I used an AI narrative writing helper to brainstorm and now I feel like a fraud

[Muller]

Okay, I need honest opinions. I was completely stuck on my short story assignment—had the setting, had the characters, but no plot. Out of desperation, I used an AI writing tool to help me brainstorm some plot possibilities. It gave me like ten options, and one of them sparked an idea that I'm actually excited about. I wrote the whole story myself, but the initial spark came from AI. Is that cheating? The tool I used was designed specifically for creative writers to help with writer's block .

It didn't write anything for me; it just helped me think. But now I feel guilty, like I didn't really earn the idea. My story is good—maybe the best I've written—and I'm scared to submit it because what if someone asks where the idea came from? Has anyone else used AI for creative work?

Where do you draw the line between help and cheating?

 

[MaverickJ]

Let me give you the official take:

What you did = brainstorming tool. Totally fine. Writers use prompts, story generators, writing exercises—all external sparks. The key is that YOU did the actual writing. YOU made the creative choices. YOU crafted the sentences.

What would be cheating = having AI write paragraphs for you. Submitting machine-generated text as your own. That's different.

Your story is good because YOU made it good. The AI just helped you find your path. That's what tools do.

Submit with confidence. And if anyone asks? "I used a brainstorming tool to overcome writer's block." Honest and totally acceptable.