Alexandre Dumas—best known for classics like The Three Musketeers—was never a lone genius. In reality, he was an early advocate of collaborative writing, teaming up with 52 assistants to churn out more than 250 novels, memoirs, and plays. Notably, Auguste-Jules Maquet co-authored 19 of these works, proving that great storytelling can be a team effort.
Dumas approached his work like a well-oiled machine: first shaping the concept, then delegating the initial draft, and finally adding his personal polish to the final text. This method mirrors how we use AI today; with modern tools drafting the first version, writers can focus on designing engaging ideas and refining their work. Sure, some critics might call AI-generated writing lacklustre, but the real artistry happens during the planning and final editing stages.
