Brainstorm story ideas with an AI bot
Bots are idea fountains; their first ideas are usually the most generic.
What to do
- Ask for 20 ideas, then throw away the first 10.
- Add constraints: setting, era, theme, a strange object.
- Ask "what would make this surprising?"
- Combine two unrelated ideas.
Copy this prompt
Give me 20 story premises about [theme] set in [place/era]. Avoid clichés like [list]. Make each one sentence with a character, a want and an obstacle. Then tell me which 3 are least predictable and why.Check the bot's work
Pick the one you can't stop thinking about.
Questions
Can I trust the bot on brainstorming?
Use it to plan and explain, then verify. Pick the one you can't stop thinking about.
Which bot works best?
Grok Bot, ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini all handle this prompt. Paste the same prompt into two and compare; disagreements show where to check a source.
Where these facts come from
- U.S. Copyright Office: Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
- U.S. Copyright Office: Registration guidance for works containing AI-generated material (2023)
- Poetry Foundation: Glossary of poetic terms
Copyright rules for AI-assisted work are evolving. This is general information, not legal advice. Checked Oct 30, 2026.
Creative writing with bots · Ideas and structure: all lessons → Next: Plot and outline →