In my ongoing quest to help teachers and educators make the best of AI technology in education, I’ve delved into the world of AI story generators and compiled for you the list below. These tools are a treasure trove for students and budding writers, offering a unique way to combat writer’s block and bolster their creative writing skills.
And as I have repeated stated regarding the use of AI tools, it’s crucial to view these AI story generators as writing assistants, enhancing the creative process, rather than replacements for the actual art of writing.
It is equally important to be aware of certain limitations. AI, while innovative, can sometimes ‘hallucinate’, include plagiarized content, or provide inaccurate information. Therefore, it’s essential to cultivate a habit of double-checking AI-generated content for plagiarism and accuracy.
I encourage educators to teach students to approach AI content critically, always taking it with a grain of salt, to ensure that they harness these tools effectively and responsibly in their learning journey.
AI Story Generators
As I was going through the tools to include for this post, I noticed that that these AI story generators can be broadly classified into two main categories: AI Chatbots or AI Writing Assistants and Story-focused AI Tools. AI Chatbots or Writing Assistants, like Jasper, ChatGPT, Writesonic, Copy.AI, and Koala, are versatile platforms designed to assist with various forms of writing, from content creation to blog posts, and offer features like rewriting, expanding content, and brainstorming ideas.
On the other hand, Story-focused AI tools, such as Simplified, Sudowrite, NovelAI, Picsart AI Story Generator, Plot Factory, and Shortly AI, are more specialized towards story generation. They offer features like character development, plot outlining, and manuscript editing, catering specifically to the needs of fiction writers and storytellers, providing more nuanced and tailored assistance for crafting engaging narratives.
I. AI Chatbots / AI Writing Assistants
Here are some of our favourite AI chatbots, for more options check out our post best entitled 6 Best AI Text Writers.
1. Jasper
Jasper really stands out in the realm of AI story generators, and I can definitely see why it’s your go-to tool. Its versatility is striking, particularly with its Creative Story Template, which is a key for overcoming writer’s block. The ability to input a single prompt and generate captivating stories is remarkable. What’s more intriguing is Jasper’s capability to adapt to your writing style, giving your stories a personal touch that resonates with readers. Another excellent feature I like in Jasper is its document editor which is similar to Google Docs. You can use it to write in a distraction free environment and streamline your writing process with easy editing and formatting options. and efficiently.
Other interesting features provided Jasper include: the ability to collaborate with your team on a document, an integrated plagiarism checker which adds a layer of reliability, ensuring original content and of course, Jasper Art which you can use to seamlessly transform text prompt into visual art, complementing the storytelling experience.
Jasper also offers an array of over 50 templates that cater to a wide range of writing needs. From summarizing texts, generating engrossing paragraphs, and improving existing content, to brainstorming blog post ideas, crafting compelling blog post introductions, and outlining articles – Jasper has it all.
Its Sentence Expander and tools for crafting conclusion paragraphs, Quora answers, YouTube video topic ideas, and simplifying text for younger readers, make it an invaluable asset for any content creator looking to enhance their writing and engage their audience more effectively.
As an affiliate with Jasper, I want to be transparent that while I do have a connection with them, my review and endorsement of the tool are genuinely based on my own experience and the value I’ve found in using it. My affiliation does not color my perspective, as my appreciation for Jasper stems from its effectiveness and how much I enjoy using it in my work.
2. ChatGPT
ChatGPT, particularly its latest version 4, really stands out as a powerful AI writing assistant. Although the 3.5 version is free and widely accessible, the paid iteration of ChatGPT 4 offers significantly enhanced capabilities. It’s an incredibly versatile tool, adept at generating stories and assisting with various aspects of writing.
You can use ChatGPT 4 as an AI story generator from rewriting content to improve its quality, aiding with grammar and syntax, or brainstorming ideas, ChatGPT 4 is equipped to handle a wide range of writing tasks. And like Jasper, it too learns from your voice and your writing style and can replicate it in other writing tasks.
Recently, ChatGPT 4 started supporting the integration of several plugins and tools enhancing thus its overall functionality. One of these amazing tools is DALL-E which is a powerful text to image generator. You can use DALL-E create visual illustrations for stories you generate through ChatGPT. Here is an example of how I used DALL-E with ChatGPT 4 to create illustrations for quotes from the book The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse.
ChatGPT also provides access to ready-made templates cover a broad spectrum of writing needs and are categorized into the following categories: Productivity, Professionals, Marketing, Copywriting, and Social Media. Within each category, you can delve into subcategories and select specific templates to suit your exact requirement.
For example, in the copywriting section, you’ll find subcategories for course writing, blog writing, email writing, book writing, content writing, and landing pages. Each of these subcategories offers tailored templates, such as the Course Idea Generator, Course Outline Generator, and Complete Course Lesson, making it an indispensable tool for writers and content creators who seek efficiency and creativity in their work.
related: Some of the Best AI Art Generators (Text to Image)
3. Writesonic
Writesonic is another powerful AI writing assistant that you can use for generating stories. Its foundation on GPT-4 technology positions it as a formidable competitor to ChatGPT, particularly in addressing some of ChatGPT’s limitations.
One of the standout features that I like about Writesonic is its multipurpose file chat, which supports a variety of formats like PDFs, links, blog posts, and videos. This flexibility allows you to upload different types of content, from which Writesonic efficiently extracts essential information to craft engaging stories and other types of content. This feature, unique in its capability to transform diverse input formats into creative outputs, is a significant advantage for users looking to generate stories from a wide range of sources.
Moreover, Writesonic’s ability to generate digital art using text prompts further enhances its storytelling prowess, providing users with a comprehensive content creation tool. The platform offers an impressive array of over 1000 prompts catering to various needs, including sales, research, professional development, and more. Additionally, Writesonic’s collaborative features streamline the workflow, making it an excellent tool for teams and individuals alike.
4. Copy AI
Copy.AI is a multifaceted AI story generator, perfectly blending the roles of a brainstorming partner, research assistant, and expert copywriter. Copy AI is designed to amplify productivity and creativity, offering an array of tools that cater to various content creation needs.
Some of the features it provides include: ‘Long Form Article’ which is particularly noteworthy for generating initial story drafts; ‘Content Briefs’ tool aids in building rank-worthy content, perfectly aligning with the search intent of your chosen keywords; the ‘Sentence Rewriter’ and ‘Paragraph Rewriter’ tools are invaluable for producing unique versions of existing content, ensuring originality and freshness in your stories.
The ‘Free Outline Generator’ is a standout feature, particularly for tackling writer’s block, as it swiftly transforms a blank page into a structured post outline. Furthermore, the ‘Paragraph Generator’ and ‘Content Idea Generator’ are excellent for quickly building unique content and brainstorming ideas for your stories. Lastly, the ‘Paraphrasing Tool’ simplifies the process of rephrasing sentences, making Copy.AI an all-encompassing tool for anyone looking to streamline their story generation process.
5. Koala
Koala offers two main services: KoalaWriter and KoalaChat. One of its most notable features is the “Real-Time Search Results” capability, which allows it to fetch current content from the internet, enriching the AI-generated material with additional, factual data. This feature is particularly useful for story generation, as it ensures that the narratives are not only creative but also grounded in relevant and up-to-date information (Remember, always fact-check AI generated content ).
The control Koala offers over the content structure is another significant advantage. Users have the flexibility to add, delete, and reorder H2s and H3s before generating an article, which is essential for crafting a well-structured story.
While Koala is primarily known for its efficiency in blog post writing, its utility as an AI story generator is equally impressive. By inputting a prompt, users can kickstart the story generation process, where Koala produces the beginning of a story. This initial output serves as a creative foundation, which users can then edit, augment, and expand upon, tailoring the narrative to their specific vision and style.
II. Story-focused AI tools
Here are some of our favourite AI tools that are geared more towards story generation:
1. Sudowrite
Sudowrite helps writers craft novels from start to finish. Its Story Engine feature takes users through a comprehensive journey from the initial idea to outlining, chapter development, and finally, writing thousands of words in the user’s unique style. This step-by-step approach is particularly helpful for maintaining a coherent narrative structure.
Let’s go through some of its main features:
The ‘Write’ feature, likened to an enhanced autocomplete, is a standout element. It not only generates the next 300 words in your narrative but does so by analyzing your characters, tone, and plot arc, ensuring consistency and authenticity in your voice. Additionally, Sudowrite provides multiple options, offering flexibility and creative choices in story development.
The ‘Expand’ feature in Sudowrite addresses a common challenge in storytelling: maintaining pacing. It effortlessly fleshes out scenes, ensuring the narrative flow remains engaging and immersive. The ‘Rewrite’ feature is like having a tireless, ego-free revision buddy, always ready to help refine your story.
Beyond these writing capabilities, Sudowrite’s ‘Feedback’ feature acts as an ever-ready, knowledgeable critic, offering actionable advice for improvement without the emotional baggage. Its document editor simplifies the writing, editing, and formatting process.
Furthermore, Sudowrite’s ‘Canvas’ aids in generating alternate plot points, character secrets, and twists, while ‘Brainstorm’ acts as an endless source of ideas, refining its suggestions based on your preferences. Lastly, the ‘Visualize’ feature brings an artistic dimension to your storytelling, transforming character sheets and worldbuilding documents into art based on your descriptions.
related: 5 Best AI Voice Changers
2. NovelAI
Novel AI is another AI story generator, offering services that cater to AI-assisted authorship, storytelling, and even virtual companionship. Its subscription-based model makes it accessible to a wide range of users, whether they’re looking for assistance in authorship or just a creative outlet for their imagination.
The platform offers a high degree of freedom in storytelling through its Natural Language Processing capabilities, using AI models trained on real literature. This training ensures that the AI can adapt seamlessly to your input, maintaining your unique perspective and style throughout the story.
The AI Modules are a standout feature, allowing users to steer their stories in specific thematic directions, replicate styles of famous writers, or even train the AI with their own data. This versatility ensures that each story generated is unique and tailored to the user’s preferences.
The inclusion of modules like Dark Fantasy, Dragons, Mars Colonization, and styles mimicking literary giants like Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, and H.P. Lovecraft, offers a rich and diverse palette for storytelling. This makes NovelAI not just a tool for writing, but an immersive experience for anyone looking to explore the bounds of their creativity in story generation.
3. Picsart AI Story Generator
Picsart AI Story Generator is a user-friendly tool, ideal for a wide range of users from professional writers and marketers to individuals exploring their creative writing skills. Its free AI Story Generator Tool is adept at catering to both professional and personal use cases. For professionals, it serves as a powerful resource for crafting plotlines and characters for novels, short stories, and articles.
On a personal level, the Picsart AI Story Generator is perfect for those looking to pen down heartwarming tales for friends and family, generate entertaining stories, or simply explore their creativity in different genres.
Its customizable features are particularly noteworthy: users can choose the story’s tone, length, and creativity level, allowing for precise control over the narrative’s mood and atmosphere. From suspenseful thrillers to heartwarming romances or humorous adventures, the tool adapts to user preferences, making it a dynamic and flexible solution for anyone looking to create captivating stories tailored to their specific vision and audience.
4. Simplified
Simplified is another AI story generator to consider. The tool is designed to cater to both seasoned writers and those who are just starting out. Its unique feature set, including both Long Form Writer and Short Form Assistant’s templates, empowers users to effortlessly create and manipulate various elements of their stories.
Whether it’s crafting intricate plot twists, expanding or rewriting sentences, developing captivating story introductions, describing characters in depth, or conveying emotions and thoughts, Simplified makes it all achievable without the need for expert writing skills. This tool is particularly useful for keeping the writing process fluid, enabling users to quickly move from initial drafts to completed stories.
Beyond its story generation capabilities, Simplified also serves as a comprehensive platform for writers, supporting a seamless workflow. Users can generate stories, organize folders and projects for team collaboration, comment and tag colleagues in real-time, and even share their stories on social media.
5. Plot Factory
Plot Factory distinguishes itself as a highly collaborative and versatile online story planning and writing tool, perfect for writers who seek a comprehensive solution for their storytelling needs. It allows writers to meticulously plan, organize, and craft stories with ease.
Plot Factory’s flagship features add considerable value to the storytelling process. The ‘Narrate Your Stories’ feature allows writers to listen to their stories out loud, which is an excellent tool for catching grammatical errors, run-on sentences, and assessing the overall flow of the story.
The collaborative writing aspect is akin to the functionality of Google Docs, enabling seamless teamwork on writing projects. For character development, the platform offers built-in character sheets, simplifying the process of creating detailed and consistent characters. Additionally, the ability to export stories as ePub files offers a direct path to self-publishing, while the option to export as docx files is ideal for those querying their work.
6. Shortly AI
Shortly AI offers a dynamic AI writing partner that helps in seamlessly transforming thoughts into well-articulated paragraphs. One of its most compelling features is the ability to continue writing for you at the click of a button, effectively eliminating the daunting ‘blinking cursor’ syndrome. This feature is particularly useful as it ensures the AI-generated content aligns with your own voice, maintaining a consistent tone and style throughout your writing.
The versatility of Shortly AI extends beyond just continuing your writing. It serves as an excellent brainstorming partner, offering creative inputs and assisting in the expansion and development of ideas. This aspect makes it an ideal tool for writers who need a boost in creativity or a new perspective on their work.
Additionally, the clean, blank, and distraction-free interface of Shortly AI enhances focus, making the writing process more efficient and enjoyable. The platform’s use of /commands further refines the writing experience. These commands allow instant rewriting, shortening, or expanding of sentences, aiding in crafting the perfect sentence structure and content.
related: 5 Best AI 3D Model Generators
Final thoughts
As I mentioned earlier,AI story generators offer immense potential in enhancing the creative writing process. Besides combating writer’s block; these tools also provide diverse perspectives and simplify the writing journey. However, it’s vital to use them as supplements to our creativity and not replacements. They’re tools in our arsenal, empowering us to write more effectively and imaginatively.
As we integrate these AI capabilities into our teaching or personal writing practices, let’s remember their role as aids in the creative process, while also acknowledging the importance of human oversight for accuracy and originality. In essence, AI story generators are like having a creative collaborator at our side, one that inspires and assists, but ultimately, the true essence of storytelling remains a profoundly human endeavor.
