How PromptShorty Came to Be

Posted on August 25, 2025

A few months ago, my husband and I found ourselves spending afternoons writing stories with ChatGPT for our kids—our 7-year-old daughter and our 4-year-old son. Not just any stories, but fanfiction-style adventures where they were the stars, alongside their favorite Disney characters.

One night they were helping Elsa save Arendelle, the next they were flying through space with Buzz Lightyear. They loved it. We loved it. And it quickly became a little family ritual.

After the story, we’d ask the AI to create a coloring page based on the adventure. They’d sit down with crayons and markers and bring the story to life in their own way. It wasn’t just fun—it sparked their imaginations in a way we hadn’t seen before. They were excited to read the story, especially because they were in it. And they always wanted more.

Soon our daughter started asking for stories about things she was nervous about—like her first day of school. So we wrote one where she was brave and kind and made a new friend. It helped. She saw herself as the hero, and it made the real-life experience a little less scary. Our son, meanwhile, just wanted stories of him riding a T-rex like a horse (true story). And we were happy to oblige.

This all happened at a time when our daughter was just starting to read on her own. We realized that when she helped create the story, she was way more engaged. It reminded us of how picky eaters get excited about meals they help cook. When kids have a hand in creating something, they care more about it.

That’s when the idea for PromptShorty started to take shape. We wanted to build something that made reading exciting for kids—not just educational, but magical. Something that let them be the stars of the story, explore their imaginations, and feel seen.

So here we are. PromptShorty is a platform where storytelling, reading education, and AI come together. We’re building tools that help families create personalized stories that kids actually want to read. Stories that help them dream big, feel brave, and fall in love with reading.

We’re just getting started, but we’re so excited about what’s ahead.