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Poetry

Writing Short Stories

Try using one of these ideas for your story:

  1. It’s the first day of school and your character finds a note on their locker door with a surprising message.

  2. Your character has been invited to a friend’s house for a sleepover. Something feels eerie and mysterious about the house.

  3. Your character is walking down the street when a dog approaches them. They quickly realize that the dog has been abandoned and take in the animal as their own.

  4. Your character heads out for a typical Friday night out with friends to see a movie, but nothing about the night goes according to plan.

  5. Your character writes a love poem about their secret crush, only to lose it in the hallway at school.

  6. Your character is watching the stars on a summer night. The character is pointing out constellations to a friend when they begin a conversation that will lead them on the adventure of a lifetime.

  7. Your character is walking along the beach when they discover a hidden pathway.

  8. Your character is checking the mailbox after school. There’s a mysterious letter addressed to them, and the only thing inside is instructions.

  9. Your character comes home one day only to find that their room is a completely different color and all of the furniture is new. They have no idea what happened, but it could only mean one thing.

  10. Your character has an opportunity to take a ride on a spaceship to another planet in the galaxy.

  11. Your character goes on a field trip to the local museum when suddenly one exhibit comes to life.

  12. Your character is playing on the playground when suddenly they spot a sparkling object. They pick it up, only to realize that it’s magic.

  13. Your character wakes up to discover that they have become a character in their favorite book.

  14. Your character is feeling less than confident and needs to overcome a fear in order to accomplish a goal.

  15. Your character scores a game-winning goal, and it changes the rest of their lives.

  16. Your character is roasting marshmallows by the campfire when suddenly a family secret is revealed.

  17. Your character finds their best friend crying.

  18. Your character has a strange dream, that leaves them feeling restless and anxious.

  19. Your character makes a wish when blowing out their birthday candles, and it actually comes true.

  20. Your character gathers up the courage to ask their crush to dance, only to be surprised by the answer.

  21. Your character creates an invention that changes the way that the world works.

  22. Your character wakes up with the ability to talk to the family pet.

  23. Your character discovers how to travel through time. They decide to go to…

Or spin the Scholastic Story Starter!

story starter machine.png
spin the wheel.png

I like this plot generator even better. It give you two characters, a setting, a situation, theme, and character action.

Example:

A man in his early twenties, who can be quite reckless.
A man in his early thirties, who can be quite caring.
The story begins in an aeroplane.
Someone thought dead is discovered alive.
It's a story about memories.
Your character offers to lend a helping hand.

https://writingexercises.co.uk/index.php

https://writingexercises.co.uk/plotgenerator.php

There's also this version from the same source.

It's a little simpler.

Look on the left for title generators,

first line generators, and a "journey" prompt.

story writing.png

Links for all Poems

(Links can only be opened with students' GP account.)

  1. Bio Poem

  2. Fact or Fiction?

  3. Acrostic

  4. Clerihew

  5. Phone Poem

  6. Haiku

  7. Cinquain

  8. Diamante

  9. Tanka 

  10. Septet

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