If you haven’t got an idea, start a story anyway. You can always throw it away, and maybe by the time you get to the fourth page you will have an idea, and you’ll only have to throw away the first three pages.
– William Campbell Gault
Hello from Janice Thompson, freelance writer and speaker. I’m happy to bring you this list of creative story starters. If you have any questions about this (or any other) lesson, please feel free to leave a comment.
Let’s get off to a great start!
101 Totally Awesome Story-Starters to Get the Ball Rolling!
As long as there are writers, there will be those of us giving them encouragement to write! Story-Starters are one of the best ways to springboard a writer into a story. What begins as one person’s imaginative concept often becomes a complete story, poem, or novel with no prompting at all from the instructor. Students have a way of taking the ball and running with it on this exercise, so don’t be surprised if your imagination takes you to places you haven’t even dreamed of yet!
#1: It was my 100th birthday, and I decided to celebrate it by…
#2: Her father was a funny man who often did silly things, so it really didn’t surprise her when he…
#3: I often wonder…
#4: Sometimes, when everything is quiet, I think about…
#5: When my parents talk about the day I was born, they say…
#6: I saw her, standing silently, staring out of the window, and knew that she must be…
#7: Their voices blended in harmony, sounding more like angels than children, and I couldn’t help but think…
#8: “Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!” The eighty-two year old man stood with tears in his eyes, blowing out the candles, wishing…
#9: She climbed aboard the hot-air balloon, anxious to get on her way – up, up, up…
#10: Life in the circus certainly wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. If you didn’t believe that, just ask Timmy the tightrope walker. He would tell you…
#11: Snow covered the ground like a blanket, and I knew this day was going to be…
#12: She flipped the light on suddenly, waking me from a deep sleep. “You’re not going to believe this,” my mother said…
#13: Bobby finished reading the story of Noah and the ark just before dozing off. He dreamed the most incredible dream. You see…
#14: Courtney often wondered if she had what it took to be a doctor but discovered late one night that perhaps…
#15: A missionary’s life is full of adventure. If you don’t believe that, just ask seventy-six year old Gertrude Peterson. She’ll tell you…
#16: Baptizing the mayor of the town was going to be a little tricky, considering the fact that…
#17: Monica never considered herself to be a snob, at least not until the day…
#18: John hated to argue with his teacher, but how else could he make her understand that…
#19: It was cold and dark in the old house, and the wooden floors creaked loudly. Still, Jeremy knew that…
#20: The staircase seemed to go on forever, and yet it seemed the further she climbed…
#21: The old diary was covered in dust, a clear sign no one had read it in years. Bridget knew it wasn’t hers, but…
#22: The sun was setting over the trees, but Trey couldn’t think about that right now. He pushed his way deeper into the forest, looking for…
#23: Apples, raisins and pretzels… It wasn’t exactly what she had in mind to serve her guests, but seemed to be all Julie could find, so she…
#24: There was only one thing Ashley hated more than spiders…
#25: The funniest thing happened to me on the way to the grocery store the other day…
#26: It was a quiet place with a clear brook running through it. I just knew that this would be the place to…
#27: Bubbles soared out of the top of the washing machine, and T.J. knew…
#28: “What do you mean you’re not supposed to wash whites and colors together?” Jenny asked. “I already…”
#29: “I’ve got a nice lunch packed for you, Jacob,” his mother said, handing him a sack with five loaves of bread and two fish inside. “Now be a good boy and…”
#30: It was a long, lazy summer afternoon and Paul wanted to…
#31: “There are many trees in this garden,” God said with a smile, “and you can eat from every one – but thatone.” Adam looked at the tree curiously, wondering…
#32: “How tall is he?” little David asked, reaching for his sling-shot. “He’s taller than the trees!” his friend answered, “and not only that…”
#33: If I could travel anywhere in the world, I think I would go to…
#34: If money were no object, I would buy my mom/dad a…
#35: If cars could talk, I bet ours would say…
#36: I’m the last person on earth who would complain about a day at the beach, but…
#37: I climbed silently to the top of the tree, hoping my friends wouldn’t notice…
#38: To steal the candy would be wrong, but my friend had already…
#39: I was so hungry, I could eat a…
#40: “Poor little mutt,” Dad said, reaching down to scratch the stray behind his ears. “What do you suppose we should do with him? Maybe we should…”
#41: “Hey guys! Do you see what I see? Isn’t that Jesus out there, walking on the water?”
#42: I never dreamed I would ever meet someone this famous face to face, but here I stood, looking right into the eyes of…
#43: It was a steep hill, and a long climb to the top, but…
#44: “All I ever do is schoolwork,” Kate complained. “Couldn’t we just take a day off and…”
#45: Just as Mike was about to dive off the high board, it happened…
#46: “Everyone thinks you’re mean, Carrie. It’s because you always…”
#47: Wayne ran faster, faster, faster…
#48: Moses carried the tablet down the hill, wondering what the people would say when he told them…
#49: “Dear PenPal – How’s life in Japan? Things here are really…”
#50: “Man, it’s dark in here,” Jonah said, trying to get comfortable. “And it stinks, too. If I had everything to do over again, I would…”
#51: Billy planted the seed in the rich soil, hoping that it would grow. Was he ever surprised when…
#52: “What must I do to follow you?” the rich young ruler asked Jesus. “Ah,” Jesus replied, “that’s easy. You must give up everything.” “Everything?” he asked, looking shocked. “You mean I have to give up…”
#53: Moses held the rod in his hand, staring at the water in front of him. He could hear the hoofbeats of Egyptian horses approaching from behind. It was now or never. He stretched out his hand and…
#54: This was a funny sort of place. People walked on their hands and water ran upstream instead of down. Jennifer was particularly puzzled because…
#55: Tina sat in the porch swing next to her grandmother, listening to story after story. Her favorite was the one about…
#56: Brenda stared at the toddler in the candy store. He was throwing a temper tantrum. “When I have kids,” she mumbled to herself, “They will…”
#57: “Oh, come on Matt,” his friend argued. “It’s just a cigarette. What will it hurt, anyway?” Matt answered…
#58: “Who cares if it’s gossip?” Sally said with a laugh. “It’s no big deal to talk about someone behind their back.” Connie wasn’t so sure. In fact…
#59: “But I like heavy metal music,” Danny argued with his dad. “What’s the difference anyway? It’s not like I’m going to…”
#60: She was really surprised when her mom suggested a trip to…
#61: “The dentist?” Joey cried. “I have to go to the dentist? I’d rather go to…”
#62: Kendra let the swing pull her higher, higher, higher, until…
#63: She felt the sting of tears in her eyes but pushed them away. Cara didn’t want anyone to know…
#64: When I grow up, I want to…
#65: “The reason I’m hanging upside down from this tree,” Nick explained, “is because…”
#66: “I thought you were supposed to be my friend,” Kelli said. “Best friends don’t…”
#67: It was pouring down rain outside and the children couldn’t think of anything to do. Finally an idea came to one of them. “We could…”
#68: “Sometimes it’s hardest to show love to those you love most,” the young woman said sadly. “For example…”
#69: Sam never dreamed when he started his science experiment that…
#70: “Someday I’m going to be a famous writer,” Mark said. “I’m going to write…”
#71: Living near a freeway was quite an adventure. Every day Jody could see…
#72: Barbara sneezed loudly as the cat climbed into her lap. Stroking it anyway, she said…
#73: Wrapped up in a warm, fuzzy blanket, the young woman felt like…
#74: Picking up the telephone, the frightened mother quickly dialed 911 because…
#75: Having faith means…
#76: “Believing in God has really turned my life around,” the older man said to the younger one. “In fact…”
#77: “Mother, the most unusual thing has happened,” Mary said nervously. “You see, an angel came to visit me, and he said…”
#78: “It’s like this,” the little sheep said to his mother. “I wandered away from the fold, and then the shepherd came. He said…”
#79: “I had left home to seek my fortune in the city,” the young prodigal explained, “but…”
#80: “I was just doing my job,” the prison guard said, “when these men inside the prison started to sing…”
#81: Becca trudged through the mud, her tennis shoes soaked clear through. It wasn’t until later that she discovered…
#82: The restaurant was crowded, and Mandy couldn’t be sure which table he would be sitting at. She wasn’t sure she would recognize him anyway. After all, she hadn’t seen her father in…
#83: “I love my dog, Elmo,” the woman said, “but sometimes…”
#84: Maria took her seat in the waiting room. All around her were nervous patients waiting to see the doctor. She began to wonder…
#85: “I wonder why God made the moon so yellow,” the little boy said, looking up at the night sky. “Maybe He…”
#86: Ever since I came to know Christ, my attitude toward my parents has changed. For example, just the other day…”
#87: “God is bigger than any problem we may have,” Gloria said to her friend. “In fact…”
#88: I love my mom/dad because…
#89: “Being an only child isn’t easy,” Robert said, “but sometimes it has its advantages. Here’s one example…”
#90: “Sometimes I do things just to make my big sister mad,” Laurie said. “Take this morning, for instance…”
#91: My favorite day of the week is…
#92: My favorite season of the year is…
#93: “Being an airplane pilot would be awesome,” Ken said. “I can just see myself now…”
#94: Sometimes I’m afraid when…
#95: I feel so safe when…
#96: I love the summer because…
#97: The attic was spooky, but…
#98: “I’m not ashamed to call myself a Christian. In fact…”
#99: I love you so much that I’m going to…
#100: Forgiveness is a wonderful gift we can give one another. Sometimes it’s hard, but…
#101: For God so love the world that… (elaborate!)
