Creative Stories turn one idea into a personalized narrative built around a child’s world. Use them for imagination, curiosity, reading together, cultural or family moments, or to explore a topic through story.
Why personalize a creative story?
Make the child part of the narrative: choose how the hero looks and add familiar people or interests.
Connect reading with curiosity: begin with a question, favorite topic, or imaginative possibility.
Make abstract ideas easier to discuss: a story can give families a shared starting point for conversation.
Bridge the screen to real life: read together, act out a scene, draw a new ending, or continue the adventure offline.
Before you begin
You can start creating without logging in. Nookly will ask you to log in or provide an email when it is time to save, purchase, or continue beyond the guest flow.
Step 1: Open Creative Stories
Open Create and choose Make one thing.
Select Story, then Create a story. From the full selector, choose Creative Stories.
On the Creative Story page, describe the story in one sentence. A feeling, moment, wish, question, or adventure is enough.
Use an idea suggestion or Surprise me if you want inspiration.
Select Start creating.
Step 2: Choose the story’s hero
Choose Start with a photo to upload a reference photo, or Describe their look to use the character form. Review the generated character before continuing. Only include information needed to personalize this story.
Step 3: Add familiar people and interests
The first content-details page lets you add optional familiar people—such as a parent, sibling, friend, teacher, grandparent, or pet—and interests the child loves. Select Next when those details are complete.
The second details page confirms the language and lets you add up to 300 characters of extra context. Use this field for a meaningful object, family phrase, setting, motivation, or other detail that should shape the story. Then select Let’s write [child’s name]’s story.
Step 4: Open the story draft
Nookly first shows a story-studio preview confirming that the plot and hero are ready. Select Review and edit captions to open the full draft.
Step 5: Review and edit the draft
The draft page shows the book title and every numbered page caption. Before illustration:
Read the whole story for continuity, tone, age fit, names, and sensitive details.
Select Edit book title to change the title.
Select Edit to enter page-editing mode.
Tap a page’s text to revise it.
Drag page cards to reorder them.
Delete a page or choose + Click to add a page here when needed.
Select Save changes when the draft is ready.
Each caption guides the illustration for that page, so keep visual details clear and consistent.
Step 6: Revise or start fresh
If the story needs a broader change, select Write a fresh version. Choose Revise draft for a targeted instruction, or Start fresh for a new version with a Snappy, Balanced, or More story pace.
Step 7: Continue to checkout [if not subscribed]
Select Continue after approving the draft. Follow the live account, email, credit, subscription, or purchase steps shown. Review current terms on the live page before proceeding.
Step8: Adjust your supporting cast
Select Continue after approving the draft. Follow the live account, email, credit, subscription, or purchase steps shown. Review current terms on the live page before proceeding.
Step 9: Review and Edit your images
After finalizing your cast, you'll be redirected to review your draft and edit text and images.
You can click on the text and edit its content, font size, font-weight and underline. You can also change its position on the screen by clicking on the grid icon.
For images, you can describe your edit, replace the background with a white fill or upload a reference photo to influence the change applied.
Good to know
Start with one sentence; add more detail only when it improves the story.
Balanced interests make the story feel relevant without crowding out the plot.
Review generated language before sharing it with a child.
Nookly supports family learning and creativity; it does not guarantee a learning or behavioral outcome.