Story Idea Generator

What makes a good story idea

An idea is not yet a plot. It is a person in a situation that raises a question. "What if a bell-ringer woke up able to hear the thoughts of horses?" has a character, a change and a question the reader wants answered: what will they do with it, and who else would want it? Each result here is built in that shape, and every one ends with a craft note: a way to tell the story that makes the question sharper.

The best ideas are specific. A bell-ringer is more promising than a hero, and a dead man's watch that is still ticking is more promising than a mysterious object. If a result feels vague, change one noun to something you know well, such as a job you have done or a town you have lived in.

From an idea to a first page

Take the idea and ask what the character wants now that the event has happened. The answer to that question is your plot: the want gives the story a direction, and the event gives it an obstacle. Write the want in one sentence and keep it where you can see it.

Then try the point of view and the craft note, even if you suspect you will not keep them. Telling the story through the eyes of the person who benefits most, or starting in the middle of the consequences, will often show you a version of the idea that you would not have found by planning.

Give yourself twenty minutes and write the first page. If you want to keep going when the timer stops, you have found an idea worth a longer project. If you do not, press Generate and try another; ideas cost nothing.

Testing an idea before you commit

Not every idea survives the first week, and it helps to learn that early. Test yours with three questions. Can you state the main character's want in one sentence? Is there a person or a force that wants the opposite? Can you imagine the last scene, even roughly? If the answer to all three is yes, you have enough to plan. If one is missing, add it before you write more: a story with no opposing force is a situation, and a story with no ending in sight tends to wander. Keep the ideas that fail the test in a list; they often become the second half of a better one.

Ten example story ideas

• Fantasy What if a bell-ringer found out that their shadow had been sold to a stranger? Tell it from the point of view of the person who benefits most. Make the ending a choice rather than a rescue.
• Sci-fi A courier discovered that the colony ship had been flying in a circle for a hundred years, and the only person who knows is a clerk in a records office. Begin on the day it can no longer be hidden.
• Romance What if a florist received a love letter meant for someone else? Write it as a series of letters.
• Mystery A court stenographer found a dead man's watch still ticking in a drawer. The story belongs to a witness who is not believed. Plant one detail in chapter one that makes sense only at the end.
• Horror What if a night-shift security guard heard their own voice calling from the cellar? Tell it from the point of view of a dog who knows more than anyone. Use a single location for the whole story.
• Fantasy A river pilot was asked to guard a gate that had never opened. The story belongs to an apprentice who is learning the trade. Let a minor character see the truth first.
• Sci-fi What if a station medic woke on a station that denied they had ever been aboard? Keep the answer from the reader until the last page.
• Romance A wedding planner was hired to plan the wedding of their own ex, and the only person who knows is a retired teacher. Make the stakes small and the feelings enormous.
• Mystery What if a locksmith found a key in their coat pocket that fitted no lock they knew? Tell it from the point of view of the person who sold the character the key. Let a lie hold the plot together.
• Horror A hospice nurse learned that the house had been listed as unsellable for good reason. The story belongs to the last person to arrive. Open in the middle of the consequences.