prompt
Write a story about someone making a deal with the devil.
You confront the monster you’ve spent many long years hunting. Except they’re not exactly what you thought they’d be…
Write a story about a monster trying to become more human. Or about a human trying to become more monstrous.
Set your story in a haunted house.
Write a story about someone trying to resist their darker impulses. Whether they succeed or fail is up to you.
"It’s the last evening of your vacation and you’re watching the sunset with your friends/partner/family, wishing summer would never end. But just as the sun dips below the horizon, you notice it returning in reverse."
"Each year, your character's family goes on the most exotic vacations. Finally they discover why — their family are assassins."
"Now, as an adult, your character looks back on this summer as the summer when they grew up."
What was meant to be a great bonding vacation turns sour when an uninvited guest tags along.
Set your story on the eve of the first day back at school.
Write about an AI or person trying to inject a ‘human touch’ into their work.
Write about someone with a Midas touch: everything they touch turns to [fill in the blank].
Write a story about someone who is losing feeling in their hands and/or fingers.
Start or end your story with a character receiving a hug or words of comfort.
"Start your story with a character looking closely at something, or someone. They can't quite decide if what they're looking at is natural, or man-made."
Set your story in a post office.
"A mysterious letter is delivered to your character's home. It's not addressed to them, but they can't resist peeking..."
Write a story about a pair of pen pals.
"Write an epistolary story set during a major historical event. The event may be the subject of the letters directly, or be referenced in the background."
"Write a story in the form of a letter, or multiple letters back and forth."
End your story with two characters reconciling.
Set or begin your story in a room lit by the flickering flames of the fireplace.
Write a story involving a friendship with an adorable animal.
Begin your story with a librarian searching for something.
Write a story starring an octogenarian who’s more than meets the eye.
"Write a story that includes someone saying, “We’re not alone.”"
Make a mysterious message an important part of your story.
"Write a story about a character who is trying to share groundbreaking news, but isn’t being taken seriously."
Write about a character who has to grapple with something completely alien to them.
Set your story after aliens have officially arrived on Earth.
Start your story with someone walking into a gas station.
"Write a story about someone getting lost, but discovering something they didn’t expect along the way."
Write a story about someone going on a life-changing journey.
Write about two strangers who are both heading to the same destination and agree to do a long distance drive together.
Set your entire story in a car.
Set your story in a rosy-pink world where everything is rainbows and unicorns… until it isn’t.
Write a story about someone who is constantly being put into a box by others.
Write a story about a character who finds a childhood toy that brings back memories.
"Write a story where the characters start to realize that they are, in fact, just characters."
Write a story about someone living vicariously through someone else.
Set your story in the kitchen of a bustling restaurant.
Write a story about a magician who never reveals their secrets — until now.
A journalist has been granted permission to visit the premises of a lab carrying out top-secret work. They could never have anticipated what they’d find…
"Write about a person who constantly has to put on a persona (e.g. at work, in their relationships, etc.) who can finally drop the facade."
"Set your story on a film or TV set, starting with someone calling “Cut!”"
"Set your story in an eerie, surreal setting."
Write about a character in a situation where they have to be brave for someone else’s sake.
Start your story with a character seeing something terrifying.
Write a story that contains a flashback of a nightmare.
Write about someone facing their greatest fear.
Write about a character who breaks free from a tradition to create a new one.
Make a character perform a ceremony to set something or someone free.
Write about a character who develops a special ritual to cope with something.
Make your protagonist go through a rite of passage.
Start your story during a full moon night.
Write a story about someone seeking revenge for a past wrong.
"Write a Western-inspired story in a new genre or setting (e.g. a space western, fantasy western, etc.)"
"Write a story about someone undertaking a long, dangerous journey."
Set your story in a desert town.
Write a story about a stranger coming to town and shaking up the order of things.
Start your story in the middle of the action.
"Write a story that experiments with tone — perhaps a difficult subject dealt with in a playful way, or an ostensibly happy scene that hints at darkness lurking beneath."
Write about two friends getting into a fist fight.
"Write about how a single event affects a seemingly unrelated area of a character’s life (their friendships, career, romantic relationships, etc.)"
Write a story during which two conversations happen simultaneously.
Write about two people striking up an unlikely friendship.
"Write a story about two friends who find themselves competing for something: a job, a prize, a love interest, etc."
"Set your story at a wedding reception, where a group of high school friends are meeting for the first time in years."
"Write about two friends who were once inseparable, but now find themselves growing apart — or even friends turned enemies."
Write a story about lifelong best friends.
"Write about someone who has always done something as part of a group, and is now starting to set out solo, or vice versa."
"Write a story inspired by SHINee’s “Ring Ding Dong”, where someone can’t get a song out of their head no matter how hard they try."
Write a story about someone who has put “Blood Sweat & Tears” into getting where they are — only to question whether it was worth it.
Write a story from the point of view of a “sasaeng” (an obsessive fan).
"Set your story at a large entertainment venue, after the show has ended, amongst the discarded plastic cups and confetti."
Your main character has a secret superpower; the gossip they spread always comes true.
Write a story about someone trying to track down the source of a rumor.
"Your character is known as the town gossip. One day, it comes back to bite them."
Write a story about a piece of gossip that becomes more and more distorted as it passes from person to person.
Write a story that includes the line “my lips are sealed.”
Write a story about a character who returns home changed by someone they met on a trip.
"Write a story about someone who finds someone’s diary, and tries to reunite it with its owner. It’s up to you whether they read it or not!"
"Your protagonist walks past an intriguing stranger, then turns around to take another look at them. The stranger turns around, too. Write about what happens next."
Write about a character having a spiritual experience at a concert or a nightclub.
"Set your story on a warm summer evening with a full moon, when everything feels magnetic and your character’s about to meet someone important."
Write a story that contains the phrase “Okay class! Pop quiz.”
Write a short story about a teacher or mentor figure who recognizes hidden (or magical!) potential in someone and helps them cultivate it.
Write about a school trip that takes a turn for the unexpected.
Start your story with somebody getting called to the principal’s office.
Write a story about an unconventional teacher.
"Set your story in a world where everyone’s decisions are made for them. One morning, your character wakes up, and chooses not to go to work. Wait…chooses?!"
"Write about somebody who wholeheartedly believes in fate, and views every little thing through the lens of predestiny."
Write a story that includes the phrase “I’m free!”
Write about a god desperately trying to get their chosen hero to follow the path they set out for them.
Write a story about someone successfully — or unsuccessfully — escaping their fate.
"Set your story in a world where time travel has been perfected, and people can use it to hop between alternate timelines — but at a cost."
Write a story involving a portal into a parallel universe.
"You’re walking down the street, when you spot a familiar figure. It’s another you. And they’ve come from an alternate reality to warn you about something."
Write a story that includes the phrase “Maybe in another life.”
"Write about a character unknowingly experiencing a “sliding doors” moment. Write your story in two halves; what could have been, and what actually happened."
Write about someone who is learning to recognize and take credit for their own achievements.
Write a story that includes the phrase “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
"Write a story about someone who receives — or makes — a life-changing, anonymous donation."
"Write a story from the point of view of a sidekick, or someone who is happy to stay away from the limelight."
"Set your story in a staff room of an essential profession that is often undervalued — nurses, cafeteria staff, sanitation workers, etc."
Write a story inspired by the phrase “Back to square one.”
Write a story inspired by the phrase “The plot thickens.”
Write a story inspired by the phrase “The short end of the stick.”
Write a story inspired by the phrase “I’ll eat my hat.”
Write a story inspired by the phrase “It’s hardly brain surgery.”
Write a story containing the words “it’s the thought that counts.”
"Write a fable inspired by a relatable life experience (explaining the moral before or after the story, if you’d like)."
"Write a story where someone insists on giving your main character a ride to the airport, only for their car to break down."
"Write about somebody whose intentions are pure, but somehow always manages to do the wrong thing."
Write a story inspired by the concept of arigata-meiwaku — a favor that turns out to be a nuisance for its recipient.
Write about someone rediscovering something old they thought they’d lost.
Write about someone stuck in an endless cycle who finally manages to break free.
Write a story about someone trying to reinvent themselves after spending a long time in a rut.
Set your story at an antique roadshow.
Write about someone finding a treasure in an unexpected place.
"Write a story that includes someone saying, “I feel alive.”"
Make Japan (or Japanese culture) an element of your story.
Write a story about a character who’s late to witness a special event.
Write about a character who is starting to open up to life again.
Start your story with your character(s) going to buy some flowers.
Start your story with someone vowing to take revenge.
Write a story about a fandom
"Set your story in New York, where someone’s been waiting for your character."
Write about someone who decides to make their own version of something old.
Start a story that begins with a character saying “Speak now.”
"Start your story with “It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark.” (Hans Christian Andersen, “The Little Match Girl”)"
"Write a modern version of ""The Tiger, the Brahmin, and the Jackal,"" in which someone suffers from their own good deeds and must turn to an unlikely source for help."
"Write a story about a fox spirit (a gumiho, jiǔwěihú, kitsune, or hồ ly tinh), inspired by, e.g. Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese folklore."
Write a story inspired by this quote from Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy: “In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost.”
Write a story where a character must continue to tell their tale to a listener to avoid unsavory consequences.
"Write about a character who’s attending a dinner thrown in their honor, but deeply embarrasses themself during their speech."
"Write about someone who thinks they just got a great deal on something, only for them to realize…"
Write a story about someone who is determined to not have their day spoiled — but the universe is trying their patience.
"Write about a character who would have complete happiness, if it weren’t for that one thing."
"Write a story that starts with the line “So, what’s the catch?”"
Write about a human and a cat that come to some kind of mutual understanding.
Set your story in a cat shelter.
"Write about a cat living in an ancient temple, like the Acropolis."
"Write a story from the point of view of a big cat — whether that’s a lion, cheetah, etc., or just a chunky pet."
Start your story with a character being led somewhere by a stray cat.
"Write a story entirely of dialogue. Nothing but dialogue. No attributives (he said, she said, etc.). No descriptions of scenes or gestures or movements (unless these things are presented in the dialogue). Just words between quotation marks. Pure, beautiful, untainted dialogue."
"Write a story that formally utilizes a mathematical sequence; e.g., the Fibonacci sequence could determine the number of words in each paragraph, or start with a number and work backwards. Make sure the formula is made clear, either within the story, or before or after it. "
Write a story within a story within a story within a ...
"Write a story of fragments. Many options here: no verbs, sentence fragments, short sections, nothing but objects, etc. The fragments should relate to one another obliquely, hesitantly, subtly, ambiguously, preposterously, marvelously."
Write a story in which each paragraph begins or ends (or both!) with the same sentence. 
Set all or part of your story in a jam-packed storage unit.
Write about a dragon who doesn’t know what to do with their hoard anymore. 
"Start a story with someone saying, “It’s mine, and you can’t have it!”"
Someone’s beloved collection is destroyed. How do they react?
Write a story about someone who doesn’t know how to let go.
Write a story where a character has to decide whether to press the button or not.
Write about someone who has chosen to disconnect and live an analog life.
Write a story about a character who is experiencing glitches in their reality.
Set your story during a complete city or nation-wide blackout.
"Start your story with someone saying “Houston, we have a problem.”"
"Write a story about two characters whose paths briefly cross, but are actually going in opposite directions — whether literally or figuratively."
Write a story that includes the line “We’re just too different.”
Write about a character who uses sarcasm as a defense mechanism.
Write a story about two opposites finding themselves surprisingly attracted to one another.
Write a story about someone who is cursed to always say the opposite of what they mean.
Start your story with someone entering a taxi and saying ‘follow that car.’
Write about a character who wishes they could just disappear — and then they do.
Write a story where someone’s paranoia is justified.
Set your story in a society where everyone is constantly aware of unwanted surveillance.
Start your story with a home alarm system going off.
"Write a story that includes someone saying, “Let’s go for a walk.”"
"Write about a character who, for whatever reason, retreats to a remote cabin."
"Write about a character who’s climbing a mountain, whether internal, external, or both."
Write a story about someone who has to “move mountains” to get what they want.
Write about someone who realizes they're on the wrong path. 
Write about someone whose luck is running out.
Set your story in a casino.
Write about someone losing their lucky charm.
Start your story with someone having a run of bad luck.
Write a story that hinges on the outcome of a coin flip.
End your story with a kiss at midnight.
Write a story about someone scrambling on New Year's Eve to fulfil their resolutions for the entire year before the clock strikes twelve.
Your character always makes the same promise; to change. Will they finally make it happen this time?
Write a story in the form of a list of New Year's resolutions.
Start your story with someone making a vision board.
Write a story about an unconventional holiday tradition.
Write about a cynical character realizing they do have something to celebrate after all.
"Set your story at a work holiday party,"
Write a story that takes place over the eight nights of Hannukah.
Write a story about a family (biological or found) coming together for Christmas.
Write a story about a character who struggles to translate their thoughts and feelings into words and action.
"Lost in a foreign city where they don’t speak the language, your character uses a translation app to get around, but constantly runs into problems."
Write about someone who is slowly forgetting their mother tongue or losing their language.
"Set your story in a meeting where a professional interpreter takes some liberties, with major consequences."
"Write a story about two or more characters who don't speak each other's language (literally or metaphorically), but still find a way to communicate."
Set your story in a magical bookshop.
Write a story told from the point of view of an animal.
"Cast a magician (a real one, or a party entertainer) as your story’s protagonist."
Start your story with someone witnessing magic from a hiding place.
Write a story involving a magical potion — which may or may not work.
"Write a story that includes someone saying, “Thank you for that.”"
Write about a professional who is called back to serve their community after retirement.
Write about a character who discovers something while raking leaves in their neighborhood.
"Write a story about someone who volunteers to read for others at the local library, and how it impacts their community."
Start your story with two people planting a tree together.
Write a story about a brilliant scientist making a startling discovery.
Write about someone whose desire to constantly improve something borders on obsessive.
Write a story about someone coming to terms with how different they are from their younger self.
Write about two old friends meeting for the first time in years.
"Write a story where someone says, “Everything is changing.”"
Write a story that includes the phrase “Thank you! It’s just what I wanted.”
"Write a story starring a store cashier, during the busy pre-holiday season."
Write about a character going to great lengths to return an unwanted gift.
End your story with a character receiving a deeply meaningful gift they weren’t expecting.
Coming up with a gift idea was the easy part — getting your hands on it is another thing entirely.
Write a story about a character who acts like they ‘don’t have feelings’ — except they’re just putting up a facade.
"Set your story in an unfiltered world, where people are always honest about how they feel."
"Write about a character reminiscing over something they should have said, and how their life would be completely different had they said it."
"Write about a character who must confess their true feelings by midnight, or risk losing it all."
"Set your story in a world devoid of logic, where feelings govern all decision-making."
"Your character is about to embark on the journey of a lifetime. The story takes place during a long-haul flight, with an open return-date. What happens?"
Write a story where someone decides to take the long way home.
Write about a character who is trying to leave something or someone behind — only to realize they carry it with them.
Write about two solo travelers who keep bumping into each other in the most unexpected of places. 
Start your story with someone looking at a breathtaking view and getting emotional.
Re-write Frankenstein from the perspective of the monster that Dr. Frankenstein created. 
You wake up one day to discover that you've been transported inside of a novel... and it's a horror novel. 
"A troop of clowns is performing in your city this weekend... and on the day of, some strange things start happening. "
Write a horror story that subverts the Cursed Artifact trope. 
"""Hi, this is the IRS."""
"In this world, everyone is born knowing how old they will be when they die. "
"You get to star in a reality TV show of your choice. Which show do you choose, and what kind of a character do you become on that show?"
Write a short story that charts the beginning of a relationship to its end.
You just got promoted at work... but your new boss is a piece of work. Or so you thought. 
"Write about your happiest memory, and what about it made you so happy. "
Write about a time that you failed in your objective. 
What qualities do you look for in a friend? Why?
Set a narrative inside of the last dream you had. 
Write about a time that you were lost (metaphorically or literally). 
"You are given three wishes, but there's a catch: one of them won't come true for the rest of your life, and you don't get to pick which one it is. What do you wish for?"
Write about a time you felt betrayed. 
"How has your relationship with social media changed over the past five years, if at all?"
Craft a 30-second pitch for yourself to a stranger in a coffee shop. How would you describe yourself in that 30 seconds?
Your home is ablaze. What are the first five things you grab on your way out of the door? Why?
What is your earliest memory? Describe it using all five senses. 
What would you title your autobiography? Why?
Do you think that human nature is inherently good or evil? Or none of the above? Explain your reasoning. 
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Write about what you consider to be the disadvantages and advantages of each. 
"If you were a Buzzfeed quiz, which quiz would you be? Why?"
What was the last daydream that you dreamt while in class? (Be honest.) Turn that into a short story.
Write a story inspired by your favorite Tiktok reel.
You're trapped on a version of Groundhog Day... and the day that keeps looping for you is the day right before summer break starts. 
Write a letter to your middle school self. What would you want them to know?
Interview your favorite fictional villain. What questions would you ask them?
You have to escape from a house on fire. What are the first three things you grab? Why?
Explain a computer to someone from the 16th century. 
Define what trust means to you. 
Write a letter describing yourself and your modern life to a pen pal who lives in the year 1905. 
What's your first memory? Describe it on paper using all five senses. 
Write a guidebook for someone from outer space who is visiting your neighborhood for the first time. 
Re-write a famous fairy tale from the villain's perspective. 
Would you rather be able to change the past or change the future? Why?
Write about a time when you did something without thinking it through.
"Finish this sentence: ""I wish that I..."""
You find a magical portal in your bedroom one day. Do you step into it? What happens?
Write a scary story that you could tell around a campfire!
"If you could be anything in the world, what would you be? Why?"
Write about your dream for the future. Be as descriptive as possible. 
"If I were the teacher for a day, this is what I would do! Write about it. "
Write about a time that you took a chance. 
Think about your favorite place in the world. What makes it so special to you? Write about it. 
Write about a time that you felt betrayed.
Write about a time that you were brave.
"One day, you wake up... and your pet has started talking to you! What do they say?"
Write a letter to a pen pal in a far away land. 
"Your friend invents a time-traveling machine, and invites you to enter it. Which year do you travel to?"
"You get to meet a character from your favorite book. Which three do you pick, and why?"
What's your first memory? Describe it as if it were a story.
"If I were rich, the first thing I would do is..."
"""I trusted you."""
"Write a story where a character's last words to someone are: ""I wish I could forget you."""
One is the loneliest number. And you're one. 
"""You've been staring out of the window for the last 3 hours. Why?"""
"""I'll be here forever,"" they said. But they had a different definition of 'forever' than you."
Write a story that centers memory loss. 
"""Some days it's hard to even get out of bed."""
Write a story that follows a relationship from its start to its end. 
"Write a story that expands on Ernest Hemingway's famous 6-word story: ""For sale: baby shoes. Never worn."""
Write a story set during a visit to the graveyard.
"""I thought that hatred was the worst that our relationship could devolve into. But I was wrong. Indifference is even worse than hatred."""
"Write a story that both starts and ends with the word, ""Goodbye."""
Fly by the seat of your pants and write a story without a plan.
Write a story that involves the architectural plans for a building.
"Write about a plan that goes wrong, for the better."
Write a story about a character who tries to control their life down to the most minute detail — but has to learn to let go.
Start your story with the line “I’ve got a plan”. 
Write a traditional English poem in iambic pentameter. 
Write a poem with zero punctuation. 
Choose a title from our Book Title Generator. Write a poem inspired by that title. 
Pick a random number. Write a poem with that many stanzas. 
Write a haiku about love. 
Write a poem about loss. 
Write a poem based on your saddest memory. 
Write a poem based on your happiest memory. 
Write a poem about growing old. 
Write a poem about wanting something that you can't have. 
Write a poem about your favorite part of nature. 
Pick an emotion. Write a poem that expresses that emotion. 
Write an acrostic poem using the word H-O-M-E.
Write a poem based on your favorite childhood memory. 
Write a poem inspired by your favorite color. 
Listen to your current surroundings. Write a poem based on what you hear. 
Look around you. Write a poem based on what you see. 
Write a poem about summer. 
Write a poem about winter. 
Write a poem about summer.
Write a poem about fall.  
Write a poem inspired by your favorite saying. 
Write a poem inspired by your favorite song. 
"About six years ago, he was turned into a vampire by his best friend. This is the story of everything that happened since. "
"Write a short story that ends with the question: ""Will you join me?"""
Write a story from the perspective of a third party who witnesses the moment that someone gets turned into a vampire. 
Write a story about revenge. 
Write a short story about a vampire hunter on a mission to kill the last remaining vampire in the world. 
"Write a story that starts with: ""That was the last time she saw herself alive."""
Write about a vampire who becomes an editor at a publishing house in a desperate attempt to edit Twilight for accuracy. 
Write a story about a vampire trying to cross international borders. 
Write about a vampire who has just tried a bite of pasta for the first time in 241 years. 
Write about the concept of mortality from the perspective of a vampire.
Your favorite coffin has been stolen. What do you do?
"In the form of text messages, write a conversation between a young tech-savvy vampire and an ancient vampire who doesn't know how to text. "
"In the form of letters, write a love story between two vampires. "
Write a story that details the rise and fall of a vampire clan.
"The cure to vampirism has just been discovered. Do the vampires in your world decide to take it, or forgo it?"
Write about two vampires who have a meet-cute after one has accidentally spills a pint of blood over the other.  
Write about a vampire who hates the taste of blood. 
"You are a bat, and you and your bat friends are annoyed when some noisy vampires rudely move into your cave."
A vampire and a werewolf walk into a bar. 
It's Valentine's Day… and the neighborhood flower shop just delivered a hundred cacti instead of the hundred roses you ordered.
Write a story in the form of love letters exchanged between two people on Valentine's Day. 
Set your story in a shopping mall during Black Friday.
"Start your story with someone saying, sarcastically, ""What have I got to be thankful for?"""
Set your story during a Thanksgiving parade.
Your character has a plan. They're going to save the turkeys. All of them.
Write about someone who's turkey recipe is to die for — literally.
"Write about a character who is back home for the holidays, and finds that nothing has changed."
Write about a Thanksgiving potluck gone wrong.
"It's Thanksgiving, and somebody's forgotten the turkey."
Write a story about a character reflecting on all they have to be grateful for.
Your character's father stands up to give a speech at Thanksgiving. What he says next surprises everyone.
"Start your story with a character saying ""This year, I'm thankful for..."""
Write a story about a family gathering to watch the biggest football game of the year.
Write about a Thanksgiving meal from the perspective of someone who is not grateful. 
"You're nervous because it's your first time in charge of Thanksgiving dinner, and you could've sworn that the dead turkey in front of you just… squawked?"
"""What are YOU doing here for Thanksgiving?"""
Write a story set in a school musical. 
Write a story about someone who's just made a terrible mistake in life. How do they go about fixing it?
Write a story that takes place completely on social media. 
Write a story about a rainy day. 
Write a story about a character who acts differently online vs. offline. 
Write an essay about your relationship with technology. 
"Finish this sentence: ""I strongly believe that..."""
What is your favorite book? Why?
Write a short story where all of the characters are villains!
Write a letter to your future self in five years. 
What is your dream job? Why?
Set your story at an awkward family gathering. 
"You just got transported into a song! Which song is it, and what do you do next?"
Write a story just using texts. 
The cicadas came early this summer. Little did everyone know that it was actually an omen. 
Write a story about a character whose favorite season has switched from winter to summer. Why?
"It just hit 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and your air conditioning unit just broke."
"Write a story titled ""It Happened One Summer."""
Write a story about a summer fling. 
Write a story about a family summer vacation to Europe that… does not go to plan. 
A new spring. A new you. 
Write a story set in a dog park on a spring day.
"Wait, you think to yourself. Something's wrong. It's April, and the leaves haven't grown back on the trees yet. "
"""SPRING BREAK!"" you say to your friend. ""This year, we have to — "" (Finish the sentence, and then write the story.)"
Write a story set in an arboretum as the season changes from winter to spring. 
"This year's spring showers are as frequent as ever, except for one big difference — the sky is showering money."
Your crush at work has developed a habit of setting a fresh bouquet of flowers on their desk once spring started… and you have allergies. 
Set your story on a planet with no water. 
"Write about a challenge that you experienced in your life, and then overcame. "
Pick one of the five senses. Write a descriptive piece about your surroundings based on that sense. 
Write about a time when you explored somewhere new. 
Write about a time that you felt happy. 
Look at your most recent text. Write a story based on that text. 
Write about a time that you made a mistake with lasting ramifications. 
Write about a time when you helped someone. 
Write about a time when you felt like an outsider at an event. 
Write about a time that you failed. 
Choose a controversial topic from the news. Write an opinion piece on it. 
Pick an impactful moment from your childhood. Write about it from the lens of adulthood. 
"The New York Times runs a weekly Modern Love column. Write your own ""tiny love"" column about a relationship in less than 100 words."
Write about your least favorite memory. 
Write about your favorite memory.
Create a holiday — one of your own making. What is this holiday of yours? Who celebrates it? How do you celebrate it?
You get to create a new nation. What is your national animal? National flower? National anthem?
Where is your dream house? Write a story based on that. 
"I'm the last person standing on Earth, and..."
"You just got teleported into a movie! What movie is it, and what's your next move?"
What is the holiday that you like the most? Why?
Write about something that made you sad recently.
Describe your happiest memory. 
"You have a choice between the superpowers of invisibility, flight, and teleportation. Which do you choose? Why?"
Your teacher has been turned into a pumpkin! What do you do to fix this situation?
Look outside and pick a random person. Describe them.
"Finish the sentence: This year, I want this list of things from Santa..."
"Finish the sentence: This year, my New Year's Resolution is..."
Your friend has crossed over to the dark side! What do you do? Do you join them or do you fight them?
"If you were in charge of the country, what policy would you change first?"
"If you opened a restaurant, what kind of restaurant would you open?"
Write a story about a day out in the amusement park! What do you do?
Write a letter to your favorite character. What do you want to tell them?
Write about your favorite person in the world. Why do you like them?
What qualities do you look for in a friend? Why?
"One morning, you wake up and you can't believe that..."
"If I could, then I would..."
Write about the person who you most admire in the world. 
Write a letter to yourself from a year ago.
You have a magic wand. What do you do with it?
Think about a time that you were sad. What made you feel that way?
What is your dream job? Write a story based on that.
"Finish this sentence: ""Once upon a time, in a land far, far away..."""
"Write a story that starts with the word: ""Why."""
"If you had $10, what would you buy with it?"
Write about what you did last summer.
"You find a map, saying ""X marks the spot"", and you decide to see where it leads. Write about your adventure."
Write a story about buried treasure.
Write a story about a long journey by sea.
"The penguins have escape from the zoo, and it's your job to round them up. What's the plan?"
What's your favorite food? Write about it using all 5 sense.
"A mysterious benefactor will pay $100,000 to anyone willing to stay in a haunted house overnight. "
The walls of the house are dripping with something. What is it?
"Start your story with a character saying ""I wouldn't go in there if I were you."""
"Set your story in a deep, dark wood."
"The phone won't stop ringing, but it's not plugged into the wall."
"If I were a superhero, I would..."
Describe the color blue to someone who's never seen it before. 
Describe your neighborhood to someone who's never been there before. 
Write a story that takes place completely in the dark. 
"Write an essay about technology, and the role that it plays in your life. "
"""Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the ________ of them all?"""
Look around you and pick an inanimate object. Write a story from its perspective. 
Write a story from the perspective of someone older than you. 
"Write a short story about peer pressure, and how it affects all of the characters in the story. "
"Just overheard in the science lab: ""Are you made of copper and tellurium? Because you're CuTe."""
You're in charge of coming up with the best and biggest prank that your school has ever witnessed in its history. 
Set your story in the principal's office. 
Write about a tradition that only your family shares. 
"""No! You can't sit with us!"""
Write a short story about a secret. 
Write about a time when you overcame a challenge. 
Describe a quiet place. 
Describe a time that you made a mistake. 
Describe a time that you failed. 
Write a short story about your dream career. 
"Write a story based on these words: red, tree, needle, game. "
"You just got transported into a video game. Which video game is it, and what's your next move?"
"""This. Was. Officially. The. Worst. Vacation. Ever."""
"Your rich aunt has just passed away, leaving you with an inheritance of $500,000. What do you do with it?"
Set your story in study hall.
Write a story about a social media rumor.
Write a story about a salutatorian. 
"It's the summer before college, and your character has one last goodbye to make."
"It's Halloween, and a war has suddenly erupted among the neighborhood kids. The battle: Twix versus Kit-Kats. Who wins?"
Write a story set in a haunted fairground on Halloween. 
"You are responsible for taking your neighbors' kids out to trick-or-treat, but you look outside and suddenly feel scared of the gloomy dark... "
Write about a costume competition at a Halloween party. 
"Write about a caveman who accidentally time travels to present-day Halloween, only to become unexpectedly popular in the town because of a surprising talent: pumpkin carving. "
Write a story about a family that goes pumpkin picking together. 
"""Wow, great costume! How'd you make it?"" you say to the kid dressed as the Grim Reaper, reaching a hand out to test the material of the mask. The mask doesn't come off. It's not a costume. "
You are the owner of the best Halloween costume store in town. Then a rival costume store moves in… and sets up shop right next to you. 
Write a story about a lost scarf.
Write a story in which a pumpkin spice latte plays a crucial role.
Set your story in an orchard.
Start your story with a character taking a sip of hot apple cider.
Write a story about a character who is deeply affected by the changing of the seasons.
Start your story with a leaf falling.
Write a story about a farmer bringing in their harvest.
"In this world, the leaves on trees change color every fall based on the changing mood of the people. This year, the leaves all turn black. "
"Using only text messages, write a story about the start of the school. "
"Write a story that ends with the sentence: ""And that was the first and last time that I tried to bake a pumpkin pie."""
"Write a story that begins with the sentence: ""I hate fall, but I love autumn."""
Set your story at a farmer's market that is struggling to remain relevant this autumn. 
Write a story about someone seeing leaves change color for the first time. 
Write a story from the perspective of a pumpkin patch owner on the first and last day of autumn. 
Pick one of the five senses. Write about fall using that sense. 
"Write a story that starts with, ""The clock ticked past 61."""
Write about the end of the world… of Atlantis. 
"A mobile app tells you the amount of time that you have left to live. One morning, this time on everyone's phones syncs to the same number."
The last ragtag group of humans on Earth meets the last ragtag group of zombies on Earth. 
Write about an apocalypse triggered by technology. What happened?
Write a story about two enemies who must band together to survive the aftermath of the end of the world. 
"You are a clone designed to mimic your human's every movement and habit so that you can seamlessly take over after the apocalypse starts, but there's just one problem: your human is the weirdest human being ever. "
It's one hour before the end of the world. What do you do with that time?
Write a story about a group of zombie friends who go adventuring together after the apocalypse. 
"No one left on Earth knows what the color blue looks like… until one day, the great fog parts and the sky appears for the first time in a millennia. "
"In the form of diary entries, write a story from the perspective of the last remaining person in the world. "
"In the end, it wasn't humankind that destroyed the world. It was (fill in the blank). "
"""Ma'am, move aside. We're here to investigate a crime."""
"""You didn't come to the funeral. Why?"""
"""Oh my God! Don't say THAT in front of my mother!"""
"""Quick! Act surprised!"""
"""Are you absolutely sure that your plan is foolproof?"""
"""Come here. No, not you."""
"""Truth or dare."""
"""Tell me something that I don't know."""
"""Is that—is that blood all over you?"""
"""Right, I'm leaving now."""
"""When has listening to you EVER worked out well for me?"""
"""Don't do that."""
"""No, you can't have my number."""
"""Here's looking at you."""
"""I'd rather you just tell me."""
"""Did you also hear a knock on the door?"""
"""Honey, you're not looking your best today. What happened?"""
"""He did it first."""
"""Well, don't just stand there! Do something!"""
"""RUN! RUN NOW!"""
"""Hey. Someone's on the phone for you."""
Describe your ideal holiday. 
"Your grandfather has just passed away, leaving you with an inheritance of $1 million. What do you do with it?"
Re-write Alice's Adventures in Wonderland... but make it mystery. 
A job interview has gone horribly wrong. You...
Write a story using only one of the five senses. 
Write a short story from the perspective of a side character.
Write a short story from the perspective of the villain. 
Write a story with no dialogue. 
Re-write Moby-Dick... but make it science fiction. 
Re-write Romeo and Juliet... but make it horror. 
Re-write Frankenstein... but make it romance. 
Write a story about an event from the perspective of three of the participants in the event. 
Write a story in the second person POV. 
Set your short story during the most awkward phase of your character's life. 
"Write a story that starts with this sentence: ""It was a dark, stormy night."""
You have to escape from a house on fire. What are the first three things you grab? Why?
Write about happiness. 
"It's 2123, and you're the first candidate for a time travel machine. When and where do you pick to travel?"
Write a story about a retirement home. 
Write a letter to your 11-year self. What advice do you want to tell your younger self?
Write a story about a first time parent.
"Write a story that starts with the beginning of a relationship, and ends with the relationship ending, too."
Write a story about grief.
Set your story at a retirement party.
"Start your story with someone saying ""You're not a kid any more."""
Write a story about a 21st birthday party.
Write a story about a 40th birthday party.
Write a story about two people stringing up Christmas lights together for the first time.
Write a story about a character obsessed with nutmeg. 
"In the form of Christmas wishlists over the years, write a story about a character growing up. "
"You are Santa Claus, and you're running late for work because you're stuck in the middle of a traffic jam caused by a Justice for Reindeer protest."
"""Excuse me,"" someone says to you, tapping you on the shoulder. ""Are these your antlers? You dropped them."""
Write a story set in a department store during the Christmas sales. 
You volunteer at a homeless shelter. Write a story about spending Christmas day there. 
Your neighbor has blasted Christmas music every day of December for eight years… until one day the music stops.
Write a story about a White Elephant party that goes terribly go wrong. 
"Start your story with the sentence: ""This is the story of how I became worse than the Grinch."""
Write a story about a Christmas dinner from the perspective of the family of mice that lives in the fireplace. 
"You accidentally left cookies out on the table on Christmas eve. The next morning, they're gone — and you're the only person in the house. "
Write about a character who is returning home for Christmas for the first time in a long time. 
Write a murder story where the murder weapon is the knife used to carve a pumpkin.
Write about someone finding a monster under their bed.
"Start your story with a blast of lightning casting a graveyard in a flash of brief, white light."
Write a story where someone sees the shadow of someone standing behind them.
Start your story with a character encountering a black cat.
"Write a story that includes someone saying, “Bon voyage.”"
"Write a story about a character who misses a train, for better or worse."
Make a train station an important part of your story.
"Write a story about a character who is moving on, literally or figuratively."
Start your story with someone looking out a train window.
Write a story about a character who can’t tell what’s real and what’s not.
Write a story about someone who thinks their life is a romcom and they’re the protagonist.
"Set your story inside a character’s mind, literally."
"Write a story about someone who overthinks every single thing, blowing the tiniest incidents out of proportion. "
"Start your story with a daydream sequence, before snapping back to reality. "
Write about someone who has long since quit but decides to go another round for old time’s sake. 
Set your story at a retirement or leaving party. 
Write about a rivalry between two coworkers that has unforeseen consequences.
"Write a story about someone who knows it’s time to retire or change jobs, but is hesitating. "
Start your story with someone saying “I quit!” 
"Start your story with a character telling their best friend that their spouse is having an affair, only for their friend to “shoot the messenger”."
Write a story about a corrupt politician trying to avoid blame at all costs.
Write a story where a murder occurs — and the suspects are all pointing the finger at one another.
Write a story that includes the phrase “This is all my fault.”
Begin your story with somebody getting (or taking) the blame for something they didn’t do.
"Think of someone who stood on the periphery of your childhood memories (a classmate, a teacher, a neighbor) and cast them as the main character of your story."
Write a story where a local takes a newcomer under their wing.
Write a story about coming of age in a big city.
Write a story in which someone returns to their hometown.
"Start your story with a character saying “Where I come from, …”"
Write a story in which someone says “You'll never be content.”
Write a story about someone facing death for the first time in their life.
Write about a character who risks everything to pursue their heart’s desires.
Write about a character who is living through a major historical event — whether they know it or not.
Start your story with someone breaking an awkward silence at a family dinner.
Start your story with one character trying to convince another that they make the best grilled cheese in the world.
Write a story in which too many cooks spoil the broth — literally or metaphorically.
Write a story where a character’s life completely changes over the course of a meal.
Write about a character whose love language is making food for others.
Start your story with someone looking at a restaurant menu.
Write about someone who needs to face their past in order to move forward.
Write a story where a character has to take on heavy responsibilities (perhaps beyond their age).
Write about a character who lives a seemingly charmed life.
"Write a story where someone finds comfort in an unexpected event, place, or person."
Start your story with someone sharing a secret that has a big impact on everyone.
End your story with someone dancing in the rain.
Write about a character whose job is to bring water to people.
Start your story with the whistle of a kettle.
"Write about someone seeking an oasis in a desert — whether literally, or figuratively."
Set your story during a drought.
Write about a character who’s never encountered a problem they couldn’t buy their way out of — until they do.
Your character checks their balance at an ATM and is surprised by the number they see.
Write about somebody down on their luck who unexpectedly comes into a large amount of money.
Set your story in a world where the currency isn’t money — or at least not money as we understand it.
Start your story with a character accepting a bribe.
"Write a story that includes someone saying, “It’s not fair.”"
Write a story about a character who is trying to become a better person.
Write a story where the law plays an important role.
Write about a character with questionable morals.
Start your story with a couple sharing a cigarette in a parking lot.
Write about somebody looking for love on a reality TV show.
"Write about two characters who both want what the other has, without knowing the feeling is mutual."
Write about a character who discovers the grass isn't actually greener on the other side.
Write about someone deliberately trying to make somebody else envious.
"Write about a relationship, either romantic or platonic, that is being affected by jealousy."
Write a story about a pathological liar.
"Start your story with a character or a narrator saying, “Don’t you remember?”"
Write about false news coverage of an important event.
Write a story where a character is experiencing parallel realities.
Write about two characters arguing over how a past event happened.
"Set your story in a kids’ playground, or at a roundabout."
"Write about a character who is pathologically ambivalent, until something shakes them up."
Write about a character who gets good and bad news in quick succession — not necessarily in that order.
Write a story that includes a character using the phrase “swings and roundabouts.”
"Start your story with a character facing a situation that isn't awful, but isn't great."
Write a story featuring an element of time-travel or anachronism.
Write a story about an object that has been around for centuries or passed down generations.
Write a story — romantic or not — about two characters who can’t find the right timing.
Write a story about someone who feels increasingly irrelevant.
"Start your story with someone saying, “We’re running out of time.”"
"Write about a character who settles disputes for a living (a judge, mediator, school counselor, etc)."
Write a story that includes the line “I can’t believe we’re arguing over this.”
"Write a story about two characters who have been fighting for so long, they can’t remember what started it."
Write about a character trying to heal an old rift.
Write a story about a character learning to stand up for themselves.
"Write a story about someone whose job is to make miracles happen, literally or figuratively."
Set your story in an oracle or a fortune teller’s parlor.
Write about a character whose life changes for the better.
Start your story with a character saying “I can see it now.”
Write a story in which a miracle happens — or everyone thinks it did.
Write about a character who’s expected to follow in someone’s footsteps.
"Repeat the same line of dialogue, from the same character, three separate times."
Write about a character who keeps ending up in the same place.
Write about somebody breaking a cycle.
"Write about a character who wakes up in their past life, or as a future reincarnation of themself. "
"Write a story that either starts or ends with someone (or something) saying, “Please, don’t do it.”"
"Write about a character, human or robot, who no longer wishes to obey instructions."
Write about a character who has access to a powerful new technology before anyone else.
Write a story where an algorithm plays an important role.
Write about a character who is convinced their computer is conscious.
Write a story about an unlikely group (or pair) of friends.
"Set your story in a town that’s teetering on the edge of something dark, literally or metaphorically."
Write about two people who form a bond with each other through music.
Start your story with the flickering of a light.
Write about a character who is trying to convince others to play a game.
Write about an apartment building being demolished.
Write about a couple touring an empty apartment they might rent.
"Include a character in your story that is often in an apartment building, but doesn’t actually live there."
Write a story involving a noise complaint. 
Write about two neighbors who cannot stand each other.
Write about a relationship that has been greatly impacted by a movie.
Write a story about someone who keeps being cast as the hero but is actually a villain (literally or metaphorically).
"Start or end your story with someone realizing that life isn’t like the movies, for better or worse."
"Start your story with two people sitting in a movie theater, waiting for the lights to come back on."
"Write about someone who has been nominated for a prestigious award, but isn’t sure they deserve it."
Start your story during a team building exercise.
Write about a character discovering a surprising strength in either themself or another.
Set your story in an unlikely sanctuary.
Write about a character attempting to meditate or do something mindfully.
Write from the point of view of a character writing a letter to their past or future self.
"Write about a character who decides to give themselves, or someone else, a fashion makeover."
"Think of an item of clothing from your childhood, and write a story inspired by that."
Set your story at a global fashion event — or a carnival ball.
Write about a character who wakes up in someone else’s clothes — or utterly weird apparel they don’t recognize as their own.
Write a story where a particular piece of clothing appears three times.
Write a story that centres around an Instagram post.
Write about a character who’s pathologically camera shy.
"A character finds an old roll of film, and takes it to be developed. What do they find?"
Write a story about a wedding photographer.
Start your story with somebody taking a photo.
Write a story involving a friendship between two different species. 
Write about a trip to see a natural sight that’s usually only ever seen in photos. 
Start or end your story with a person buying a house plant. 
Write about a character who loves cloud gazing. 
Set your story in the woods or on a campground. 
Write about somebody who likes to work in silence.
Write a story that includes one character reading aloud to another.
Write about a character on the hunt to solve a mystery who uses their local library (or librarian) as a source of information.
Write a story about a librarian that doesn’t fit into the common librarian stereotypes.
Start your story with someone being given a book recommendation.
Write about a character named after one of our contest’s judges.
Set your story in the lowest rated restaurant in town.
Write a story about someone struggling to swallow some harsh (but fair) constructive criticism.
Start your story with someone receiving a one-star review.
"Write about someone who critiques things for a living, or acts like they do."
Write a story inspired by a memory of yours.
Write a story that involves a flashback.
End your story with total oblivion.
Write about a character with an unreliable memory.
Start your story with the narrator or a character saying “I remember…”
Write about a character sowing seeds for the future (literally or figuratively).
Start your story with the words: “Grow up.”
Format your story in the style of diary entries.
Start your story with someone having their height marked on a door frame.
Write a story that involves a character donating a box of clothes which have been outgrown.
"Write about light returning to a place that has been deprived of it for a long time, literally or figuratively."
End your story with someone saying: “What a day.”
Write about a character who doesn’t want to go to sleep.
Write a story about an afternoon picnic gone wrong.
Set your story on a day when the sun never sets.
Write a story about someone forced out of their home.
Write a story about a character forced to give up something important to stand up for what they believe in.
Write a story about somebody in love with someone from their past.
Write about a character who gets called an Einstein ironically.
Write a story about a scientist.
Write a story where hard work doesn’t pay off.
Set your story on a baseball field.
Write about a character giving something one last shot.
"Write about somebody who knows they’re probably going to fail at something, but does it anyway."
Start or end your story with someone saying “You’ll never know unless you try.”
Write about a casual act of bravery.
Write a story where fortune doesn’t favor the brave.
Set your story in a town full of cowards.
Start your story with someone stepping outside their comfort zone.
Write about a hero or a villain deathly afraid of doing their job.
"Write from the POV of someone, or something, that experiences gravity differently."
End your story with a character looking out on a new horizon.
Write about a character who has a ‘hot and cold’ personality — or is affected by someone like this. 
Set your story beyond our own world.
"Your character, by chance or habit, peers through a telescope. They see something unusual — what is it?"
Write about a character who finds Valentine’s Day sickly sweet.
Write a story about someone making a gift (chocolate or otherwise) for a loved one.
Set your story in a confectionery shop.
Start your story with a character finding an old heart-shaped box in their house. 
Write about someone going on a search for a specific type (or brand) of chocolate.
Write a story about a teenager whose family is moving.
"End your story with a character saying “Thank you, God. Thanks an awful lot.” (sarcastically or not)."
Write a story about a couple with fundamentally different beliefs.
Write a story where a character is exploring their religious or spiritual identity.
"Start your story with a character saying “Are you there, God? It’s me…”"
Set your story in a drawing room.
"Write a story about a group of sisters, or a group of brothers."
Start your story with the arrival of a new person in a town full of gossips.
Write a story that includes (or subverts) the enemies-to-lovers trope.
Write a story about two characters whose first impressions of one another are wildly inaccurate.
Write a story titled ‘The Locked Door.’
Set your story in a nameless world.
Start your story with someone finding an object labeled with their name.
Write about a character whose name you got from our Character Name Generator.
"Create a title with our Title Generator, then write a story inspired by it."
"Your character runs an inn for resting mountaineers. It’s a calm life, until they encounter a twist of fate."
Write your story from the point of view of someone learning or teaching an extreme hobby.
Set your story in a snowed-in chalet.
Write about a skier who accidentally strays off-piste.
Begin your story with a character crashing into something (or someone) while skiing.
"Write a story about a conflict that breaks out over something ordinary (like tea, perhaps)."
Write about a character who’s dying to “spill the tea” (gossip) about something.
Write a story about a tea party that your character is reluctant to go to.
Set your story in a tea house.
Start your story with someone making a cup of tea — either for themself or for someone else.
"Your character makes a living faking psychic powers. One morning, they wake up with real ones."
Write about a character learning to trust their intuition.
Write a story about a problem with no good solutions.
Write about a character whose intuition is always right — until one day it isn’t.
Begin your story with a character having a gut feeling they cannot explain.
Write about a character setting an unusual New Year’s resolution.
Write a story about someone seeking a fresh start after a difficult year.
Write a story about two people who don’t know each other but bump into one other on New Year’s Eve (either once or every year).
Write about a character reflecting on the previous year.
Start or end your story with one or more characters shouting “Happy new year!”
"Set your story in an airport, as someone rushes for a flight."
Write a story including the phrase “Better late than never”.
All clocks suddenly stop. Write about what happens next.
Write a story about a late bloomer.
Start your story with a character who is always running late arriving somewhere just as it closes.
Set your story in a labyrinth that holds a secret.
End your story with someone finding themselves.
"Write a story where two characters are playing hide and seek, literally or metaphorically."
Start your story with someone trying to read a map.
Write a story about a character in search of something or someone.
Set your story backstage at the theater.  
Write a story about a character practising a speech in front of the mirror. What are they preparing for?
"Begin or end your story with “Well, that was dramatic.”"
Write about a character who always wears a mask (physical or metaphorical).
Start your story looking down from a stage.
Write about a character who won’t (or can’t) shop for the holidays.
"A package arrives at your character’s house, but they didn’t order anything. Write about what happens next."
Write a story about a limited edition item going on sale.
Start your story in the middle of a traffic jam.
Write about a character who’s stuck in a shopping mall.
Write about someone in a thankless job.
Write about a character who struggles to express their thanks.
Write a story in which someone gets credit for something they didn’t do.
Write about someone giving or receiving a gift.
Start your story with someone saying “Thanks a lot” (sarcastically or sincerely).
Your character has always viewed the past with rose tinted glasses. Write about what happens when they’re finally confronted with the truth.
Start your story with a character looking through an old family photo album.
Write about two characters’ different perspectives of the same past event.
Start your story with the line ‘Back in my day…’
"Write about a character who yearns for something they lost, or never had."
Set your story in a silent house by the sea.
Write a story that involves eavesdropping.
Write a story inspired by a piece of music (without using any lyrics).
"Start your story with a character saying “Listen, …”"
Start your story with an unusual sound being heard.
Set your story during a sudden change of season.
Your character picks up a fallen leaf and can’t believe what they discover underneath it. What happens next?
Write your story from the perspective of an outsider watching something or someone change.
"Write about a character, animal or human, who is reborn as something totally different."
Start your story with “Today’s the day I change.”
Write about someone whose busiest night of the year is Halloween.
Set your story at the boundary between two realms.
Write about a missing person nobody seems to know or remember.
Write about a character who uses a night where everyone’s in costume as cover for something sinister.
Start your story with the words “Everything was ready for the ritual.”
Write a story that centers around a parking permit.
"Write about a character who is being asked for their blessing, but is reluctant to give it."
Start your story with someone being forbidden from doing something.
Write about a character seeking forgiveness for something that happened in the past.
"Write about a character breaking a rule, but for good reason."
Write a story where a device goes haywire.
Start or end your story with a character scrolling (or doomscrolling) through social media.
Write about a character who feels like they're cut off from something.
Set your story in a town disconnected from the rest of the world. 
"One moment your character is talking on the phone with a friend, and the next, the connection is lost. Write a story about what follows. "
Set your story at a talent show.
Write a story that involves sabotage.
Write about someone grappling with an insecurity.
Write about a clique that dominates your story’s social scene.
"Start your story with the line, “You wanna do something fun?”"
Write about a character whose dreams are portals to other worlds.
Write a story about a character who interprets people’s dreams.
Write about two people whose dreams are somehow connected. 
Start or end your story with the line ‘This is my worst nightmare.’
Write a story about a character who believes their dreams predict the future.
Write about a character driving in the rain.
The first rain of the season arrives. Write a story that begins immediately afterward.
Write a story where something magical happens when it starts to rain.
"Write a story where it’s raining men, literally or metaphorically."
End your story with a character standing in the rain.
Write about a group of friends who hope to use their combined skills to better the world. 
Write about a child who carries on their parent’s work or legacy in some form.
Write about a character who wakes up in the future and learns that their legacy has outlasted them — for better or worse.
"Set your story in eighteenth century London, including a casual reference to something that changes the course of history."
"An intelligent young girl solves a big problem, but becomes frustrated that no one wants to believe her. Write about what she does next."
"Start your story with the line “We have plenty of time,” and/or end it with the line “We were never going to make it.”"
Write about a character on the road — and on the run.
Start your story with a vehicle pulling over for a hitchhiker.
Write about a couple who fall out on the road.
Set your story in a roadside diner.
Your character sits down at their desk on a Monday morning and finds a completely unexpected email in their inbox. Write about what happens next.
Set your story during the night shift.
Write about a character who leads a secret double life outside of their day job.
"Start your story with a character quitting their job, or getting fired."
"Write about a character who has landed their dream job, only to discover it isn’t quite what they imagined it to be."
"Write a story about a character who’s trying to fill an empty space, literally or metaphorically."
Start or end your story with a house going up in flames.
Write a story about a team tunneling down into the centre of a planet.
Write about a person or object vanishing into thin air.
Write a story about a voyage on a boat.
Write about a character who tells a lie which turns out to be true - or a truth which turns out to be a lie.
Write a story where a character finds out the truth about something they thought they’d known their whole life.
Write about a game of ‘truth or dare’ that goes horribly wrong.
Write about a character pretending to be someone they’re not.
Write a story about a white lie which spirals out of control.
Write a story about a character who’s secretly nobility.
Write a story about a character who takes nothing for granted.
A mundane ability suddenly becomes a superpower. Write about someone or something affected by this.
"Write about a character who’s known to be a cynic, but secretly romanticizes everything. "
Start or end your story with a character noticing the beauty in something they've seen hundreds of times.
Write about a character who can suddenly see through another person's eyes — literally.
Write a story that switches between first person and third person point of view.
Write your story from the perspective of a side character.
Write about a person trying to see something from another’s point of view.
Write a story from the point of view of three different characters.
"End your story with the line, “I’m never going out with you again.”"
Write about an introvert and an extrovert who are best friends.
"Write about someone who wants to stay home alone, only for their plans to be disrupted."
"Write about someone who everyone thinks is an extrovert, but is actually an introvert."
"Start your story with a character saying, “Are you coming tonight?”"
Write a story about someone who starts noticing the same object or phrase wherever they go.
Start your story with someone discovering a photograph that has something written on the back.
"Write a story where a character runs into someone they’ve seen in their dreams, or enters a building they’ve dreamt about before."
"An apparent coincidence occurs. Write a story about a character who suspects paranormal, spiritual, or criminal causes."
Write about a character looking for a sign.
Write about a mysterious figure in one’s neighborhood.
Write a story about someone losing faith in an institution.
Write about a character with an unassailable moral compass.
Frame your story as an adult recalling the events of their childhood.
Start your story with a metaphor about human nature.
Write a story that involves a reflection in a mirror.
Write a story about a character who always repeats themselves.
Write a story in which the same line recurs three times.
Write a story about a character who fails to understand something until they have the full context.
"Write about a character doing something they’ve done hundreds of times — only this time, it’s taken on a new meaning."
Write a story that involves a secret or magic ingredient.
Write about a character preparing a meal for somebody else.
"Write about a group of strangers — or people who know each other, but may as well be strangers — eating together."
Write a story where a meal or dinner goes horribly wrong.
Start or end your story with two characters sitting down for a meal.
Write a story about characters going on a summer road trip.
Write a story about somebody reminiscing on an event that happened many summers ago.
End your story with somebody stepping out into the sunshine.
"Write about the longest day of the year, or a day that never seems to end."
"Begin your story with somebody watching the sunrise, or sunset."
Write a story involving a character who cannot return home.
Set your story on (or in) a winding river.
Write about someone who’s desperately trying to change their luck.
"Start your story with a character having a premonition, but no one believes them."
"Write about a family with a long-standing tradition, whose members all have conflicting origin stories for it."
"Set your story within a window of opportunity, when a character finally has the chance to do something."
Start your story with an unexpected knock on a window.
Write a story that involves a magic window — or a window like no other.
Write a story in which a window is broken or found broken.
Start your story with a character looking out of a window in the middle of the night.
Write about a character who has to rely on the hospitality of strangers.
Start your story in an empty guest room.
Write about someone welcoming a stranger into their home.
Start your story with the arrival of a strange visitor in a small town.
"Write a story about strangers becoming friends, or friends becoming strangers."
Write about someone finally making their own choices.
"Write about someone making a seemingly inconsequential decision, which goes on to have important consequences."
A character stands in front of two doors. Write a story about what happens after they choose one to enter.
Write a story about someone who’s extremely impulsive — or extremely indecisive.
Start your story with someone being presented with a dilemma.
Write a story in which a character justifies an argument with: “Because I said so.”
End your story with someone finally conceding to another’s point of view.
"Write a story about two people who need each other, but are too stubborn to admit it."
Start your story with someone accepting a dare.
Write a story about someone sticking to a course of action even when it’s clearly wrong.
Write a story about a character who’s nervous to attend a party - their first in a long time.
Write your story about two characters tidying up after a party.
Write about a reluctant party-goer who ends up being the star of the show.
Set your story at a party that has gone horribly wrong.
Write a story about a character who gets lost at a carnival or festival.
"Write a story set in a city where the power suddenly goes out, leaving everyone in darkness."
Write about a character who thinks they have a sun allergy.
Set your story in a countryside house that’s filled with shadows.
End your story with a truth coming to light.
"Write a story that begins in the light and ends in darkness, or the other way around."
"Write about a character stumbling upon a library book that changes the course of their life, for better or worse."
"Set your story in a library, after hours."
"Write about a character who meticulously catalogs everything in their life, until something disrupts their system."
Start your story with a stern librarian scolding two characters for making noise in the library.
Write about someone going to extreme lengths to return an overdue library book.
Start your story with someone sitting on a crowded train and end it with them looking out over beautiful natural scenery.
Write about a community that worships Mother Nature.
Set your story in a world living with the consequences of a climate apocalypse.
Write a story in which an endangered species (of plant or animal) plays a central role.
Write a story that weaves together multiple lives through their connection to a particular tree.
Start your story with an ending and work backward toward the beginning.
Write about someone who is always looking toward the future.
Write a story where one person is trying to say goodbye but keeps getting interrupted.
Start your story with a character taking a leap of faith.
Write a story that spans a month during which everything changes.
Write about an author famous for their fairy tale retellings.
Write a fairy tale about an outsider trying to fit in.
Write about a prince or princess who is asked to give up something valuable as part of a deal to escape the world they come from.
Write a story about an ordinary person speaking truth to power.
Write a cautionary fable about someone who always lies.
"Write about someone who goes to great lengths to avoid being pranked on April 1st, only to realize they had the date wrong and it’s already April 2nd."
Start your story with a big company pulling an April Fools’ prank that ends up going horribly wrong.
Write about someone who hates pranks and spends April Fools’ Day doing good deeds instead.
"Write about someone who’s spent a whole year planning a big prank, and now they’re finally ready to pull it off."
Write about a mischievous pixie or trickster god.
Write a story where flowers play a central role.
Start your story with one character pointing out the first sign of spring to another.
Write a fairy tale about someone who can communicate with woodland creatures.
Write about a character coming out of a long hibernation (either literal or metaphorical).
Set your story at a park during a spring festival.
Write about someone fighting to keep their city neighborhood the same.
Write about someone fighting to change their city neighborhood for the better.
"Start your story with the line, “That’s the thing about this city…”"
Write a story that takes place in the same building but in two very different time periods.
Set your story in a major city that your character has a love-hate relationship with.
"Start your story with a character struggling to remember the date, because every day is like the last one."
Write about someone who’s trying to accomplish a task that used to be easy but is now made complicated by a pandemic.
"Set your story in a post-pandemic world, where the effects are still felt even as your character attempts to move on."
"Write about someone who grew up in a bunker, and lockdown life is all they’ve ever known."
Write a story that spans exactly a year and takes place in a single room.
Write a fantasy story about water gods or spirits.
"Write about someone who books a bargain vacation, only to be told when they arrive that they need to share a hotel suite with a stranger."
Write about someone who’s lived on a tropical island their whole life and is leaving it for the very first time.
"Start your story with someone emerging from the sea, and end it with them looking up at the stars."
Write about someone who goes to extreme lengths to get themselves to a tropical island.
Write about an android just trying to blend in with their human companions.
Write a near-future thriller where a piece of everyday technology has turned against your character — and only your character.
Write a historical fiction story about someone working at a company that helped revolutionize early computers.
Your character has just realized the app they’ve been developing has become self-aware. How do they react?
"Write about a technophobe who’s been given a device to solve a problem they’ve struggled with for years, but isn't sure how they feel about it."
"Write about someone asking out an old crush, only to realize their crush doesn’t remember they’ve ever met before."
"Start your story with one character setting up a romantic dinner, and end it with them looking at a framed wedding photo."
"Write about a first date that surprises both people, but in different ways."
Write a love story about an older couple who’ve been together since they were teenagers.
Write about two people reconnecting after a rough patch in their relationship.
Start your story with a major news event breaking — one that will change the world forever.
Write about an elderly character who was part of a historic movement years ago.
"Start your story with someone entering a museum, and end it with them settling down to join a sit-in."
Write about a child witnessing a major historical event.
Write about someone who never planned to make history but is now about to deliver a speech in front of millions.
Write about a “found family” who are finally able to get together again after a long time apart.
Write about two characters who’ve gone through something so intense they now feel like family.
Write about someone who discovers the only family member they have left has just betrayed them.
Your main character is approached by their long-estranged parent who wants to reconnect. How do they react?
Write about someone who decides it’s time to cut ties with a family member.
Write about someone who keeps picking up different hobbies but never manages to stick with them.
Set your story at a convention for a hobby most people have never heard of.
Write about someone who still practices a skill that used to be necessary but has long since been replaced by technology.
Write about someone who keeps an unusual animal as a pet.
Start your story with one character trying to convince another to take up their favorite hobby.
"Set your story in a remote winter cabin with no electricity, internet, or phone service."
"Write a story set in the summer, when suddenly it starts to snow."
Write about someone who gets stuck in their workplace during a blizzard and decides to explore rooms they aren’t normally allowed in.
"Start your story with someone looking out at the snow, and end it with them stepping tentatively onto a frozen surface."
Write about two people going sledding for the first time in many years.
"Write about a character who’s always thinking of things they’ll say to people, but who ends up saying very little when they finally get the chance."
Write a conversation that takes place between two people who refuse to say what they mean.
Write about a character who is incapable of telling even the smallest lie or half-truth.
"Write about two people who just can’t seem to understand each other, no matter how clearly they think they’re speaking."
Write a story told exclusively through dialogue.
"Write about two characters who each want to change the same thing, but resolve to go about it in very different ways. "
Write about someone who doesn’t remember their past — and doesn’t want to.
Start your story with one character making a vow that they never would have made the year before.
Write about someone whose job is to help people leave their old lives behind.
Write about someone who has finally managed to succeed at a long-standing New Year’s resolution.
Write a story in the form of a top-ten list.
Write a story that takes place across ten seconds.
Write a story that takes place across ten days.
Write about someone keeping track of time with tally marks on a wall — until one day they discover that all the marks are gone.
Write about someone scrambling to finish a goal in the last few hours of the year.
Write about a backup dancer who’s on tour and just wants some peace and quiet for the holidays.
Write about a young nobleman whose greatest wish is to become an Olympic long jumper.
Write about a drummer going to a Halloween party for musicians.
Write about someone who gets proposed to five times on Christmas Eve.
Write about someone who is given a bird for the holidays but doesn’t know how to take care of it.
Write a science fiction story where all human behavior can be predicted — until your character does something the algorithm did not expect.
"Write about someone who gets an inheritance from a relative they’ve never heard of, but they’ll need to do something completely outside their comfort zone in order to collect it."
Write about someone getting a job offer they never would have thought to apply for.
Write a romance where your character falls in love with the last person they expected to.
Write a mystery where the detective realizes at the last moment that they have the wrong suspect.
Write about someone hosting a cookie exchange as a cover to hide the true reason for inviting one of their guests.
Write about someone trying to recreate a grandparent’s signature baked good from memory.
"Write about two people who run rival bakeries, but fall in love during their town’s annual holiday festival."
Write about someone investigating a break-in at a bakery. The only thing missing? A very secret ingredient.
Write about a group of people determined to win an award for making the biggest cookie ever.
Write about a character who’s so afraid of making the wrong choice that their indecision ruins the very thing they were hoping to keep safe.
" Write about two people who know they’ve made a mistake, and one of them wants to tell the truth but the other wants to lie about it."
Write about someone trying to atone for a mistake they’ll never be able to fix.
"Write about a character who everyone thinks is guilty of something terrible, but isn’t."
Write about someone who’s so obsessed with a goal that it leads to the destruction of their closest relationship.
Write about someone telling their family they won’t be continuing the long-standing family business.
"Write about a family’s first holiday after a parent has gotten remarried, and now there are new faces at the table and new traditions to be honored."
"Write about someone who didn’t get along with their family as a child, but has since found an appreciation for them."
Write about someone who falls back into childish behaviors whenever they’re around their family.
Write about a family adapting a holiday tradition to take place over video chat.
"Start your story with the line, “It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same,” and end it with, “[…] and that was all that mattered.”"
"Start your story with the line, “This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives,” and end it with, “By then it was too late.”"
Start your story with someone robbing a bank and end it with two people driving on an interstate.
Start your story with someone admitting a secret and end it with someone telling a lie.
Start your story with two characters watching a sunrise and end it with one of them seeing the moon reflecting off a lake.
Write a space adventure story that features a visit to an alien marketplace.
"Write a story where one character needs to betray the other, but isn’t sure if they can."
Write a romance where the characters pretend to be dating each other in order to win a reality show.
Write a thriller about someone who witnesses a murder… except there’s no evidence that a murder took place.
Write about a pirate captain obsessed with finding a mythical treasure.
Write about a character who’s finally on the verge of achieving their lifelong dream.
Write about a contest with life or death stakes.
Write about a character who makes a dramatic life change to pursue a goal they’ve secretly always wanted.
"Halfway through a fierce competition, your character is given the opportunity to cheat their way to victory: do they take it?"
"Start your story with one character telling another, “It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat.”"
Write about someone taking a child trick-or-treating for the very first time.
Write about a vampire or werewolf who moves into a quiet suburban neighborhood.
Write about a group of witches meeting up on Halloween night.
Write about someone’s first Halloween as a ghost.
Start your story with two characters deciding to spend the night in a graveyard.
Write a romance that involves one partner saving the other from a fire.
Write about a family attempting to hide their secrets from someone new.
Write about someone who’s been sent to boarding school.
Write a ghost story where there’s more going on than it first appears.
Set your story in a Gothic manor house.
Write about two characters going apple picking.
Write a story from the perspective of a bird migrating for the winter.
Write about a character making fall decorations out of construction paper.
"Start your story with the line, “By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire.” (Whether this is a literal fire is up to you.)"
Set your story in a coffee shop that’s just introduced a new line of autumnal drinks.
Write about a character putting something into a time capsule.
Write about a character preparing to go into stasis for decades (or centuries).
"Write about two characters on the verge of a life-changing event, but one has rigged the outcome."
Write about a character who’s had their future foretold from birth — but isn’t sure if they believe it.
"Write about a character who can suddenly only “remember” their future, not their past."
Write about a character who’s obsessed with an era they never lived through.
Write about a character discovering something new about their past that changes how they remember an important moment.
Write about a character who smells something familiar and is instantly taken back to the first moment they smelled it.
Write about a character who goes to — or purposefully avoids — their high school reunion.
Write about a character passing down their favorite childhood toy to a new generation.
Write a post-apocalyptic romance.
Write a post-apocalyptic thriller.
Write a post-apocalyptic story triggered by climate change.
Write a post-apocalyptic story that features zombies.
Write a funny post-apocalyptic story.
Set your story in a small town where everyone is suspicious of newcomers.
"Write a story that feels lonely, despite being set in a packed city."
"Set your story in a place with extreme weather, but don’t use any weather-related words to describe it."
Write about a character arriving in a place unlike anywhere they’ve ever been.
"Write about a couple who have just moved to a place that one person loves, and the other hates."
Write about a family who decides to camp out in the back yard during a power outage.
Write a story about someone feeling powerless.
Write about a character who’s stuck in an elevator when the power goes out.
Write a story where the power goes out on a spaceship or submarine.
Write about someone who purposefully causes a power outage.
Write a story that starts with someone writing their will — one they know people won’t like.
"Write a story about someone who travels to the future, and isn’t happy about how they’ve been remembered."
Write a story about someone breaking a long family tradition.
Write a story about someone who’s famous for something they never actually did.
Write a humorous story about the descendant of someone remembered for an insignificant act.
Write a story about an established group of people welcoming (or not welcoming) a new face into their midst.
Write a story about two people meeting during unusual circumstances and becoming fast friends.
Write a day-in-the-life-story about a first-time parent and their newborn child.
Write a story in which two people who know each other are introduced — but neither person admits to knowing the other.
Write a story from the different perspectives of two people meeting for a blind date. 
Write a story where the readers are in on a secret that the characters are unaware of.
Write a story involving a conversation that’s packed with subtext; the characters aren’t quite saying what they mean.
"Write a story that either starts or ends with someone asking, “Can you keep a secret?”"
Write a story about an old family secret surfacing generations later.
Write a story about a meeting of a secret society.
"Write a story about a TV show called ""Second Chances."""
Write a story about someone struggling to learn a skill that in no way comes naturally to them.
Write a story about someone looking to make amends for a mistake.
Write a story about someone going back to school as a mature student.
"Write a story about high school sweethearts coming across one another after many, many years apart."
Write a story about another day in a heatwave. 
Write a story about summer love — the quarantine edition.
Write a story about a teenager spending their final days at home before going away to college.
Write a story that begins with someone's popsicle melting.
Write about a few people spending a long-overdue weekend away at a cottage.
"You are the only one in the supermarket during a blizzard. Feeling creeped out, you decide to leave, when suddenly you find a baby abandoned on the floor."
"""Come with us,” two burly men in gray suits say, grabbing you by the arm and handcuffing you. “You know what you did.” But you have no idea."
"You thought he was dead, but there he is, right in front of you on the street, smiling at you."
"Every year, one person is sent to the moon. This year, though you hid in terror, it is your turn to enter the rocket."
"Twenty minutes before you are about to get married, you find your mother and your fiancé kissing passionately."
Write a story about someone who's haunted by their past.
Write about someone who returns as an adult to a place they last visited as a child.
"Write a story that involves a mystery — it doesn't need to be crime-related, it should just include something that remains unexplained until the end."
Write about someone who has a superpower.
Write a story that begins and ends with someone looking up at the stars.
Write a story about a summer afternoon spent in a treehouse.
Write a story told entirely through one chase scene.
Write a story about a person experiencing pre-performance jitters.
"Write a story about an argument that seems to be about one thing, but is actually about another."
Write a story about a proposal. 
Write a story about two strangers chatting while waiting for something.
Write a story about a relationship where one person is always running late and the other is constantly kept waiting.
Write a story about waiting — but don't reveal what's being waited for until the very end.
Write a story about a person waiting for an answer to a question.
Write a story that takes place in a waiting room.
Write a story that features a protagonist with an archnemesis.
Write about a person who collects superhero comics.
Write the 'origin story' of a person who goes on to achieve great things.
Write about someone who always comes to the aid of others.
Write about someone who has a superpower.
"You check the time. Perfect. As intended, you've arrived fashionably late."
"Suitcase in hand, you head to the station."
"You looked out the window and, not for the first time, thought about how wrong the weather forecast had been."
"""Just say it,"" you silently reminded yourself. You knew you'd regret it if you didn't. "
"As you check your mail, you notice a letter that makes you stop in your tracks."
Write a story about someone who has just finished writing their first story/book.
Write a story about someone returning to their craft after a long hiatus.
Write a story about an author who has just published a book.
Write a story that takes place in a writer's circle.
Write a story about someone experiencing a lightbulb moment of writing inspiration.
Write a story about change.
Write a story about inaction.
Write a story about community.
Write a story about activism.
Write a story about solidarity.
Write a story that starts by establishing its setting in a different time period — without explicitly stating what that period is.
Write a story that starts with a character-revealing something unusual about themselves.
Write a story that starts with someone returning from a trip.
Write a story that starts with a life-changing event.
Write a story that starts with two characters saying goodbye.
Write a story about an unlikely friendship.
Write a story about an average day turned upside down by an unexpected visitor.
Write a story about someone who discovers a mysterious object in their home.
Write a story about the relationship between a parent and a child that spans several years.
Write a story about transformation.
Write a story that ends with one character waiting for the arrival of another.
Write a story that ends by circling back to the beginning.
Write a story that ends with a character asking a question.
Write a story that ends in the past.
Write a story that ends with the narrator revealing a secret.
Write about an animal who causes a huge problem.
"Write a story featuring an animal who subverts expectations (like a snuggly tiger, or something more magical, like a literal fish out of water)."
Write about an animal who goes on a journey.
"Write about an animal species that doesn't exist in real life — an alien, new discovery, imaginary creature — it's up to your interpretation!"
Write about an animal who changes a person's life (for better or worse).
Write a story about someone turning to a friend in a time of need.
"Write a story inspired by this quote from Ally Condie: ""Growing apart doesn't change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I'm glad for that."""
Write a story about one event from the different perspectives of multiple friends.
Write a story about friends who wind up on a misadventure.
Write a story about two people who meet and become instant friends.
Two people who thought they were the last people left on Earth end up meeting by chance.
Write a story that begins and ends with someone looking up at the stars.
Write a story about a Google Street View driver.
"Write about a person experiencing the 'overview effect' (a feeling astronauts report having when they first view Earth from outer space).
"
"One day, the sun rose in the west and set in the east."
Write a story about someone posting a video on social media that goes viral.
Write a story about someone learning how to play an instrument. 
"Write a story about two neighbors talking from their yards, windows, balconies, etc. "
Write a story about someone who is working from home and constantly getting distracted by their pet. 
Write a story about someone who finds a magical portal in their home. 
Write a story about a rumor making its way through the grapevine.
Write a story that starts with the reveal of a long-kept secret.
Write a story that takes place in the woods.
Write a story about someone who keeps coming across the same stranger.
Write a story about a valuable object that goes missing.
"In the form of diary/ journal entries, write a story that provides glimpses into a person's life at different ages."
"In the form of diary/ journal entries, write about someone who's up late at night because they're having trouble sleeping."
"In the form of diary/ journal entries, write about someone who's just experienced a big ""first."""
"In the form of diary/ journal entries, write about someone on a long-awaited trip."
"In the form of diary/ journal entries, write about someone who's just decided to take up journaling. "
"Write a story about someone walking through a park on a spring evening, told only through internal monologue. "
Write a story about someone who finds something interesting peeking out from a melting snowbank. 
You made a promise to yourself you'd finally do it on the first day of spring. Today was the day.
Write a story that takes place at a spring dance.
"Before bed, you put your clock ahead one hour for daylight saving time. When you wake up, you realize you've gone forward a lot more than one hour."
Write a story about someone who finds a secret passageway in their house.
Write a story about a rainy day spent indoors.
Write a story told entirely through text messages or emails.
"Write a story from the perspective of a dog, thrilled to find their owner has been spending so much time at home."
Write a story about a family game night.
Write a story about miscommunication.
Write a story set in a salon or barbershop.
Write a story about a character making a big change.
Write a story about a character who's too polite to tell someone they don't like a gift given to them.
Write a story about a character who can't make up their mind about something.
Write a story about someone who can pause time or re-live old memories at will.
Write a story that includes characters who are aware they are a work of fiction.
"Write about two people in a relationship. One of them has special powers, the other does not.
"
Write about a person who meets with the ghost of an old friend for tea every so often.
Write about someone who works an average job — but incorporate elements of magic into it.
Write a short story about someone heading home from work.
Write a short story about someone going to the corner store to buy an everyday item.
Write a short story about someone cooking dinner.
Write a short story about someone tending to their garden.
Write a short story about someone doing laundry.
Write a story about a character experiencing déjà vu.
Write a story in which the lines between awake and dreaming are blurred.
Write a story about someone who receives an unexpected phone call.
Write a story about someone who loses their cat.
Write a story in which someone finds a secret passageway.
Write a story about a character struggling to decide how to handle a problem that is morally gray.
Write a story about someone falling in love for the first time.
Write a story about two best friends. 
Write a story about someone discovering something new about themselves. 
Write a story about someone dealing with family conflict.
Write about a secret that you’ve never told to the person you love.
Write about a time when a broken heart led to something you’d never have expected.
"Write about your most unique experience at, or in, a wedding."
Write about a date that was so terrible you’ll never forget it.
Write about someone (or something) you loved that you shouldn’t have.
"Write a short story that takes place in a quaint, idyllic, English village."
Write a short story that ends with a twist.
Write a short story in which a specialist is called upon to carry out a job.
Write a short story about a jury of people tasked with making a decision. (It doesn't necessarily need to be a court jury.)
Write a short story that takes place on a train.
Write a story about a character obsessed with one of the long-dead “greats” in their profession.
Write a story about a musician struggling to find work during wartime.
Write about a character who was raised in a musical family.
Write about a character who goes by many different names throughout their life.
Write about a character who was considered a prodigy when they were young.
Write a short story about someone in the self-help aisle of a bookstore. What book do they pick up?
Write a short story about someone accomplishing one of their resolutions.
Write a short story about someone who refuses to write New Year's resolutions.
Write a short story about someone reflecting on their previous year's resolutions.
Write a short story about someone writing Valentine's Day wishes.
Write a magical realism story that takes place in the Wild West.
Write a thrilling adventure of a special agent who is harboring a paranormal secret.
Write a murder mystery with an amateur sleuth who must navigate a fantastical world in a quest to discover the truth.
Write a sweeping romantic tale of two lovers who must overcome the horror of being hunted by an unseen foe.
Write a story set in the dark recesses of space where the two main characters are often at odds with each other in humorous and comedic ways.
"Write a short story about people stuck in traffic during a blizzard. There's nothing much to do but wait, and talk..."
Write a short story about someone experiencing their first winter.
A busy city is quieted by a big blanketing of snow. Write from the perspective of two (or more) characters who live there.
Write a short story that takes place in a winter cabin.
You go for a walk in fresh snow. Suddenly you realize you're not leaving any footprints.
Write a short story about someone who does not spend December 31st celebrating New Year's Eve.
Write a short story in which the last line is the countdown to midnight on New Year's Eve.
"Two strangers meet at a New Year's Eve party. They spend the party together, and then never see each other again."
Write a short story about someone with unconventional New Year's traditions.
Write a short story about a person who goes to bed on Valentine's Day and wakes up in 1920.
You are a bartender working a night shift when a group of people come in on a Valentine's Day pub crawl.
Write a short story about an inn-keeper wondering whether this will be their last holiday season in business.
Write a short story about a work Christmas party that goes... awry. 
"Just before Valentine's Day, a long-lost relative you've never heard of enters your life. "
"You live in a neighborhood where lots of people go out of town for the holidays. But lately, this has been resulting in an increased number of break-ins."
Write a story about a character experiencing independence for the first time.
Write a story about a day in the life of a mother.
"Write a story about a character who would be described above all else as ""logical."""
Write a story about a character experiencing anxiety.
Write a story about a character who starts out as a pessimist and ends as an optimist. (Or vice versa.)
Write a short story about someone based on their shopping list.
Write a short story about a shop that takes place over a span of years.
Write a short story about someone watching a convincing infomercial. 
Write a short story about someone searching for the perfect gift for their partner.
Write a short story about someone in the middle of a very long and busy retail shift.
Write a story about a very skilled pickpocket. 
"""It was just here!"" you shout, frantically searching your pockets for the missing thing."
"Write a story about someone cleaning out their attic. They find an old piece of clothing, and inside of its pocket is an old keepsake."
"Your fingers tensed around the object in your pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice."
Write a story about a character who buys a secondhand coat and then discovers something in the pocket.
Write a story about a family dinner that involves some kind of reconciliation.
Write a story about a family dinner that takes place in any time period other than the present.
"Write a story about a ""chosen family"" dinner, where no one is related by blood, but they still feel like family."
Write a story about a family dinner that includes someone unexpected showing up.
Write a story about a family dinner from the perspective of an in-law who's married into the family.
"Write a story about a character on a quest, trying to ""prove themselves."""
Write a story in which characters are warned not to go into the woods.
Write a rags-to-riches story.
Write a story that involves love at first sight.
Write a story around the theme: Be careful what you wish for.
"Write about a character’s secret area of expertise, something most of their acquaintances would be surprised to learn they know tons about."
"Write about something you consider yourself an expert in, but do it from the perspective of a total novice."
Write about a character who is a reluctant expert on a topic they wish they didn’t know so much about.
Write about one character’s fundamental misunderstanding of another character’s job.
Write about a person trying to learn a new skill or hobby they find intimidating but want (or need) to learn anyway.
And there's a twist! It actually all took place in the past.
Someone in the story has a lot of hard lessons to learn.
It kicks off on a yacht with the delivery of an important letter.
It's a literary fiction story about growing up.
"It's about a photographer, who is a rookie."
Write a story about an eventful evening of trick-or-treating.
"You go for a walk and accidentally bump into someone. They feel the bump, but the person can't seem to hear or see you."
Write a story about someone who sees a black cat cross their path... for the tenth time that day.
"You go to visit your neighbor. When you ring the doorbell, a stranger appears and tells you that your neighbor has been dead for ten years."
Write a story about someone spending the night in an old Victorian home-turned-hotel on Halloween.
Write a story that features an ensemble cast of characters.
"Write a story that involves a mystery — it doesn't need to be crime-related, it should just include something that remains unexplained until the end."
Write a story featuring a protagonist with a knack for getting to the bottom of things.
Write a story about a character with a sidekick.
Write a story that takes place in a small town where news travels fast.
"Write about the moment a child (of any age) first comes to view a parent as a three-dimensional human being, and not just a parental figure."
"Write about a parent who sees pieces of a family member’s (or their own) personality in their child — whether that brings them comfort, terror, or something in between."
Write about an adult event or gathering from the point of view of a child.
Write about someone who returns as an adult to a place they last visited as a child.
Write about how a person’s perspective on an event from their childhood shifted in their adulthood.
Write a story about two friends who have a knack for understanding each other better than anyone else.
Write a story about someone who believes they are an extremely good judge of character.
Write a story about someone who is unexpectedly wise.
Write a story about a character who is trying to create art but is constantly interrupted.
Write a story about a character who remains resilient even when things feel like they're constantly going wrong.
Write a story about unrequited love.
Write a story that uses flowers as a symbol.
Write a story about someone whose lifestyle has changed and is learning to adjust to new circumstances.
Write a story that focuses on the relationship between siblings.
Write a story in which societal rituals and expectations play a key role. 
Write a story about an adventure in a small town.
Write a story about an adventure on a shipwrecked island.
Write a story about an adventure in space. 
Write a story about an adventure in the desert.  
Write a story about an adventure on the water.
Write a story infused with dark humor.
Write a story about a person longing for family.
Write a story where a chocolate cake plays a significant role.
Write a story that mixes everyday situations with surreal surroundings.
Write a story with a child narrator.
Write a story about friends taking a road trip they've been planning for years.
Write a story about someone who started a road trip ten years ago and hasn't stopped since.
"Write a story about two people in a long-distance relationship, driving to a location mid-way between both their cities."
Write a story about a road trip taking place 300 years from now.
Write a story about a family road trip.
Write a story about someone who is tired of their day-to-day routines.
"Write a story about someone striving for a ""comeback."""
Write a story about someone who decides to confront their fears head-on.
Write a story about two unlikely people falling in love.
Write a story about someone who finds life meaning in an unexpected place.
"Write a story based on the song title: ""With A Little Help From My Friends"" "
"Write a story based on the song title: ""You Can Make It If You Try"""
"Write a story based on the song title: ""To Love Somebody"" "
"Write a story based on the song title: ""My Generation"""
"Write a story based on the song title: ""Beside The Sea"""
Write a story about someone who wins a contest and the prize of their dreams.
Write a story about an ordinary day in a person's life. Use their internal dialogue to make the story interesting.
Write a story about a parent putting their child to bed.
Write a story about a matchmaker.
Write a story about a teenager visiting the place where they grew up.
Write a story in which something seemingly innocent symbolizes something much darker.
Write a story about someone who defies social conventions.
Write a story in which someone experiences discrimination.
Write a story about someone trying to escape their situation.
Write a story about someone who's haunted by their past.
Write a story about a birthday party with a major plot twist.
Write a story about someone trying to find the perfect birthday gift.
Write a story about someone turning 100 years old.
Write a story about a sweet sixteen.
Write a story about a stressed parent planning their child's birthday.
"Write a story about a character who is always patient, even when frustrated."
"Write a story about a character reminiscing about past mistakes. Perhaps they come to view those ""mistakes"" in a new light."
"Write a story based on the metaphor: ""Love is a fine wine."""
Write a story about a character who has a horrible sense of direction and constantly gets lost.
Write a story about an author who has just started writing again for the first time in a couple of years.
Write a story about a mistake that results in wonderful consequences.
Write a story based on the metaphor: “Chaos is a friend of mine.”
"Write a story about a character who is a wildcard — their behavior is unpredictable, even to their friends."
Write a story inspired by the last sentence of any book you own.
Write a story about a group of people who meet every month to air out their mistakes.
"Write a story based on the metaphor: “The curtain of night fell upon us."""
"Write a story about a character who is cautious and careful, no matter what."
Write a story about a writer with a very unusual method for overcoming writer's block.
Write a story about a character who goes to great lengths to cover up a mistake.
"Write a story based on the metaphor: ""Beauty is a fading flower."""
Write a story about a character who is brutally honest and can’t lie to save their life.
Write a story inspired by the most recent text message you received.
Write a story about a character who is certain the world is going to end today.
Write a story about a club devoted entirely to predicting the future.
Write a story about a character who can't figure out when they're dreaming or awake.
"You are Hollywood's most successful tabloid paparazzi photographer, and you are about to retire."
"""Quiet on set!"" A dense hush fell, and you waited for your cue. "
"It's 2 a.m. and you've been tossing and turning trying to get some sleep. Finally, you sit up. You know what you need to do."
"On your 30th birthday, you left Hollywood and vowed never to return. And you hadn't, until now."
"It's 2 a.m. and you're heading home, reflecting on the night you just had."
You are the host of a celebrity home tour in Hollywood.
"After a particularly rainy Spring, a record number of people had wished ""rain, rain, go away, come again another day."" That was two years ago, and not a single raindrop had fallen since."
You discover a trap door in your home that you never knew about.
It's just been discovered that luck is a hereditary trait.
"For hundreds of years, it's been thought that all of the land has been discovered. But that's not true, and you're about to prove it."
You discover a long-kept family secret.
Write a simple slice of life piece about a Spring evening by a lake. 
"This year, when everyone set their clocks forward an hour for Daylight Savings... time went much further forward than simply an hour. "
"It's official. Life has been discovered on another planet, and it's trying to communicate with Earth."
You're a professional cleaner and the beginning of spring is always your busiest time.
 Write a story about an abandoned town.
Write a story about an abandoned amusement park.
Write a story about an abandoned home.
Write a story that starts someone announcing big news.
Write a story about a character who is certain the world is going to end today.
Write a story that starts with two people saying goodbye.
Write a story about a character or group of characters who are waiting for something. Leave it unclear who or what they are waiting for.
Write a story about a mistake that results in wonderful consequences. 
Write a story that starts with a restaurant sever going over the daily specials.
Write a story about a club devoted entirely to predicting the future.
Write a story about a group of people who meet every month to air out their mistakes.
Write a story that sets the stage through letters between two people.
Write a story that sets the stage through a newspaper clipping.
Write a story that starts with a conversation between two people on a first date.
Write a story about a character who can't figure out when they're dreaming or awake.
Write a story about a character who goes to great lengths to cover up a mistake.
Write a story that sets the stage through dialogue between two or more characters.
Write a story that starts with an argument between two siblings.
Write a story about a character trying to determine whether life has meaning or reason.
Write a story about a character who makes a mistake and learns from it.
"Write a story that begins with the sentence: ""It was a dark and stormy night."""
"Write a story that ends with the word: ""wrath."""
"Write a story that ends with the word: ""life."""
Write a story subverting a fantasy trope. 
Google is a person you have to talk to if you want to use the internet.
"Every day when you open your eyes, you see things in different colors."
"Write a story using these three words: train, tree, Batman."
Write the product description for your favorite toy.
"Write a love story that ends with: ""I've made a huge mistake."""
Write about a love story that unfolds in a foreign country. 
"You are a zookeeper and a guest keeps using dumb animal puns like ""You are foxy"" and ""You are dino-mite"" around you."
You thought that your crush was one-sided until this happens. Write it out.
Write a story about a road trip between two old friends that turns into something more. 
All of our friends ditched us and we're the only people to turn up for the Marvel movie marathon. Turns out a lot of things can happen in 59 hours and 7 minutes.
"Write a story in which you are an author trying to run from writer's block, which is an actual object that's chasing you."
"You are hypnotist in the middle of your regular routine. Suddenly, you realize your powers have become real. What do you do?"
"The killer disease had reached epidemic proportions. Finally, the cure has been found — but it is even more terrifying than the disease itself."
Write a modern retelling of the story of Lancelot and Guinevere.
Write an acrostic poem for the love interest of your story from the point of view of your protagonist.
"A lifetime together, told through fifty-one Valentine's Days. "
A romance that blossoms between two bookworms. 
"Write a story that captures the sadness of the word: ""almost."""
A duo of very inept wingmen.
You are a composer and your fiercest rival is Ludwig van Beethoven. 
You are a gossip columnist — in 1905.
A day in the life of an apothecary in the 1600s.
You are planning a dinner party and get to invite three famous historical people. 
What event in history do you wish you could have witnessed? Write a story about it.
"You find yourself strangely attracted to a stranger at your local coffee shop. Before you can go over, they approach you and say, “Is it just me, or is there something between us?”"
"After a friend or family member's funeral, you come home to a stranger on your doorstep, who tells you that they're not really dead."
"Write a story where the main character thinks everything revolves around them (e.g. they always assume people are waving at them on the street, rather than anyone else)."
"Every day when you get home, you rant to your pet about how awful your day was. One day they start talking back — to give you a dose of tough love."
"One of your friends is terrible at everything, but have always been convinced they're extremely talented. Today's the day they find out the hard truth."
The people in YouTube ads have started talking to you directly.
You get a notepad for Christmas. Everything that you write in it comes true. 
A day in the life of a genie who annoyingly keeps getting summoned by inept humans.
Write a short story about the star-crossed love between an orc and an elf. 
How would you describe the color blue to someone who was blind?
Where's your favorite place to hide? Why is that?
Write a letter to your future self — a letter you can only open 30 years from now.
Imagine you tell a friend a secret and then you find out they told someone else about your secret. How do you feel? What would you do?
"Imagine you are the first person to walk on a moon. Write a letter to your family describing what the moon looks like, and how it feels to be in outer space."
Go look out a window for 30 seconds. Write a story about what you saw during those 30 seconds.
You and your family are going on a trip together. Where do you go? What do you do there?
Think of a subject you don't know too much about. What would you like to learn about it? Write as many questions about that subject as you can think of. 
"If the sky could one day rain any food, what food would you choose?"
You and your friends build the ultimate treehouse — but there are some rules for the people who spend time there. What are the rules?
You are trapped in a shopping mall overnight. What do you do?
"You have an injury in a rather… inconvenient place, and you’re trying not to let anyone know."
"You thought you’d never see this person again, yet here they are... albeit looking quite a bit different."
"You're pretty sure you've never been this scared before. Then again, anyone would be in your position."
Write about the best April Fool's Day prank that you could ever pull.
It's Groundhog Day... and Punxsutawney Phil is missing. 
A prideful shop owner must deal every year with the people who come asking specifically for ugly Christmas sweaters.
Write a story that only consists of New Year's Resolutions. 
"""Well, this year's office holiday party didn't go as I'd planned."""
Create a holiday of your own and write a story about it.
Write a story based on your favorite song.
"Write a story based on a cartoon trope (an anvil or piano falls on someone’s head, someone’s eyes turn to hearts when they fall in love, etc.)."
Write a story that only consists of love letters.
"You're at a party when you spot a ex. Quick, you urgently have to pretend to be dating the nearest person, who happens to be very attractive. "
A blind date that goes horribly wrong.
"""I think I've fallen in love with my self-professed mortal enemy."""
"""From behind I thought that you were my relative, which is why I tapped you on your shoulder, but honestly you're much hotter."""
A chance meeting at the airport might just turn out to be the start of something new. 
You are a regular at the coffee shop and the cute barista keeps mispelling your name. But it's been too long and you don't know how to tell them that without it being awkward.
"Romeo and Juliet, but as vampires. "
Think of your favorite rom-com and switch the genders of the protagonist. How would the plot change?
It is Halloween and the Jack o' Lantern on your porch has just come alive.
"Write a story about Halloween that ends with the word: ""Boo."""
Write about Christmas Day from Rudolph's perspective. 
Write the script for the Thanksgiving episode of Friends' 15th season.
You are a turkey... and it's Thanksgiving.
Write a story that only consists of letters to Santa.
St. Valentine visits New York City on February 14th. He is not happy by what he sees.
The turkey is on the floor. Stuffing is stuck to the ceiling. The tree has been toppled over. The presents have been singed. What happened to cause this chaotic Christmas scene?
"Grandma hosted Christmas dinner every year. This year, she announced she wouldn't be doing it. Why?"
You receive a bizarre voicemail from an unknown number.
"You’ve forgotten the last year of your life, and have to retrace your steps to figure out how you got here."
"""There's something underneath my bed — and it's not a monster."""
"You're sure that someone keeps tapping you on the shoulder. But when you turn around, there's just empty space."
"Write an all-dialogue story where the participants keep misunderstanding each other, Abbott and Costello-style."
"A parent is trying to explain something to their child, who just isn’t getting it."
ANNOUNCEMENT: America's Funniest Home Videos Now Accepting Submissions About Your Pets.
“Now that’s something you definitely shouldn’t try at home.”
You’re about to throw the wildest party that’s ever happened. But will it be a legend or a catastrophe?
"Imagine a person who does not know what magic is. Write them a letter, explaining what magic is."
You find a magic pair of shoes. What do they do?
Who is your favorite fictional character? Write a story about yourself meeting them.
"If you found a time machine, would you use it to travel to the past or future? Why?"
Imagine what your parents' lives were like as teenagers. Write a story about it.
You look up in the sky and think that you're seeing things for a moment. But you're not. There are two moons above you. 
"A long, long time ago, elves and dinosaurs co-existed... "
Write a short story in which the orc turns out to be the hero. 
"Did the sprig of arugula in my salad just yell, ""Don't eat me""? "
The Sorting Hat is stolen — and you are the thief. Why did you steal it and what do you mean to do with it?
You hate Christmas and think Scrooge is the most misunderstood character of all time.
You’re stuck in a time loop with the same holiday happening over and over — the only rule is that it can’t be Groundhog Day.
Write a story from the perspective of Cupid on Valentine’s Day.
It seemed like the perfect Valentine’s gift… at the time.
"You’re the only florist in town, and this Valentine’s Day is going to be a doozy."
You are a therapist and your new patient has a rare but extreme phobia. And you're about to find out why.
"A newly married couple are on their honeymoon in a sleepy, beachside town. They begin to have the same nightmares every night."
"Recently, the small town you live in has been plagued by various unfortunate events. Today, you became the one person who can stop them."
You live alone and have just finished playing at your piano. Someone starts clapping for you.
"When everyone else goes to sleep, you wake up. You see things in the dark that other people don’t, and use your abilities to aid your mission."
BREAKING: Scientific Proof Found For The Existence of Soulmates.
We used to loathe each other and now we're stuck together in an elevator that's not moving.
Write the plot line for the 999th season of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette.
Someone has invented a love potion that actually works. Write a short story about the aftermath. 
"A meet-cute ends in a terrible date, or a disastrous meeting ends in a great one."
Describe London from the eyes of a pauper in 1810. 
You are friends with the inventor of the world's first time-traveling machine.
Write a story in which the outcome of a historical war went differently. 
You are Dracula. Write a story in which you get a happy ending. 
Your lover has just confessed to you that he's from the fourteenth-century. (Which certainly explains some of his grooming habits.)
"It’s your wedding day and as you’re saying your vows, a voice from the crowd yells, “I object!”"
You hear the crash of plates and a bloodcurdling scream coming from the kitchen.
It’s 3 am and you don’t know where your children are.
You’re trying to act casual in a very precarious situation.
“How could you do this to me? You said we were brothers!”
"You had developed a habit of sleepwalking. But you weren't alone now — it seemed like the whole town had started sleepwalking at night, too."
"You recently moved to a new house. Every day, on your walk home past a park, you notice an empty swing swinging."
"A crime has been committed, and the only clues left behind are a flashlight and a copy of ""Moby-Dick."""
"""Bye!"" you called as the person you were with got into an elevator. As the doors shut, they waved. They were never seen again."
You never thought you'd visit a palm reader. But now you were starting to think it might be the only place you'd get answers.
"You’ve been having dreams about cruise ships for months now, and you’re desperately trying to figure out what they mean."
"As you’re taking down a painting, you notice something odd engraved on the back."
You go to your regular coffee shop and order the usual. They slide something else across the counter instead.
"They said it wasn’t a contest, but you’re still determined to win."
"You’ve bought something off the Internet and when it arrives, it’s not exactly what you anticipated."
"You just finished ranting about your boss, only to be informed by a coworker that your boss was standing right behind you."
"Your Pinterest fail didn't only look nothing like the picture, you were pretty sure you just heard it talk."
"It was the busiest day of your life, giving new meaning to the term ""human race."""
"It was the most ridiculous night out any of us had ever had, and that’s saying something."
"You’ve been thinking about moving back home for awhile. As you’re wondering whether or not to do it, your parents show up at your door, asking if they can stay with you."
It’s a friend’s birthday and you’ve decided to make them something special. Too bad you misread the recipe…
How do you think Santa spends the day after Christmas?
"If a genie could grant you any one wish, what would it be?"
"A ""good witch"" and a ""bad witch"" meet for lunch. What do they talk about?"
Imagine you became in charge of your school for one full week. What would you do?
You're packing your bags to climb the tallest mountain in the world. What do you pack?
Write a story about a person who is only one inch tall.
Imagine you and your best friend hanging out ten years from now. What has changed? What hasn't changed?
"If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?"
Imagine a fantastical world in which you would want to live. Set it all down on paper. 
Write a short story in which you try to predict the future — and every prediction you make comes true. 
Your polite new neighbors who just moved in next door have suspiciously pointed ears and speak a language that you can't find on Google Translate.
Your garden is being infested by a particularly troublesome family of gnomes.
You stumble into a dragon-fighting ring. What happens next?
"You have the power of alchemy, but you can only transform things into useless materials — or seemingly useless, anyhow."
One of your parents is a vampire and the other one is a werewolf.
"You imagined your best friend into existence, and every day you’re afraid you’ll accidentally make them disappear."
"As you’re eating a box of Sweethearts, you realize the words are a message."
"You find a note in your pocket that says “from your Secret Admirer,” though you have no idea who put it there."
You are the only person who has to go into work on a public holiday.
An advertising firm lands a huge contract to make Easter the year’s most popular holiday.
"A shrewish woman is preventing her husband, the grand marshall of the Easter Day Parade, from leaving the house."
"You come home after a long, exhausting day of work to find your apartment empty, and a mysterious figure waiting to provide your true assignment."
"You’re running as fast as you can, but you can’t get away — because what you’re running from doesn’t have legs."
"Someone seems to have disappeared, but they’re really hiding in plain sight."
"You stand atop a fifty-story ledge, clinging to the building for dear life and wondering how you got here."
"As you turn the corner, a passing stranger palms you a set of keys. “It’s parked over there,” they whisper."
Write a story where the villain is the protagonist. Try to get readers on their side.
"Write a story based on your favorite story, but with a twist."
Write a story that starts in one time period and ends in another.
"Write a story told from second person point of view (uses ""you"" language)."
Write a story that starts from the perspective of the antagonist.
"You have a crush on a coworker, and that crush is somehow revealed during a company-wide meeting."
"After finding someone’s wallet on the street, you meet them to return it, and to check out the cutie in the license photo. Except it’s not them that shows up."
There’s no place like welding club for sparks to really fly.
Your partner takes you on a date to a place you would never expect.
Couples’ therapy — what a nice way to spend your anniversary.
"Germs have just been discovered, but they’re still a pretty radical concept. You’re trying to get people on board with the idea of “hygiene.”"
"You’re secretly watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel, and you’re shocked by what you see."
"You know who really killed JFK, and it wasn’t Oswald."
"The revolution is here — and you’re going to play a crucial role in leading it. (Choose any revolution you like, from any era.)"
"You’re Shakespeare’s apprentice, and he’s always taking credit for your ideas."
"Five years ago, you moved away, changed your name, got a new job, and altered your appearance. But they managed to find you anyway."
"As you’re pulling old receipts out of your bag, you realize that one of them has a message scrawled on it."
“Stop!” you cried. But it was too late — the plan was already in motion.
A character wakes up one morning and realizes that their every move and thought is being narrated aloud.
"On your deathbed, you are visited by an angel who will let you to re-live any single day of your life."
"A crime’s been committed, and the only clues left behind are a half-eaten apple and a bobby pin."
"You open a book and note with a letterhead falls out. At the top it says: If you are reading this, you have been chosen."
You wake up one morning and can’t stop rhyming everything you say.
Interview a fictional villain.
Imagine you owned a pet monkey for a day. What would you do with it?
Write about your favorite birthday present. Why is it your favorite?
"Contrary to popular belief, dragons are actually very kind and generous, and faeries are mean-spirited bullies."
"You’ve been raised all your life to fulfill a prophecy, only for the seer to realize they were mistaken — you have no great destiny after all. What do you do now?"
Write a short story where the protagonist has a doppelgänger. 
Write a short dark comedy in which a long-unsolved mystery is finally cracked.
"After paying for your coffee, you dropped some pocket change into the coffee shop's ""tip jar."" You had no idea this small act would change someone's life."
"""Find a penny, pick it up. All day long, you'll have good luck."" You thought of the old adage as you spotted a penny on the ground, picked it up, and put it in your pocket. You hoped the luck part was true."
"""It was just here!"" you shouted, frantically searching your pockets for the missing thing."
"Your fingers tensed around the object in your pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice."
"While cleaning out your attic, you reach into the pocket of a long-forgotten coat and discover an old ticket stub."
"Write a story about someone who would be described, above all else, as: determined. "
"Write a story about someone who would be described, above all else, as: honest. "
"Write a story about someone who would be described, above all else, as: kind. "
"Write a story about someone who would be described, above all else, as: intelligent. "
"Write a story about someone who would be described, above all else, as: loyal."
Write a short story from the perspective of a waitress working at one of the city's most romantic (and busy) restaurants on Valentine's Day.
"At a friend's urging, you begrudgingly attend a Valentine's Day speed dating event."
"""Love is a battlefield"" had never rang so true. "
Write about a specific time in history through love letters.
" A massive blizzard has brought traffic to a grinding halt. You're stuck sitting in your car on the freeway with someone, and they decide that now is the time to break a piece of significant news to you."
"10 cm of snow had fallen overnight, just as the weatherman predicted. The only thing is... the snow isn't white."
"You're sitting by a window watching the flakes slowly and silently fall. Suddenly, you see something outside that snaps you out of your reverie."
"You're walking down the street after the night after huge snowstorm and it's practically desolate, making it feel like you have the city all to yourself."
A typically mild city gets a huge snowfall for the first time ever. You are part of the cleanup crew.
Write a story about someone who works at a failing book store.
"Using only dialogue, write a short story about a first date, a reunion between old friends, an argument that gets heated, an adult explaining something to a child, or the reveal of a long-hidden secret."
A young girl wakes up on Christmas morning and realizes her house was broken into during the night. Somehow she manages to overcome the shock and disappointment.
You've noticed that the young boy who lives in the house next to yours has been coming and going on his own a lot over the past few days. You start to become concerned he's home alone over Halloween.
It's the night before Christmas. You are a stirring mouse in an otherwise totally quiet house.
"A young boy watches his father come home after work during the holidays. The son can see how dejected his father feels after a day of dealing with his miser of a boss.
"
"As the countdown on New Year’s Eve reaches midnight, you look around to find all your party guests have vanished. You think it's a clever prank until you glance at your phone and see the date is listed as, ""January 0th."""
"Well, that was a Valentine's Day kiss you won't forget anytime soon. "
"By law, everyone must make a New Year's resolution, and they must have it approved by the government."
You just finished telling your friends your New Year's resolution. They're staring at you dubiously.
A person coming home late from a Halloween party stops by a McDonald's. A person staying home for Halloween goes to McDonald's for a late night snack.
"Write a story that starts and ends with the line ""And then I woke up."""
A deceased relative appears to you in a dream to deliver a very important message. What do you do when you wake up?
Write a story that blurs the line between the protagonist's reality and their dreams.
You start realizing that at least one aspect of every dream you have comes true the next day.
You can buy a pill that lets you decide exactly what you will dream about while you sleep.
Write a short story about a professional hypnotizer.
Write a short dark comedy in which a long-unsolved mystery is finally cracked.
Write a short story with an unreliable narrator that readers can never quite trust.
"Write a short story in which the main ""character"" is the setting: a house."
"Start a story with the classic: ""It was a dark and stormy night..."""
"Just then, your phone rings. It's your friend and they have some interesting news..."
"Pick up the book that's nearest to you. Close your eyes, turn to a page, and point to a sentence. Let that inspire your story."
You go to the coffee shop to people watch. Write a story about someone you see there. 
"You go outside for a walk. It's a beautiful, sunny day, but you can't help but feel you're being followed. That's when you turn around and notice your neighbor rushing up behind you..."
Tell a story through a shopping list.
"A brand new employee is starting their first shift — at their first job ever — in the busiest, biggest store in town, on the busiest day of the year."
Write a story about someone at a shopping mall. Use only their stream of consciousness to tell the story.
"The shopping bag ripped and all its contents tumbled to the ground. For you, this was the last straw."
You're at a huge store scouting out Black Friday deals. You start to notice that all the security cameras in the store seems to be following your each and every move.
Your house is on fire and you're able to save one photograph. What would it be?
They say a picture is worth a thousand words but you knew the one you'd just taken was worth a million.
A day in the life of a paparazzi. 
You find an old disposable camera. You're not sure how old it is or when it was used but its film is finished You get the film developed and are surprised by what you see.
You find a polaroid camera that seems to predict the future: its pictures show what will happen exactly 5 minutes from the moment you take them.
"Using only dialogue, write a short story about the reveal of a long-hidden secret."
"Using only dialogue, write a short story about an adult explaining something to a child."
"Using only dialogue, write a short story about an argument that gets heated."
"Using only dialogue, write a short story about a reunion between old friends."
"Using only dialogue, write a short story about a first date."
"""The apple doesn't fall far from the tree!"" You'd heard this all your life, and you'd started to hate it."
"You'd always wanted to fall in with this crowd. Now that you had, you weren't sure about them anymore."
You were on your way to see a doctor who promised to know the secret to making yourself fall out of love with someone.
"There was no going back now: you finally decided to go for it, and let the chips fall where they may."
Their biggest fear was that they would fall behind the times. Today it seemed to be coming true.
You have a few friends over for a Halloween party. You've just finished watching a scary movie when the power goes out and the door is slammed open. What happens next?
"At the start of your story, mention object that doesn't seem important. By the end of the story, have this object play a surprisingly key role."
"Write a story where the weather, atmosphere, or setting reflects the outcome of the story. (For example, if it's a happy ending the weather might be sunny; if it's a sad ending, the story might be set in a deserted town)."
"At some point in the story, have a character casually say something that hints at the ending."
"In the first sentence of your story, have the narrator tell us exactly what's going to happen — but not how it will happen."
Write a story that includes a character hearing their fate by a fortune teller.
You lived a quiet life without surprise or disruption. Until today.
"As a joke, you put on a tinfoil hat. Suddenly your mind goes completely silent."
"Silence is now literally golden. For every day of total silence a person completes, they receive a piece of gold."
"You'd been saving to buy a cottage for the last ten years. Today was your first day there, and you were enjoying the peace and quiet you'd earned while reflecting on the last ten years."
"You live in a busy and bustling city, where the sound of traffic is constant. One morning you wake up to complete silence."
A new candy had been invented that allowed the person who ate it to relive any memory they wanted. There was a lineup outside the shop.
You were the oldest person still living in the town and you remembered things no one else did.
"Your grandparent had once said, ""if you only remember one thing, let it be this"" and then gave you a piece of advice. What was the advice?"
Two old friends meet to reminisce about old times and find out they have very different perspectives on a shared memory.
They blew the dust off an album and sat down to look at pictures they had not seen in decades.
"You work for the CIA who send you undercover in the FBI, who send you undercover in MI6, who send you undercover in the CIA, who are very confused that you are back after only two weeks."
"A terrorist group has been infiltrated by so many agencies that it is now run by spies, unbeknownst to the spies themselves. This fact becomes apparent to an actual extremist who joins their ranks."
"Looking through old family photos, multiple generations back, you notice there is a cat in almost every group photo. The same cat — color, pattern, one docked ear: the cat that is currently purring on your lap."
"Everyday, you return to your apartment and say “Honey, I’m home. Oh wait, that’s right, I live alone.” But one day, a voice replies, “I picked some pizza.”"
"""...and that's why dividing by three is illegal."""
"Ever since childhood, a dark figure no one else can see has been following you around, whispering in your ear. Today you see it lying a few feet away, screaming and asking you to run."
"You've lived an average life up until today, your 20th birthday. You just found out your dad is the runaway son of a doting criminal warlord, and your mom is the daughter of an equally doting secret agent. Both family businesses are looking to make you the next heir."
"Cupid offers to shoot an arrow into the person you love. He warns you that if the person already has a pre-existing affection towards you, it will disappear when the arrow strikes."
You meet your doppleganger of the opposite sex and find you are strangely attracted to each other.
Write a romantic comedy. Difficulty: both lovers are emotionally mature and have excellent communication skills.
"In the future, romantic attraction is literal: each person is fitted with an electromagnetic bracelet which, they claim, will pull you to your soulmate. It's the day they turn the magnets on, and you're waiting."
"You're a serial killer who murders anyone you see hitchhiking up your mountain. One day, you pick up a hitchhiker who kills anyone who picks them up."
"You are legally allowed to commit murder once, but you must fill out the proper paperwork and your proposed victim will be notified of your intentions."
You hire two private investigators to investigate each other. One month later both come to you to present their findings.
20 years after your daughter was abducted a detective finds you to reopen the case. The detective turns out to be your daughter.
"You are the world's greatest detective. With your near superhuman intellect, you have never failed to solve a case before. One day, you finally meet your match: a criminal so unbelievably stupid that you cannot possibly comprehend and predict what he's going to do next."
"A genius serial killer has been killing successfully for a decade. His only weakness is that he can never, ever lie. He finally gets caught and is facing trial for all murders in court. Yet, he walks, acquitted of all charges."
"New Year's Eve 2019. Feeling that nothing is out of place and everything is going perfectly, midnight arrives, and you celebrate the start of 2021."
"You wake up on Christmas morning and go downstairs, full of excitement. There, you see Jesus stealing your presents. ""It's my birthday, not yours!"" he hisses before fleeing with your gifts."
"Every year around Christmas, Satan accidentally gets thousands of letters from children writing to Santa. This year, however, he gets a letter that makes him sit up and take notice."
"It's the coldest Christmas Eve in history, and a poor family is out of coal for the furnace. The only child in the family has 24 hours to get on the naughty list."
"Every year, a small town has a holiday called ""Burrowsday"" where all the residents hunker down in communal tunnels for an entire day and night. You wake up on Burrowsday in the middle of the town, a head wound, and a note reading ""good luck""."
"A mother and daughter sit silently at a table, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife."
Did that painting just wink at me?
You work as a host at a restaurant when someone comes in and says they have a reservation. You look it up to find that the reservation was booked 40 years ago.
"You come home to find all of your possessions on your front lawn and the locks have been changed. You ring the doorbell and a stranger comes to the door and casually says, Hello, how may I help you?"
Santa is real and he's stuck in your chimney.
Write a story about a mundane day. Use only your prose to make it exciting.
You're determined to break the world record for longest book ever published.
"Every morning you receive a package delivered to your door, containing an item that you end up needing later that day."
Write a story in which the protagonist turns into the antagonist by the end.
A tiny mouse must zealously guard his tiny cube of cheese from the menacing outside world.
Write a story that uses NO dialogue.
You accidentally run over a bunny on your way to work. It turns out that it's the Easter Bunny. 
"You're shaking hands with a stranger at a networking event when you ask for their name. I have no name, they reply. "
Write a story where the protagonist dies in the first paragraph.
You open your closet one morning. Something clatters out. You pick it up. The skeletons in your closet have been made real.
You wake up 10 years younger. What do you do?
You're on a blind date — with your sworn enemy. 
It's 1AM at night. But the sun is out. 
"You walk into your job and find a secret, coded note pinned to your desk. What do you do next?"
"You wake up in a jail cell, crusted blood covering your hands. You have no idea how you got there. The cell door clangs open, and an officer walks you to an interrogation room where two detectives wait to question you."
You find a hand-written note on your windshield that says Drive west for 100 miles.
The morning after a blizzard you make your way outside and slowly start to realize everyone has disappeared. 
She has been walking for hours. Her feet are starting to bleed. But she can’t stop moving… she can’t let him find her again.
"As you're browsing through a rack of sweaters, someone approaches you and says, I need you to listen to me very carefully."
"A loved one confides in you, but the secret could damage someone else you care about. What do you do?"
Guard this with your life.
"They might have aged 50 years, but when they held yours, those hands felt exactly like they did the first time."
You've been bumping into the same stranger for months. Finally you decide to say hello.
You never would have guessed that in 48 hours you'd be married.
You have the ability to make anyone fall in love with you. You've just fallen in love for the first time. Do you use your power? 
"Well, that was a New Year's Eve kiss you won't forget anytime soon. "
Valentine's Day at the retirement home.
Two mortal enemies fall in love when they're trapped in an elevator together and begin to see the other person's perspective.
Two characters who are perfect for one another are foiled by bad timing.
"They lived in a world where PDA is forbidden. One day, they slipped up and held hands on the street."
The lives of two people are changed forever when they coincidentally meet and engage in a weekend-long affair.
Someone with anxiety falls in love with someone extremely adventurous. 
It wasn't love at first sight. But now you were starting to see them in a new light…
A fortuneteller falls in love with their client who has their palm read every month.
"The first day you opened your own office as a private investigator, you didn't expect it to be busy. You were wrong."
The detective didn't realize they were being foiled by a competiting detective.
Write a story about a character waking up to the best news of their life.
Write a story about a character waking up to something completely absurd.
"As you're paying for your groceries, you mention to the clerk, There's a mess in aisle 16. They give you a puzzled look and reply, There is no aisle 16. "
"Write a story about one character. Half of it to make readers fall in love with them, the other half to make readers repulsed by them."
Your protagonist opens a purse or a desk drawer and finds three objects. By the end of your story there’s only one item left. What happens to the other two?
"Write about an average, unextraordinary Sunday. Rely on the character's internal dialogue to make the story interesting. "
Write a story with seven characters — one for each of the seven sins.
"Write a story with a Character versus Technology conflict. Think of Humanity vs. robots in I, Robot."
Write a story with a Character versus Supernatural conflict. Think of Humanity vs. ghosts in Ghostbusters.
Write a story with a Character versus Society conflict. Think of Katniss Everdeen vs. The Capitol in The Hunger Games.
Write a story with a Character versus Nature conflict. Think of Mark vs. Mars in The Martian.
Write a story with a Character versus Character conflict. Think of Elizabeth Bennet vs. Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.
Write a story where your protagonist saves someone from danger.
Write a story where your protagonist predicts danger.
Write a story where your protagonist narrowly avoids danger.
Write a story where your protagonist is in danger.
Write a story where your protagonist causes danger.
Write a story where the protagonist has dinner with three unlikely people. 
Write a story where the protagonist goes on the most mundane errand you can think of. Rely solely on the character to make it interesting.
Write a story using a radio as a symbol.
Write a story using a pair of shoes as a symbol.
Write a story using a mirror as a symbol.
Write a story using a journal as a symbol.
Write a story using a doorbell as a symbol.
Write a story that takes place only in one room.
Write a story only through a character's internal dialogue.
Write a story about two opposites communicating.
Write a story about an isolated village that has had no contact with the outside world and the inhabitants' response to an unexpected arrival.
"Write a story about a writer writing a story, and the strange events that unfold when there's a knock at the door that interrupts them at the end of the first paragraph."
"Write a story about a strange family tradition, with at least two characters from the family narrating in the course of the story."
Write a story about a plane crash. Your main character is the sole survivor. What happens next?
Write a story about a misunderstanding.
Write a story about a 100th birthday party.
Write a short story that ONLY uses dialogue.
This was the weekend you'd been waiting for for the past three years. 
"Describe each day of the week as if it were a person. Give each one personality traits, a job, and a goal. Write a story about them. "
A character experiences deja vu so strong they almost fall over.
You're at work a few days before Christmas when someone comes into your office and claims to be your long-lost son. 
"You own a Christmas Tree stall. One evening, a young boy comes in and picks the smallest, scrawniest tree you have."
You just finished telling your friends your New Year's resolution. They're staring at you dubiously. 
You are the Ghost of Christmas Past. You receive an unexpected visit from someone.
You are a train conductor on a steam engine that goes to the North Pole.
You are a judge presiding over a case regarding a man who claims he is Santa. 
You and another person/a few other people are trapped in an elevator on New Year's Eve.
Midnight on Thanksgiving at the airport.
"By law, everyone must make a New Year's resolution, and they must have it approved by the government."
"At midnight on New Year's Eve, two messages pop up in front of you. One says Continue and the other says End Game. "
You worked at one of the first printing presses during the Printing Revolution of the 15th century. 
You were the first person Isaac Newton told about the apple.
Write about a long journey before any forms of transporation were invented.
Write a story from the perspective of someone witnessing what would be remembered as a major historical event.
"We all know about Leonardo da Vinci, the Renaissance Man. Write about the Renaissance Woman of the same time period that no one knows about. "
Two friends meet up to go check out a jazz band in the 1920s.
"They stormed in, demanding to see the court with a fury that had never been witnessed before."
"The steaming tea was sitting on the tray, the plate of biscuits placed neatly beside it. All there was left to do now was wait."
The crops provided nothing that fall. You were tasked with visiting neighboring villages to see if they were experiencing similar problems. 
Pick any time period and any place where people were migrating in large numbers. Write a story based on a character or a few characters who are currently on a voyage from one place to another.
Long-lost loves meet up for lunch in the 1950s.
"It was a sunny Saturday in 1960s California, you were driving your new car, and freedom had never tasted so good. "
"Before James Bond there was the English Spy, John Knight. In 1890, he was England's top spy and was about to embark on a new mission. "
"A loved one was traveling on the Titanic, and you'd just received news of its sinking."
A love story between the boy who delivered milk bottles to the neighborhood and the girl who delivered newspapers.
A famous historical person packs for a trip.
A family sit around their brand new radio for the first time after dinner.
A duo of time-travelling detectives.
A bard falls in love with the monarch who employs them.
1930. The travelling circus is in town. The first performance night would be rife with scandal.
"You had one job, he said to the young squire who had been tasked with delivering a scroll — and failed spectacularly."
"You spent a whole day inside, not realizing that everyone else in the world had disapeared. "
You took a nap that lasted 8 years.
"Your main character has been stranded on a desert island for months. Alone… or so they thought. One morning, they wake up to a message written in the sand. What happens next?"
"You’ve learned the secret to life after death. Revealing it will help millions of people connect to their departed loved ones, but if you do an unspecified disaster will occur to someone you know. Do you spill the secret?"
You're on a boat that should have reached undiscovered land days ago. Your compass tell you you're on the right path but there is no land in sight.
You're immortal and married to someone who is mortal. You've decided today is the day to come clean.
You're browsing at a pet store when a store employee asks if you'd be interested in seeing some of the new animals they just received. They lead you down a dark hallway and take you into a padlocked room that houses mythological creatures.
You're a photographer who specializes in snapping pictures of the supernatural. 
"You'd had your head down at a library all day until you suddenly felt a big gust of wind blow past you. You looked up, but no one else seemed to have noticed and you couldn't spot any open windows. Another gust blew by you, but the only thing that moved were your papers."
"You were on your regular morning walk in the forest beside your house, when you thought you heard someone whispering your name. You put it out of your mind until you heard it again. It seemed to be coming from... the trees?"
You watched in shock as the everlasting flame went out. How were you going to tell everyone?
You wake up in the forest by a bonfire.
You wake up and have totally forgotten everything other than the past 24 hours. So has everyone else.
You wake up and discover you have the ability to walk through walls.
You wake up and at some point in the day realize you have become invisible.
You sit down to family dinner and notice that one of your parents has been replaced by a robot. Nobody seems to notice except for you.
"You sat down on a Sunday afternoon to re-read your favorite book. Only when you opened it up, the book had totally changed."
"You head to work on Monday morning, only to realize it's Saturday again and you're stuck in a loop of the weekend."
"You have the ability to freeze time. One day, when you've frozen everything, you spot a person walking around."
You got on the wrong bus and ended up in a remote town where things seemed a little... odd.
"You brought a bag of salt with you on your wanderings, because salt was said to protect from what comes out at night."
You are the protagonist of a novel-in-progress. Your author is experiencing intense writer's block. You decide to have a word with the author to shake them out of it.
"Wearing dirty jeans and a flannel shirt, a lone traveller shows up at a village on a day they happen to be hosting their annual fall festival. The year is 1800."
"They were muttering gibberish to themselves while working, not knowing they were actually about to cast a spell."
People are limited to just three lies in their lifetime.
One day you begin to realize that you're living one of your recurring dreams.
"On their 16th birthday, people are told what their magical power is."
Myth tells of a river that erases a person's memory if they drink from it. Grieving people have been searching for it forever. 
Memory Lane is a real place. 
"Late at night, at an empty 24-hour laundromat, someone reaches into a dryer to pull the last of their clothes out. Instead, something grabs their arm and pulls them in."
It was said there was an island far away where all lost things ended up. And you had just found it.
It was just a regular Monday and you were on your way to work: a retirement home for superheroes. 
"Everyone in the world has the ability to read minds, except for you. However, you're also the only person whose mind can't be read."
"Every so often, people have to empty their dream catchers."
"Every morning, your clock displays a percentage to tell you how eventful your day is going to be, 0% meaning as uneventful as possible. Today, your clock says 100%."
Bottled emotions are a product you can buy.
A wizarding student had used their summer break to travel to the ancient castle that had once been home to the first and most powerful wizard. 
"A week ago, two moons had appeared in the night sky. Every night since, both moons continued to appear and people had seemed a little... off."
A wedding of one magic and one non-magic person. Both with large families who are skeptical of the other family. How does the day go?
A secret society makes contact and reveals that your whole life has been founded on a lie – what is the lie and how will the answer turn your world upside down?
A reality show featuring celebrity giants.
A group of scientists on a submarine are alarmed when they spot what looks like a functioning lighthouse at the bottom of the ocean.
A day in the life of a ghost.
A child has befriended the monster that lives under her bed.
I suddenly realized my survival on this exam depended on...
"You're early, said the Grim Reaper, with a hint of surprise."
They found out about us. They're coming. They were the words the kingdom had feared hearing for thousands of years.
"I wish I could skip next week, you think as you get into bed that night. In the morning, you wake up 100 years in the future."
I remember the last spring. It was 18 years ago.
Your whole life had been building up to this moment.
"Your character has made a terrible mistake in his/her life and is living with the consequences, at least a decade later."
Your cat (who you called Curious) hasn't come home for a week.
You're given the choice to decide what happens to you after you die.
You're about to deliver the play's pivotal monologue when something in the audience catches your eye.
You're a janitor at the oldest theatre in town.
You work the graveyard shift... at a graveyard for notable figures.
You uncover a time capsule in your backyard that's a century old.
You spot a shooting star and making a wish. Only the star looks like it's getting bigger and bigger. Suddenly you realize it's actually falling straight to earth.
You realize your life is a TV show and you are the protagonist.
You overhear someone having a breakdown in a changing room.
You know a friend is hiding something and you need to find out what it is before it puts you in danger. How do you find out what their secret is?
"You find a $100 bill on the street. A few blocks later, you find another. A few blocks later, another.."
"You fell asleep in the desert, wondering how you would survive the next day."
You are stranded on a winter hike when you come across a little cottage.
You are an explorer who's just discovered a new island.
Write a story that begins:  That was the last we ever heard of him/her.
"The theatre critic had spent so long critiquing plays, they'd forgotten how to enjoy them. Until now."
The curtain rose and the audience waited for the play to begin. They waited a long time.
"On a cold evening, two people cheers over hot chocolate. One mug contains more than just hot chocolate. "
Major downsizing meant this was the last day of your 30-year career as a mailman/mailwoman.
It's your first day in a new city where you don't speak the language.
"It was so silent they not only heard it, but felt it."
It was a hell of a way to die.
"It was a regular Saturday night at the speakeasy, until..."
"Each morning for 25 years, you and one other person waited at the same bus stop for work. This was the first time they weren't there."
Big Brother is real. And it's you.
"As they rode away from their old life, they knew they'd never look back."
A writer is fighting with writer's block. They reminisce about the last time in their life they felt inspired.
A winter night in the city.
"A group of travelers are exploring a deep, dark, remote cave when they find a computer and a lunchbox. "
A double agent is assigned by both of the countries they work for to capture their alias.
"I'd like to buy a plane ticket to your furthest destination today, you told the airline employee."
"Had I known I was going to have guests at 4am, I would've tidied up."
"Forget Ferris Bueller, you were detemined to make this the best day off. Ever."
You're in a waiting room at a clinic that promises to cure writer's block.
You'd never had a bus ride quite like that.
You were ready to write the worst Amazon review ever.
You have a writer's block breakthrough at the worst possible moment.
You had the greenest grass around. No one's could be greener. Right...?
You decide to buy a big school bus and to travel your country. You post an ad asking if anyone would like to join you. You're surprised by the number of people who show up.
"When an elderly person went to their local mall, they had no idea they'd wind up saving the world."
"That night, the action backstage was even more dramatic than the story unfolding onstage."
Make the absurd absolutely and completely normal. 
It was the kind of Friday that gave new meaning to the phrase TGIF.
It was the highest stakes game of rock-paper-scissors ever played.
"In the midst of writer's block, an author goes to sit at a bus station looking for inspiration. They get more than they bargained for."
A sudden BANG! and puff of smoke emerged from a garage in a quiet suburban neighbourhood.
The dog ate my homework.
Write a story where one person is trying to say goodbye but keeps getting interrupted.
Start your story with a character taking a leap of faith.
Write a story that spans a month during which everything changes.
Write about an author famous for their fairy tale retellings.
Write a fairy tale about an outsider trying to fit in.
Write about a prince or princess who is asked to give up something valuable as part of a deal to escape the world they come from.
Write a story about an ordinary person speaking truth to power.
Write a cautionary fable about someone who always lies.
"Write about someone who goes to great lengths to avoid being pranked on April 1st, only to realize they had the date wrong and it’s already April 2nd."
Start your story with a big company pulling an April Fools’ prank that ends up going horribly wrong.
Write about someone who hates pranks and spends April Fools’ Day doing good deeds instead.
"Write about someone who’s spent a whole year planning a big prank, and now they’re finally ready to pull it off."
Write about a mischievous pixie or trickster god.
Write a story where flowers play a central role.
Start your story with one character pointing out the first sign of spring to another.