Story Ideas Kit + Tips on How to Write a Story

Lower on this page, you'll find step-by-step advice on how to write a story. You can use our fun Story Ideas Kit to come up with great ideas.

Story Ideas Kit

Choose one element from each column to come up with a story idea. Mix and match!

Setting

Trait

Character

Situation

On a ski trip, a shy librarian accidentally reveals a secret.
In a stuck elevator, a deceitful babysitter falls in love with the wrong person.
At a costume party, an incredibly attractive novelist discovers evidence of a crime.
In a moonlit graveyard, a sarcastic ballet dancer is visited by a ghost.
In a natural history museum, a jealous psychiatrist seeks revenge.
Backstage at the theater, a gullible tattoo artist succumbs to temptation.
On a rooftop, a misunderstood burglar receives shocking news.
In an orphanage, a famous taxi driver loses something or someone.
In a hair salon, a paranoid police officer tells a dangerous lie.
On a private jet, an obsessive-compulsive bodyguard is kidnapped.
In a maze, a spoiled animal trainer makes a sacrifice.
At a police station, a clever actor realizes that things are not as they seem.
(add your own) (add your own) (add your own) (add your own)
(add your own) (add your own) (add your own) (add your own)
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Once you have your idea, how can you go about turning it into a story? Some suggestions:

- Use our character profile questionnaire to develop your main character into a 3-dimensional person.

- Identify what the main problem facing your character in the story is. What steps will the character take to overcome the problem? What complications might arise when your character takes them? Make a list of ideas. If you like, write them on notecards and start playing with the order.

- Imagine one of the scenes in your head and start writing it. It doesn't have to be the first scene in the story. You can go back and write the story beginning later. Start with whatever scene is clearest in your imagination. Then move on to the next scene.

- Sign up for our online course Story Structure for more help planning your story or novel.

Have fun!


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