Last Updated on September 4, 2024
Creative writing is not every writer’s forte. But even the most prolific fiction writers often have to contend with the dreadful writer’s block from time to time. Also known as inspiration barriers, writer’s block describes an experience during writing when the mind implodes so that no fresh ideas come in or flow out. This phenomenon typically results from fatigue (such as when writing a longer story for hours on end) or monotony (such as when writing shorter but starkly similar pieces). But it can occur anytime and usually without warning. When writer’s block strikes, the first instinct is usually to engage in distracting activities as you wait to recharge. These activities can range from taking a leisure walk to watching a movie, singing, dancing, and gardening. Most of these distractions may succeed in getting your creative juices flowing once again. But they’re not very effective when you need to turn in a piece on short notice. That’s where AI story generators come in handy.What Are AI Story Generators?
An AI story generator is pretty much what the name implies – artificial intelligence-powered software programmed to aid in story writing. These software use sophisticated story generator algorithms (SGAs) to convert written prompts into longer stories. The concept behind SGAs is to brainstorm ideas with a view to helping you bypass writer’s block. However, AI story generators differ considerably in terms of their output length. Some tools will only suggest the next few sentences based on the prompts fed into them. Others can draft a whole story, leaving you to simply proofread and turn the work in. Sounds like every creative writer’s dream! But as you may have already guessed, there’s the little challenge of finding the best AI story generator for you. You need a tool that combines user-friendliness, speed, accuracy, and other add-on features like the ability to craft SEO-friendly pieces. Here’s a roundup of ten such programs.10 Best AI Story Generators
1. Jasper AI
Pricing: Plans start from $40/month
Jasper AI is a leading artificial intelligence story generator used by thousands of writers worldwide to get past writer’s block. This tool can come in handy when you’re uncertain and unconfident of your next few lines.
The storyteller integrates with plagiarism software to ensure that the suggested lines are 100% original. It also integrates with Surfer, making it a perfect choice for crafting SEO-friendly content.
Besides whipping SEO-friendly and non-plagiarized content, Jasper AI is also reliable when it comes to creating engaging write-ups. The content will sound so natural that most people will not immediately tell that it was generated by an AI program.
There are various templates, such as Creative Story and Blog Post Outline, which you can readily deploy to generate ideas for your content. And if you need to accompany your write-ups with images, there’s a massive library of those at Jasper.ai/art.
2. ClosersCopy
Pricing: Plans start from $49.99/month
ClosersCopy was designed explicitly to generate fresh ideas for fiction writers. However, this AI storyteller has become a darling of other content writers as well.
The program uses a neural network to suggest ideas and outlines based on the user’s inputs. Simply type in a few phrases of what you’re looking for and then let the tool brainstorm ideas for you. You can share the suggestions with your team members to get feedback on them.
ClosersCopy comes with additional customization features that enable it to create stories relevant to the input commands. These include the options for choosing the genre, length, and writing style. Note, however, that the tool will not always meet the requested word count. That’s actually a blessing in disguise, as it gives you an opportunity to assess the article for aspects like relevance and coherence while also adding a human touch to it.
Despite its many advanced storytelling features, it’s great to know that ClosersCopy developers are continually updating the app to give writers an even better experience.
3. Shortly AI
Pricing: Paid plans start from $65/month (billed annually)
Shortly AI is another AI storytelling application on this list that has proven effective at tapping into writers’ creative minds. The software may not have too many bells and whistles. But it delivers on its primary objective.
Shortly AI specializes in blog posts and story writing. The platform is quite intuitive and easy to use, as it looks pretty much like your regular Word document.
To use Shortly AI, you’ll need to select “I’m writing a story.” You then input your title and the first few words before selecting the characters, plot, genre, and tone in “Story background.” Keep all your instructions within 500 characters.
Once done, select the output length and hit “Write for me” to have the program turn in the first few paragraphs. You can assess the output for relevance and if everything looks good, press the button to keep going. There’s the option of adding more commands to the background with each press. You can also edit the output on the go or later on after saving it.
4. DeepStory
Pricing: Paid plans start from €12.99/month; a free trial available
DeepStory is an AI script writer and story generator originally developed by ScriptBook in 2017. It’s one of the AI storytellers that predate GPT models yet are nearly as effective as these models.
DeepStory AI is proprietary. That means it comes with a degree of specificity, unlike traditional GPT-powered AI storytellers.
As its description suggests, DeepStory mainly generates content in precise script forms. The tool is an invaluable asset for budding screenwriters who’re still struggling with structure and outline.
The most effective way to use DeepStory is to initiate your own scripts and then allow the program to suggest actions, dialogs, and character notes. Alternatively, you can take inspiration from tons of Oscar-winning sample scripts, including those from ‘Lord of the Rings,’ ‘Exorcist,’ and ‘Kill Bill,’ to mention but a few.
5. InferKit
Pricing: Plans start from 20/month; a free trial available
User-friendliness is arguably the most important feature an AI story generator should have. And that might explain why programs like InferKit enjoy such a massive clientele, from fiction writers to journalists and even app developers.
InferKit helps you generate stories with just two clicks. Simply write some words in the provided field and click “Generate Text.” The tool will then use its cutting-edge neural network to come up with what it deems relevant to your prompts.
Another thing to love about InferKit is that it provides both a web interface and an API for generating AI stories. Depending on your plan, you can use the tool to generate stories of any length.
The free version lets you write up to 10,000 characters per week while the cheapest premium plan supports up to 600,000 characters monthly.
6. Novel AI
Pricing: Paid plans start from $10/month; a free trial available
Most AI story generators are designed primarily to beat writer’s block. However, Novel AI comes with additional features that make it both fun and engaging to use.
One such function is the Adventure Text Module which makes writing feel almost like an adventure-filled experience. Instead of simply inputting a text prompt, this feature allows you to instruct Novel AI that the prompt is a “Do,” “Say,” or “Story.”
There are plenty of other admirable things about Novel AI, including Config Preset which determines how the story unfolds. This feature will suggest whether your narrative is better rendered in prose or poem.
To give you higher control of the story writing experience, Novel AI lets you adjust the levels of randomness and repetition. This ultimately boosts coherence, making the output sound incredibly realistic.
7. Canva
Pricing: Paid plans start from $12.99/month; a free version also available
We should probably begin by pointing out that Canva provides a suite of automated services, with storytelling being just one of its many offerings. The tool does an excellent job at stimulating your creative imagination so you can dispense with a writing assignment fast.
To make a story using Canva, you’ll need to start by launching Canva Docs. You’ll then choose Magic Write™ from the dropdown menu that appears.
Next, add your prompts by keying in the relevant keywords and hit Enter. If the prompt looks good, complete the process by hitting Enter or Return.
Note that Canva is more effective at generating short stories. That means you’ll need to flesh out the output on your own. And like any AI story generator, you’ll still have to edit the write-ups to give them a human touch.
8. SudoWrite
Pricing: Plans start from $10/month; a free trial available
When you’re stuck with a story and the deadline is fast approaching, you deserve a tool that can expedite the process without compromising quality. And that tool is none other than SudoWrite.
SudoWrite works incredibly fast. The AI-powered storyteller also maintains a remarkably user-friendly interface. It deploys a combination of advanced natural language processing and machine learning algorithms to suggest relevant keywords based on the input commands.
SudoWrite also suggests helpful synonyms which can go a long way in improving readability and uniqueness. The program provides other useful insights into reader reactions, allowing you to customize your story to suit the intended audience.
To test this software, simply pick a genre and choose whether the assignment is a Writing, Description, or Rewriting. Then, click “Try Sudowrite for free.”
9. Rytr
Pricing: Paid plans start from $9/month; a free version also available
Rytr is an awesome tool for jumpstarting your creative writing assignment. The software is effective at generating all manner of stories. You can use it to get help with your fictional novel, landing page copies, product descriptions, SEO titles, social media profile bio, testimonials and reviews, etc.
Rytr is also fairly affordable. With premium plans starting from as low as $9 per month and a free version to boot, it’s easy to see why the tool is a favorite of budding creative writers.
Rytr maintains several use cases to help writers keep going. Fictional writers will particularly benefit from the Story Plot feature that automatically generates paragraphs from simple keywords. All a user needs to do is detail their characters, specify the genre, and provide the sub-plots.
There are numerous tones to experiment with too, including ‘awestruck’ and ‘critical.’
10. StoryLab
Pricing: Paid plans start from $5/month; a free version also available
StoryLab comes with all the basic features you’ll find in most artificial intelligence story generators. So, what makes it special?
For starters, this application leverages an advanced neural network to produce high-quality write-ups. Its algorithms are so effective that they can generate reasonably long passages from five-word prompts.
StoryLab also offers tons of customization features. These include the provision for choosing the genre, length, and writing style.
Suffice it to mention that StoryLab is affordable and easy to use too. To use the app, select the type of copy you need to write, input a few keywords, and get your copy. The copies will typically come in the form of detailed outlines based on your story plot. You can improve them further to fine-tune the final write-up to your liking.
Final Word
AI story generators are disruptive software that have magically transformed the content creation industry. However, no machine will ever replace human intelligence. So, while you can use the above applications to whip creative pieces, remember that your input will always be required to make the write-ups sound more realistic.