something about being British and the cultural obsession with politeness. It came back with:

“Because I’m British—and generations of social conditioning have hardwired me to treat politeness like it’s a moral obligation. We’re trained from birth to apologize when someone else steps on our toes, to queue without complaint, and to avoid confrontation like it’s a national sport. Speaking up? That’s practically rebellion.”

It was exactly the right kind of humor—self-deprecating but on-theme.

3. The Iterative Loop — Feedback, Revise, Repeat

The beauty of this process wasn’t in a single “aha” moment—it was in the loop. I’d take a new draft back to Great Dames, get fresh feedback, then return to ChatGPT to tweak again.

• When Great Dames noted the conclusion still felt too abstract, I worked with ChatGPT to craft a new ending where the narrator has a moment of growth—speaking up in a later meeting, showing change rather than just reflecting on it.

• When the tool suggested the examples of allyship were too workplace-focused, ChatGPT helped me broaden the scope to include family dynamics, public spaces, and online interactions.

The essay got sharper, deeper, and more dynamic with each cycle.

What Changed? — From Good to Great

The final essay wasn’t radically different in structure—it was sharper in its emotional impact, smoother in its flow, and clearer in its message.

Here’s what the feedback loop unlocked:

• Smoother Transitions: The abrupt scene shifts now felt natural and reflective.

• A Stronger, Consistent Voice: The blend of humor, vulnerability, and reflection became seamless.

• Deeper Emotional Resonance: I leaned into the shame, guilt, and eventual growth in the narrative, giving the essay more heart.

• A More Impactful Conclusion: Rather than reflecting on growth, I showed it in action.

But the feedback loop didn’t stop at the essay’s structure or emotional depth—it extended to the title itself.

Originally, the essay was called “When Silence Isn’t Neutral”. It was solid, but it lacked the urgency and clarity around the central theme of allyship. I asked ChatGPT for ideas that emphasized both the cost of inaction and the power of allyship. After testing a few options, I landed on something stronger and more direct:

The Cost of Saying Nothing: Why Silence Isn’t Neutral—And How Allies Can Make a Difference

This new title framed the essay’s core message with more weight and made the role of allies unmistakable.

And here’s the thing: this process didn’t just make the essay better—it made me a better writer. Seeing how small tweaks shifted emotional tone or clarified structure taught me to notice those gaps sooner.

Why This Feedback Loop Works — And How You Can Use It

The real magic wasn’t in using AI—it was in how the tools complemented each other:

• Great Dames Essay Coach gave me objective, structural insights.

• ChatGPT offered creative solutions for applying those insights.

• The iterative loop kept me moving forward, refining with every round.
  

💡 Want to Try It Yourself? Here’s How:

1. Get Structured Feedback: Use tools like Great Dames Essay Coach to identify gaps in pacing, depth, and thematic clarity.

2. Brainstorm & Revise with ChatGPT: Use AI as a thought partner—whether you need smoother transitions, stronger emotional beats, or sharper conclusions.

3. Repeat the Loop: The first round will improve your essay. The second (or third) will perfect it.

4. Bring in Human Readers (If You Want): AI can take you 80% of the way there—but human feedback still catches what algorithms miss.
   

Conclusion — Rethinking What It Means to “Write Alone”

I used to think writing was a solo act. And sure, the heart of any essay still comes from the writer. But this process showed me that the right tools can act as collaborators—not replacing my voice, but helping me sharpen it.

The feedback loop didn’t just fix weak spots in my essay—it challenged me to go deeper, to rethink structure, tone, and emotional stakes.

And the best part? You can replicate this process for any essay.

AI can’t replace the messy, human parts of storytelling. But it can act as a mirror, a sounding board, and sometimes, the editor who sees the flaws you can’t.

Because sometimes, taking your essay from good to great isn’t about starting over—it’s about seeing it through a clearer lens.

💡 Bonus:
Want to see how it worked? Try running your next essay through a similar feedback loop and see how the layers of depth start to build.

Robert Ford followed the call to "Go West, Young Man," moving from the UK to the US in 1995, drawn by its can-do culture and deep-rooted spirit of giving back. In 2010, he proudly became a US citizen.

Robert writes about technology, storytelling, and culture on Substack and helps organizations navigate the digital landscape through his consultancy, Digitis.

Because investing in ideas—and the next generation—is how we shape the future.