Charlotte Anderson
Journalist in Melbourne. AI helps with research and transcription — but I do all my own writing. Just to be clear.
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Stories by Charlotte Anderson
AI turned my scattered research notes into an actual essay
I was doing a short online course in psychology and had to submit a 1,500 word essay. I had two weeks of notes — highlights, random thoughts, quotes from readings — but no structure. I pasted all of it into Claude and asked it to identify the key themes, suggest an essay structure, and then help me write each section in my own voice. I told it the argument I wanted to make and it helped me build toward it logically. The AI didn't write the essay. I did. But it turned my pile of notes into something I could actually work from. The structure it suggested was better than anything I'd come up with staring at a blank page. I submitted on time. Got a distinction.
Here are my research notes for an essay on [topic]: [paste notes]. The argument I want to make is [your thesis]. Can you: 1) identify the key themes in these notes, 2) suggest an essay structure, 3) help me write an introduction that sets up my argument clearly.
Read full prompt →Using AI to transcribe and structure interview notes — journalism workflow
Just to be clear upfront: I write all my own articles. AI doesn't write my journalism. But it's transformed the administrative part of the work. Interviews. I do a lot of them. Some are recorded and transcribed, some are just notes. The process of going from raw interview content to a structured set of usable quotes and insights used to take ages. Now: I paste my raw notes or transcript and ask Claude to pull out the most significant statements, organise themes, and flag any contradictions or things that need follow-up. It doesn't write anything that goes in the article — it just organises the material I have to work with. For transcripts, it saves enormous time just having it pull direct quotes on specific topics. "Find every time the interviewee mentions the budget." Instead of re-reading 45 minutes of transcript. I also use it to check my story structure before I start writing. I paste my outline and ask if there are logical gaps or questions a reader would have that I haven't answered. Often there are. Faster research workflow. Same quality journalism. That's the deal.
Here is my interview transcript/notes: [paste]. Please: 1) Extract the 10 most significant quotes or statements, 2) Identify the main themes that emerge, 3) Flag any contradictions or inconsistencies, 4) List things mentioned that might need follow-up.
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