Refining Your Story with ChatGPT—Without Losing Your Voice

AI can help, but your story is the real magic.

Start with What’s Real

In almost every storytelling workshop we teach, participants realize something powerful: once they put themselves into their stories, people connect to them.

We often ask:
👉 What went through your mind?
👉 What were you worried about?
👉 How did you feel when that happened?

And it’s only once they add those personal details—those lived moments of vulnerability—that the words actually resonate.

That’s the thing—great stories don’t come from perfect writing or fancy words. They come from real experiences, real emotions, and real moments that mean something.

AI as a Helper, Not a Storyteller

Let’s be honest: if you ask ChatGPT to write a story for you from scratch, it might come up with something smooth, maybe even clever. But will it feel like you? Probably not.

AI doesn’t know what it’s like to mess up, struggle, or have that moment of realization that changes everything.

That’s where you come in. AI isn’t the storyteller—you are. But what AI can do is help you shape your story so it lands the way you want it to.

How to Use ChatGPT Without Losing What Makes Your Story Yours

Instead of saying, "Write me a story," try using ChatGPT as an editor to make your real-life story stronger.

You might say something like this:

"Here is a rough draft of my opening story for a presentation to [X] group. I want to convey [X] main message. Rather than just stating it, I want to show it through my story. Can you help me edit it to be more interesting and compelling?"

ChatGPT will generate a version to consider. But don’t just accept the first draft. Read it carefully, then ask for more edits to refine it further.

Here are some of my go-to tweaks:

✅ "Keep it interesting, but make it 15% more concise."
✅ "Add more tension—it resolves too quickly."
✅ "Please connect the ending to my main message of [X]."

Then I will read the edited draft aloud, and make more edits to make sure it’s still true to my experience, and feels like my voice. 

Your Story is the Magic—Not AI

Here’s what I know: stories change people. Not because they’re written perfectly, but because they’re true. AI can clean things up. It can even make things sound smoother. But it can’t replace you—your voice, your experience, your connection to the people who need to hear what you have to say.

Because the best stories…They aren’t written by AI. They’re lived by you.