WritingPromptForge

Story starters

Story openings that are already moving. Read one, then answer the only question that matters: what happens next?

For
Story starter for kids

When I opened my lunchbox, there was a tiny map inside instead of my sandwich.

Story starters for kids

  1. When I opened my lunchbox, there was a tiny map inside instead of my sandwich.
  2. The new kid in class could talk to pigeons, and the pigeons had a warning.
  3. Our classroom goldfish left a note that said, "Back by Friday."
  4. I planted a jellybean, and by morning it had grown into a ladder to the clouds.
  5. Grandpa's old bicycle can fly, but only on Tuesdays.
  6. The library book I borrowed started finishing my sentences.
  7. Every time my little sister sneezes, it snows indoors.
  8. The snowman in our garden was facing the other way this morning.
  9. I found a door in the back of my wardrobe, and someone was knocking from the other side.
  10. Our dog came home wearing a tiny crown.
  11. The playground slide went down much further than it should have.
  12. I woke up and every grown-up in town had turned into a kid.
  13. A robot rang our doorbell and asked if I could come out to play.
  14. The moon was missing from the sky, and I knew who had taken it.
  15. My shadow ran off during PE and I had to chase it across town.

Story starters for teens and adults

  1. The text came at 3:12 a.m.: "Don't come home. Trust me."
  2. Nobody at the funeral knew who had paid for the flowers.
  3. My sister swore she'd never set foot in this town again, so it was strange to find her car outside the old house.
  4. I sold my memories of that summer for rent money, and now the buyer wants to meet.
  5. The job interview was going well until the interviewer said my name like she already knew it.
  6. When the power came back on, there was one more person in the room than before.
  7. The wedding was perfect, which is how I knew something was wrong.
  8. Dad left a list of seven people to apologise to. I was number four.
  9. The ferry had been cancelled for years, but there it was, waiting at the dock.
  10. I recognised the stranger on the train from a photo in my grandmother's locket.
  11. For forty years the lighthouse had warned ships away. Tonight, it was calling one in.
  12. The note in my coat pocket was in my handwriting, but I had no memory of writing it.
  13. She asked me to hold her bag for a second and then disappeared into the crowd.
  14. Every house on our street got the same letter, except ours.
  15. The town had a rule about the woods, and I was about to break it.

Story starters on any topic

Need starters about dinosaurs, space, a school trip or a breakup? Type the topic and choose the reader.

AI output is generated by openai/gpt-6-luna via Vercel AI Gateway. It can be wrong or odd; the prompt lists on this page work without it.

How to continue a story starter

  1. Answer the hidden question in the starter (who knocked, why the map) but not straight away.
  2. Add a want. Your character needs to want something in the very next paragraph.
  3. Make it worse. The first attempt to fix things should create a bigger problem.

Want just one perfect sentence? Use the first line generator. Teachers may also like writing prompts for kids.

Questions writers ask

What is a story starter?

A story starter is the opening of a story (usually one or two sentences) that a writer continues in their own words. It removes the hardest part, beginning, and gives you a situation already in motion.

How do teachers use story starters?

As quick-writes at the start of a lesson, journal warm-ups, or the seed for a longer narrative assignment. Projecting the generator and letting the class pick "keep or strike again" works well.

What makes a good story starter for kids?

Concrete, playful situations with something slightly impossible (a talking goldfish, a ladder to the clouds) and a clear question for the child to answer: what happens next?

Are story starters the same as first lines?

Close. A first line is a single opening sentence; a story starter can be a little longer and sets up a situation. Our first line generator focuses on single sentences.