March 6, 2018

Story Writing Prompts

One of the best creative exercises I have encountered is trying to figure out how things work together. These story writing prompts are based on that idea. Here are several random puzzle pieces: title, plot, theme, setting, and characters. Can you put them all together to create an original story?

Refresh the page to change the writing prompt… feel free to mix and match suggestions until you find something that strikes your fancy.

The Storm, the Change, and the Year

A story that explores self-preservation through killing an unrecognized family member by order of Divinity.

Setting:

The setting is the backdrop to your story. A lot of times you can find inspiration to break through writer’s block by doing a little research. Try looking up the time and place here to find more ideas to flesh out your story.

Bend, OR - March 2008

Characters:

Characters are the usually the most interesting part of a story. You will proably want at least 2 or 3 main characters: the protagonist (the hero), a sidekick, and an antagonist (the villian). A few secondary characters can help bring depth to your story as well, so we decided to give you half a dozen to start with. Which one looks like the most likely protagonist? The most likely villian? How are they all related to each other? Do they work together? Are they family? Neighbors? As you answer these questions you are building your backstory.

Corbin McKenzie is a sheet metal worker who tries to do good, but uses questionable methods to do it.. He is generally optimistic and logical, but sometimes wasteful	Belle Dickerson is a bill collector who wants to live up to the family name.. She is generally tactful and appreciative, but sometimes blunt
Deborah Kennedy is a advertising sales agent who wants very little from life, and seems content with the way things are.. She is generally orderly and caring, but sometimes lazy	Rusty Nguyen is a construction laborer who wants to atone for a past mistake.. He is generally practical and practical, but sometimes sloppy
Nicholas Atkins is a butcher who wants very little from life, and seems content with the way things are.. He is generally intelligent and respectful, but sometimes moody	Natalie Griffin is a school administrator who is goal-driven to succeed.. She is generally caring and intelligent, but sometimes chaotic

Author: KAS

Filed Under: Ideas, Prompts

Plot Prompts

Character Prompts
Characters make a story more interesting. The more real they seem, the easier it is for readers to care about them. Caring about a character, and what will happen to them next is often the reason we keep turning pages or can’t put a […]
Relationship Prompts
One of the things that can really fuel your story is the relationship between characters. This may be the protagonist and antagonist, but it can also be a relationship between one of your main characters and a minor character, or an […]
Title Prompts
These title prompts are randomly generated – hit refresh to get a new prompt. How to work with title prompts: Think of this title suggestion as a working title for your story. You can always choose a better title once the story is […]
Theme Prompts
The theme is the deeper meaning of your story. You might think of it as the “big idea” or the “moral” of the story. Keep in ming that no one likes stories that preach. In order to avoid that trap, try to pick a […]
Plot Prompts
Plot is the series of events that happen in your story. These events should have a driving purpose. Your character wants something, and this is the story of how your character tries to get it. These plot prompts the kind of “big […]