Story Starters - Page Two
Inspiration from the Old Gray Lady
Here are ten words and/or phrases found in the stories and headlines of today's New York Times. How many can you use in the same story or scene?
Polygamists
young video makers
suspects
airline passengers
oil profits
wave of lawsuits
boos from the crowd
priorities
technical factors
slow results
Here are ten words and/or phrases found in the stories and headlines of today's New York Times. How many can you use in the same story or scene?
Polygamists
young video makers
suspects
airline passengers
oil profits
wave of lawsuits
boos from the crowd
priorities
technical factors
slow results
Criminal Confession - What do you do?
Your character offers public answers to private problems. Perhaps they are a radio DJ pop psychologist or maybe they write a Dear Abby type column. One day, they get a stunning confession of a most horrible crime -- perhaps the molestation and murder of a child or a wife who is bludgeoned to death or a series of campus rapes.
Does your character believe the confession or does she/he treat it as a prank? What happens next?
How does the relationship between the protagonist and the confessed criminal develop and what twists and turns does it take? What integral role does your character play in apprehending this criminal? Remember, it is the actions of your protagonist that will drive the engine of your story forward.
And in the end, do the two opposing characters actually find something in each other that they can respect? Can "one of the bad guys" actually have any redeeming qualities or is that breaking the rules?
Would you write this as a screenplay or novel? Which form do you think would best serve your story?
Your character offers public answers to private problems. Perhaps they are a radio DJ pop psychologist or maybe they write a Dear Abby type column. One day, they get a stunning confession of a most horrible crime -- perhaps the molestation and murder of a child or a wife who is bludgeoned to death or a series of campus rapes.
Does your character believe the confession or does she/he treat it as a prank? What happens next?
How does the relationship between the protagonist and the confessed criminal develop and what twists and turns does it take? What integral role does your character play in apprehending this criminal? Remember, it is the actions of your protagonist that will drive the engine of your story forward.
And in the end, do the two opposing characters actually find something in each other that they can respect? Can "one of the bad guys" actually have any redeeming qualities or is that breaking the rules?
Would you write this as a screenplay or novel? Which form do you think would best serve your story?
Stranded at the Mall During Xmas Rush
Pick a "device" (natural disaster, robbers, whatever circumstance) that forces a group of people to stay together and work together to escape a shopping mall at the height of the rush shopping season.
Why are they stuck?
Why are they stuck with each other? How did this disparate group of individuals end up together?
Who are the individuals (see below to get some ideas or make up your own characters)?
What steps do they take to escape?
What stands in their way (who or what is the opposing force)?
What setbacks and reversals do they have?
What surprises and twists do we discover as an audience?
Do they escape? How?
Would you write this as a comedy or a thriller or horror or what?
SOME CHARACTER IDEAS:
Mother cut off from her children or the reverse, children separated from their mother
Businessman who was shopping for a mistress and his resentful assistant who never approved of being drawn into his personal life
Shoplifting drug addict
Janitorial employee
Sales Staff (male? female? What ages? One or two? Do they like each other?)
Delivery guy
Young marrieds still in love
Grandparents couple
Wealthy matron
...or make up your own character ideas!
So how do these people talk to each other? What conflicts might they have? How do they resolve them or do they stay fighting? How do they work together to escape? Who leads? Which characters have important knowledge and skills vital to the escape or do they all have something to offer?
How does the pressure/tension of the situation work to increase the conflict amongst the characters?
Pick a "device" (natural disaster, robbers, whatever circumstance) that forces a group of people to stay together and work together to escape a shopping mall at the height of the rush shopping season.
Why are they stuck?
Why are they stuck with each other? How did this disparate group of individuals end up together?
Who are the individuals (see below to get some ideas or make up your own characters)?
What steps do they take to escape?
What stands in their way (who or what is the opposing force)?
What setbacks and reversals do they have?
What surprises and twists do we discover as an audience?
Do they escape? How?
Would you write this as a comedy or a thriller or horror or what?
SOME CHARACTER IDEAS:
Mother cut off from her children or the reverse, children separated from their mother
Businessman who was shopping for a mistress and his resentful assistant who never approved of being drawn into his personal life
Shoplifting drug addict
Janitorial employee
Sales Staff (male? female? What ages? One or two? Do they like each other?)
Delivery guy
Young marrieds still in love
Grandparents couple
Wealthy matron
...or make up your own character ideas!
So how do these people talk to each other? What conflicts might they have? How do they resolve them or do they stay fighting? How do they work together to escape? Who leads? Which characters have important knowledge and skills vital to the escape or do they all have something to offer?
How does the pressure/tension of the situation work to increase the conflict amongst the characters?
Three Things
Pick a group of three things from the list below and write a story or scene using all three of those elements:
1. candy wrapper, wooden boardwalk, roller coaster
2. dented car bumper, hairpin, contact lens
3. dentist chair, carousel horse, newspaper reporter
4. grocery cart, stuffed animal, police officer
5. lettuce, neon sign, parking lot
6. swingset, smoke, trash can
7. ocean waves, radio signal, frightened child
8. cup and saucer, framed photograph, piano
9. picnic table, dead bird, flashlight
10. dance instructor, street sign, dog leash
Pick a group of three things from the list below and write a story or scene using all three of those elements:
1. candy wrapper, wooden boardwalk, roller coaster
2. dented car bumper, hairpin, contact lens
3. dentist chair, carousel horse, newspaper reporter
4. grocery cart, stuffed animal, police officer
5. lettuce, neon sign, parking lot
6. swingset, smoke, trash can
7. ocean waves, radio signal, frightened child
8. cup and saucer, framed photograph, piano
9. picnic table, dead bird, flashlight
10. dance instructor, street sign, dog leash
Your character works in the home of a wealthy individual. They discover something that could destroy their employer's life.
What is your character's job? Was your character looking to hurt their employer or do they feel protective of that employer? What is the relationship between them like? Is the employer a decent person or evil? Are they a victim here or a criminal? What does your character do with this discovery? What are the consequences of their actions?
What is your character's job? Was your character looking to hurt their employer or do they feel protective of that employer? What is the relationship between them like? Is the employer a decent person or evil? Are they a victim here or a criminal? What does your character do with this discovery? What are the consequences of their actions?
The Story Starter
The Story Starter randomly generates 1,862,718,000 story starters. This idea generator can be used for short stories, novels, plays, scripts, or just for fun.
The Story Starter randomly generates 1,862,718,000 story starters. This idea generator can be used for short stories, novels, plays, scripts, or just for fun.
Story Device: What would you do for Love?
Your children are hungry and food banks and church programs only go so far. School is starting and they need clothes, new shoes, school supplies. Christmas or a birthday is coming up soon. And you don't have any money.
What would you be willing to do for them? How many times have you thought to yourself, "Oh, I'd never do that...?" Would you be willing to do it now?
Use the above as a story starter or dream up a totally new character facing extreme circumstances and give that character the choice of doing something for the sake of Love that they never imagined they were capable of doing.
Does Love give us extra strength or will power or courage? How so? How can you use that in a story?
Your children are hungry and food banks and church programs only go so far. School is starting and they need clothes, new shoes, school supplies. Christmas or a birthday is coming up soon. And you don't have any money.
What would you be willing to do for them? How many times have you thought to yourself, "Oh, I'd never do that...?" Would you be willing to do it now?
Use the above as a story starter or dream up a totally new character facing extreme circumstances and give that character the choice of doing something for the sake of Love that they never imagined they were capable of doing.
Does Love give us extra strength or will power or courage? How so? How can you use that in a story?
Random Logline Generator - Zombie Edition
This is a lot of fun to see what you come up with, but it can also be useful in inspiring you in your writing exercises. Click, get a random logline, then write a paragraph or story or scene from a screenplay based on that logline, no matter how wacky it might be. Just see what happens.
GET YOUR RANDOM LOGLINE!
This is a lot of fun to see what you come up with, but it can also be useful in inspiring you in your writing exercises. Click, get a random logline, then write a paragraph or story or scene from a screenplay based on that logline, no matter how wacky it might be. Just see what happens.
GET YOUR RANDOM LOGLINE!