Story Ideas

I'm always creating or researching ideas to use in a story. They say every story has already been told but it is how you tell it and change it that makes it memorable.

Try out a few ways to get that creative mojo going:

  1. Try listening to a song or instrumental with the theme of what you want to create. If it's horror, have the music be sinister. If it's romance, have love songs playing in the background, etc. Do a free write for 5 to 10 minutes and see what comes out.
  2. Look at a random photo and create a story from that.
  3. Do character sketches then have the characters lead you down the rabbit hole.
  4. Watch your favorite movie then think of a version from the point of view of another character.
  5. Watch a movie you hate and make it better.
  6. Read some local news stories (current or old) then create a story from it.
  7. Role play with your child's dolls or stuff animals. something inspirational might come out of that.
  8. Take an old legend or fairy tale or play or horror story and create a new way of looking at it. Maybe a different time or use animals, or aliens, instead of people.
  9. Mix a movie and novel together. 
  10. Research about a historical moment then rewrite it. What would have been the outcome if certain things happened differently in our past?
  11. Or just write and see what sparks!

Some story ideas:

  • Write about something that happened in your past but change it to what could have or what you wanted to happen.
  • Write about your favorite pet being the villain or hero of the story.
  • Write about your last vacation but add something to it: an element of romance or suspense or horror.
  • Write about an inanimate object that has special powers and now can talk.
  • Think of something that usually is harmless, then write a story about how it can be terrifying.
  • Watch a reality TV show, then write what would really happen if the cameras were off and there was no security guards around.
  • Watch your baby and write the day in the life of a baby's thoughts. 
  • Think what scares you and write about how a character is haunted by the same thing(s). How would the hero deal with it? What happens?
  • Write about a time you were lost, mentally or physically.
  • Write about a favorite literary character in a different novel or movie. How would they interact with those characters? Would they mix up the story and turn it around? Or would they emerge as the story's new hero?
  • Write about a room in your house/apartment. If these walks could talk type of scenario. What would they say?

Make sure your stories follow the basic plot line. Key points being:

The inciting incident (=what gets the ball rolling your story)

Complication(s)(=obstacles that the protagonist faces as the story leads to the climax)

Conflict(= the climax, where the protagonist confronts the problem in the story and the final showdown with the antagonist.)

Resolution(= the ending, the aftermath of the conflict)

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