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 World, the Year, and the Birthday

A story that explores good versus evil through bigamy.

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.

Alexandria, LA - May 1925

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.

Lucas Chandler is a kindergarten teacher who wants to find some meaning for life.. He is generally independent and tactful, but sometimes dull	Emily Chapman is a laborer who wants to find some meaning for life.. She is generally caring and lively, but sometimes dull
Taylor Blair is a dental assistant who longs to have a secure and happy life.. She is generally accurate and orderly, but sometimes obstructive	Matthew Hale is a home health aide who wants to help someone important.. He is generally humorous and tactful, but sometimes complaining
Angel Kelley is a payroll clerk who just wants to have friends.. He is generally observant and persuasive, but sometimes fanatical	Bonnie Todd is a retail salesperson who wants to be admired.. She is generally straight-forward and generous, but sometimes strict

Author: KAS

Filed Under: Ideas, Prompts

Plot Prompts

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 […]
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 […]
Setting Prompts
Setting is the time and place where your story takes place. The setting can create a mood, or add interesting facts to your story. These prompts give you a place with a map of the area. (hit refresh to get a new setting) Take a look at the […]
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 […]
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 […]