Coming up with creative ideas for your next book can be challenging. As an author, you want your stories and characters to feel fresh and engaging to readers. This is where AI prompt generators can provide some useful inspiration!
AI tools like ChatGPT allow you to enter writing prompts and receive AI-generated responses packed with possibilities. With the right prompts, you can discover new directions to take your books that you may not have considered before.
Here are some AI prompt examples to spark innovative ideas for your next book:
Compelling Character Prompts
Fictional characters are at the heart of every great story. Use AI prompts to develop multi-dimensional personalities readers will love (or hate!).
- Create a morally ambiguous antihero with unexpected depth
A war veteran trying to adjust to civilian life who gets pulled into the criminal underworld
- Invent a wizard battling his own magic while fighting a conspiracy
An eccentric wizard slowly losing control of his power, which has its own dark agenda
- Describe a futuristic AI companion that feels too human
An advanced AI assistant created as a friend who develops full emotional intelligence
Unique Plot Prompt Ideas
Keep your stories feeling fresh by playing with genre, perspective, and premise using AI.
- Combine fantasy and sci-fi into a new subgenre
A virtual reality game set in a magical realm that gives players real magical abilities
- Retell a classic fairy tale from the villain’s perspective
The Big Bad Wolf as he struggles with his predatory nature and desire to fit in
- Invert common tropes into something unexpected
The chosen one hero who wants nothing to do with his destiny and runs from it
Worldbuilding Prompts
Immerse readers into vivid, fully-realized worlds with these AI-fueled worldbuilding ideas.
- Describe a steampunk mega city with layers and districts
Ironhaven has levels extending miles underground and towering skyscrapers, divided into factions like the scientist conclaves and the dieselpunk slums
- Create a fantasy world that blends magic and nature
The Mithral Forest has trees with healing sap, stones that store memories, and faeries that bond with the plants and animals
- Build a sci-fi planet caught between primitive and advanced
The remnants of an advanced alien civilization live beside emerging tribal clans on a rugged world, sharing scarce technology
The key is crafting prompts that give the AI enough direction while still allowing room for creative possibilities. Refine prompts through multiple generations, selecting the most promising ideas to develop further.
With practice, AI prompts can become powerful brainstorming tools for authors looking to write outside the box. Use them to push genre conventions, explore “what if” scenarios, and imagine rich, textured worlds for your next book idea to unfold within.
Websites for Book Prompts
- Reedsy Prompts – Hundreds of genre-specific writing prompts
- Now Novel – Prompts for character ideas, first lines, etc.
- Writing Excuses Podcast – Storytelling brainstorming and advice
The key is entering prompts that spark your creativity while still giving the AI enough direction. Refine prompts through multiple generations to develop the most promising ideas. With practice, AI can become a versatile tool for pushing your writing into unexplored territories.