Story Starters - Page Nine
A News Article to Inspire You
Scientists Find Ancient Hobbit-Sized People Updated
9:05 AM ET October 28, 2004
Once upon a time, on an isolated island of Indonesia, there lived a colony of little people -- very little people.Not only did anthropologists find the skeletal remains of a hobbit-sized, 30-year-old adult female, in this fairy-tale-like discovery they also uncovered in the same limestone cave the remains of a Komodo dragon, stone tools and a dwarf elephant.
The link to this news story is now dead and leads to a "404 error page." Here is the GOOGLE SEARCH on "hobbit sized people."
Scientists Find Ancient Hobbit-Sized People Updated
9:05 AM ET October 28, 2004
Once upon a time, on an isolated island of Indonesia, there lived a colony of little people -- very little people.Not only did anthropologists find the skeletal remains of a hobbit-sized, 30-year-old adult female, in this fairy-tale-like discovery they also uncovered in the same limestone cave the remains of a Komodo dragon, stone tools and a dwarf elephant.
The link to this news story is now dead and leads to a "404 error page." Here is the GOOGLE SEARCH on "hobbit sized people."
Holiday Writing Challenge
Make a story, scene, paragraph, poem or anything else with the following words:
package
rude
grin
jello shots
tatters
green
mall
gingerbread
fruitcake
elf
Make a story, scene, paragraph, poem or anything else with the following words:
package
rude
grin
jello shots
tatters
green
mall
gingerbread
fruitcake
elf
Creativity Toolbox
Brainline - Brainstorming process that outlines your challenge, stimulates creative thinking, and collects ideas from participants around the world.
100-Whats - What-if questions from Don the Idea Guy.
Free the Genie - Four ways to use 55 prompts from the Idea Champions
Idea-A-Day - Over 700 free ideas and growing.
Idea Lottery - Connection tool from the Idea ChampionsJob Force - Takes inspiration from occupations.
Jump Start - A catalytic "oomph" from the Idea Champions
Naming Prompts - Suggests 100 ways to think about naming.
QuotAmaze - Follow a chain of quotations to inspiration.
Ricliché - Uses playfully distorted proverbs as prompts.
Sloganeeze - Draws inspiration from advertising slogans.
Star Force - Asks how famous people might solve your problem.
Whack Pack - Roger von Oech's deck of cards.
WordGizmo - Creates new words to inspire you.
Brainline - Brainstorming process that outlines your challenge, stimulates creative thinking, and collects ideas from participants around the world.
100-Whats - What-if questions from Don the Idea Guy.
Free the Genie - Four ways to use 55 prompts from the Idea Champions
Idea-A-Day - Over 700 free ideas and growing.
Idea Lottery - Connection tool from the Idea ChampionsJob Force - Takes inspiration from occupations.
Jump Start - A catalytic "oomph" from the Idea Champions
Naming Prompts - Suggests 100 ways to think about naming.
QuotAmaze - Follow a chain of quotations to inspiration.
Ricliché - Uses playfully distorted proverbs as prompts.
Sloganeeze - Draws inspiration from advertising slogans.
Star Force - Asks how famous people might solve your problem.
Whack Pack - Roger von Oech's deck of cards.
WordGizmo - Creates new words to inspire you.
Watizit
Watizit (pronounced like "what is it") is the online version of an idea-generating technique used by Dave Dufour in live seminars, online brainlining, and other creative sessions around the country. It's fun, easy, productive and it's free!
Watizit (pronounced like "what is it") is the online version of an idea-generating technique used by Dave Dufour in live seminars, online brainlining, and other creative sessions around the country. It's fun, easy, productive and it's free!
Combining Seemingly Unrelated Issues, Ideas, Characters
Make a list of pairs of issues or incidents or people or anything else and see what ideas they spark from you.
Some examples:
Internet stalker + fake Hollywood agent = ?
Serial killer + Christmas holiday = ?
Animal activist + Circus clown = ?
Trailer park mama + Wall Street Journal = ?
Gang violence + country line dancing = ?
Trick-or-Treating + Big Corporate corruption = ?
Huge highway accident pile-up + fertilizer = ?
Kindergarten classroom + air pollution = ?
Contaminated milk + nursing home = ?
Hot Rod car + C.P.A. = ?
Manicured front lawn + carbon monoxide = ?
Global warming + football stadium = ?
Honest Congressperson + broken traffic light = ?
Pizza deliveryman + computer hacker = ?
A fake messiah + plagairizing newspaper reporter = ?
Motel manager + church volunteer = ?
Racial profiling + telemarketer = ?
Make a list of pairs of issues or incidents or people or anything else and see what ideas they spark from you.
Some examples:
Internet stalker + fake Hollywood agent = ?
Serial killer + Christmas holiday = ?
Animal activist + Circus clown = ?
Trailer park mama + Wall Street Journal = ?
Gang violence + country line dancing = ?
Trick-or-Treating + Big Corporate corruption = ?
Huge highway accident pile-up + fertilizer = ?
Kindergarten classroom + air pollution = ?
Contaminated milk + nursing home = ?
Hot Rod car + C.P.A. = ?
Manicured front lawn + carbon monoxide = ?
Global warming + football stadium = ?
Honest Congressperson + broken traffic light = ?
Pizza deliveryman + computer hacker = ?
A fake messiah + plagairizing newspaper reporter = ?
Motel manager + church volunteer = ?
Racial profiling + telemarketer = ?
So You Think You Know Your Character...
Pick a character from one of your current works-in-progress or just for fun, a character from a movie that you've seen. Stretch your creative brain by answering some of the following questions...
Would your character stop to pick up a penny on the ground? A quarter? A dollar bill? Would he or she look around to see if anyone else noticed or if the presumed owner might be nearby?
What food product might your character be allergic to or they just cannot stand eating? What bad experience(s) have they had with that food item?
Has your character ever gotten so drunk (at any age) that they puked?
Does your character ever read a newspaper? Which one? What section is the most interesting to them?
Your character just witnessed someone shoplifting. Do they report it if the shoplifter is: a housewife type? A teenage boy? A teenage girl? A small child? A grown man? In any case? Do they speak directly to the shoplifter or just tell the business?
Your character is having dinner in a restaurant and the small child in the booth behind is very wiggly and bouncy, making your character jiggle with every move. Does your character say or do anything? When? How long do they put up with the wiggling? Does your character have anger management problems?
Speaking of anger management, someone cuts your character off on the freeway. What does your character think/feel/do about it?
Has your character ever deliberately hurt someone's feelings? What were the circumstances? What did your character say or do to cause the hurt?
Has your character attended high school? What was their "popularity status?" Did they care?
Does your character have any siblings? What conflict exists between your character and any sibling(s)?
If your character discovered a wallet full of cash and the owner's ID was in the wallet, what would your character do?
Has your character ever had sex without feeling anything for their sex partner? Has anyone ever done that to them?
Has your character ever been the victim of a crime?
Has your character ever been in a physical/violent one-on-one confrontation?
Does your character pay their bills on time?
Does your character send out cards at holiday time?
What does your character's favorite outfit consist of?
Why did your character leave their last job (before your story starts and before whatever present job they have, if any, in your story)?
Has your character ever had a "psychic experience" or experienced anything like that, out of the ordinary?
Has your character ever played sports? Which one(s)?
Would your character give up their seat on a bus to an elderly person or a pregnant woman?
What is your character's favorite comfort or junk food?
What is the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to your character?
Pick a character from one of your current works-in-progress or just for fun, a character from a movie that you've seen. Stretch your creative brain by answering some of the following questions...
Would your character stop to pick up a penny on the ground? A quarter? A dollar bill? Would he or she look around to see if anyone else noticed or if the presumed owner might be nearby?
What food product might your character be allergic to or they just cannot stand eating? What bad experience(s) have they had with that food item?
Has your character ever gotten so drunk (at any age) that they puked?
Does your character ever read a newspaper? Which one? What section is the most interesting to them?
Your character just witnessed someone shoplifting. Do they report it if the shoplifter is: a housewife type? A teenage boy? A teenage girl? A small child? A grown man? In any case? Do they speak directly to the shoplifter or just tell the business?
Your character is having dinner in a restaurant and the small child in the booth behind is very wiggly and bouncy, making your character jiggle with every move. Does your character say or do anything? When? How long do they put up with the wiggling? Does your character have anger management problems?
Speaking of anger management, someone cuts your character off on the freeway. What does your character think/feel/do about it?
Has your character ever deliberately hurt someone's feelings? What were the circumstances? What did your character say or do to cause the hurt?
Has your character attended high school? What was their "popularity status?" Did they care?
Does your character have any siblings? What conflict exists between your character and any sibling(s)?
If your character discovered a wallet full of cash and the owner's ID was in the wallet, what would your character do?
Has your character ever had sex without feeling anything for their sex partner? Has anyone ever done that to them?
Has your character ever been the victim of a crime?
Has your character ever been in a physical/violent one-on-one confrontation?
Does your character pay their bills on time?
Does your character send out cards at holiday time?
What does your character's favorite outfit consist of?
Why did your character leave their last job (before your story starts and before whatever present job they have, if any, in your story)?
Has your character ever had a "psychic experience" or experienced anything like that, out of the ordinary?
Has your character ever played sports? Which one(s)?
Would your character give up their seat on a bus to an elderly person or a pregnant woman?
What is your character's favorite comfort or junk food?
What is the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to your character?
Character Development Exercise
Scriptologist.com's step-by-step character development exercise will show you how to create the believable characters that Hollywood loves.
Scriptologist.com's step-by-step character development exercise will show you how to create the believable characters that Hollywood loves.
Story Ideas Copyright © 1997 - 2008 Dorian Scott Cole
These attempt to be thought provoking ideas to challenge writers to write better stories. Ideas can't be copyrighted, but if you use a fully developed idea from these pages it is customary to give credit - you won't get sued if you don't, or charged if you do. You will find a list of story suggestions at the end of each topic.
These attempt to be thought provoking ideas to challenge writers to write better stories. Ideas can't be copyrighted, but if you use a fully developed idea from these pages it is customary to give credit - you won't get sued if you don't, or charged if you do. You will find a list of story suggestions at the end of each topic.
Murder the Writer - James Mascia, young adult author, offers writing prompts.
Story Bug - Short writing exercises designed to inspire some creative magic by Anna Staniszewski.
Writing Exercises - This site provides (completely free) writing prompts and exercises to help you get started with creative writing and break through writing block. Generate random story ideas, plots, subjects, scenarios, characters, first lines for stories and more.