What strange and unexpected thing happened in an ordinary place like school or the gym?

Describe the "Crime of the Century". Choose any century you like.

What will he threaten her with to make her change her mind?

What is lost or found in the snow?

What happens when the other children discover exactly how different she is?

Write about the the picture, song, movie, book, etc. that was ruined after someone else got his hands on it.

Write the conversation that you would have had if you'd had the courage.

Write about the black sheep of the family and how he came to be that way.

What is he wearing that draws everyone's attention?

"Hey guys. What's with the bucket?"

What happens when the company she was expecting doesn't show up?

...the unexpected smell of sweat...

Teach your character something new.

Write about the untraditional holiday tradition.

With drugs in his system, what can your character do that he normally wouldn't?

After being fired, laid off, or quitting, what is the first thing he would do?

How does your character say, "I love you" to someone he shouldn't say it to?

"Please don't tell anybody, but..."

What was left behind on the train or bus?

Pick your favorite political issue (gay rights, women's health, abortion, legalization of marijuana, etc.) and write a scene revolving around it.

How far would your character be willing to go to save the life, reputation, or fortune of someone he cared about?

A lamppost, a baseball cap, and a donut.

Write to or about someone you know who means a great deal to you.

"The truth about your father is..."

Write backwards. Start with the final scene and work your way to the beginning.

This is all very familiar, but something's just a little off.

One is running. One is laughing. One is missing.

Write an argument between two people. Now write about the third person, who overheard everything.

Write about what it was like the first time you fell in love or what you imagine it will be like the next time you fall in love.

"He said it was my fault."

Use the following in a story: A paper clip A phone call A blanket Water

What's on the other side of the door?

What's in the envelope?

Write about the typo that changes everything.

What goes wrong when your character shows up just a few minutes early?

Introduce a holiday character to a different holiday. What does Cupid dress up as for Halloween? What does Santa do when he's alone on Valentine's Day? Does the Easter Bunny feel sentimental about Independence Day?

What are you grateful for? What are your characters grateful for?

Write about a seemingly unmendable rift between two people.

What unexpected thing ends up in the bag when your character goes grocery shopping?

Make a list of adjectives that describe sound. Now pick one of those adjectives and write about something that makes that kind of sound.

Put your character behind the wheel. Where will he end up driving?

What's the craziest thing you have ever done or would ever do with a stranger?

What is your character's biggest weakness? Exploit it.

Leave a message with a character and let it be forgotten or distorted before it's relayed to the character it was meant for.

What's in the envelope?

Let your protagonist doing something spiteful or your antagonist do something kindhearted.

What happens when your character fails to recognize someone he should have recognized?

Create a charcter who resembles an animal both in appearance and mannerisms: someone as sly as a fox with bushy red hair to match, as wise an owl with a beaky little nose, etc.

Come up with a difference of opinion that could drive a permanent wedge between two people.

Write twenty-six sentences that form a rational paragraph or story. Begin the first sentence with the letter 'a' and each subsequent sentence with the next letter in the alphabet.

Add an animal into the mix--a new pet, a stray that won't go away, a predator that goes hunting, etc.

Write a chance encounter between two strangers whose relationship will either be very positive or very destructive for one of them.

Write about the employee who's asked to stay late one Friday night.

Write about the scheme that just might be crazy enough to work.

What's on the other side (of the ocean, the fence, the wall, the breakdown, the glass, the breakthrough, etc.)?

Uncover and manifest your character's biggest fear.

Write a secret conversation that would only take place between two very close friends.

Write about someone who wakes up where he/she doesn't belong.

"I wish I would have told him the truth about..."

Confront a character with a mistake he/she made years ago.

Make up a new word, a definition for it, and then build a story around it.

Write a paragraph in which every sentence is longer than the last. See how many sentences you can write.

Look out the nearest window and describe the scene you see there.

Write about communication that takes place between two characters without speaking any words.

Write about the one who can't get enough of it.

Write about the one who thinks he's going to get away with it.

Write about nails on the chalkboard, the bomber overhead, cardboard rubbing against cardboard, police sirens, or any other noise that gets everyone's attention.

Save the princess.

Work the following into a story:
A bottle
A subway token or bus pass
A cell phone conversation

Write about the puppet from the perspective of the puppet master or vice versa.

Write about someone who is not as strong (wealthy, smart, good looking, etc.) as he thinks he is.

Write about everything that goes wrong at the performance (piano recital, opening night, ballet, concert, etc.) for an audience member or a performer.

Write about someone who is elected or promoted to fill a position he/she doesn't want.

Write about the neighbors.

Visit http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/ and create a new character from the name the site generates.

"If you don't tell him the truth, I'll..."

Work the following three items into a story:
A power outlet
A photograph
A gerbil

Write a short whodunit and include at least one red herring.

Write about an inappropriate flirtation.

Write about the legal decision that changes everything.

Write about someone who makes an important purchase.

Let one of your characters forget something that seemed insignificant, but turned out to be important.

Write about a traumatic childhood experience--yours, someone else's, or a fictional character's.

Write about the first day at a new job.

Let your character make an assumption about someone else. Let that assumption be completely wrong.

Reunite two people who haven't seen each other in years.

Write about a birth or a funeral.

Write about someone who can't do what comes naturally to everyone else (see, hear, walk, speak, smell, reason, read, whistle, etc.)

Write about a first date that one person wants to be on and the other doesn't.

Write about three or four people who are stuck together in a car for a very long time.

Work the following into a story:
A sandwich
A radio
Public transportation

Write about a musical instrument.

"There's no need to be so ________!"

"When you left I thought..."

Work the following items into a story:
A pair of glasses
Rope
A canal
 

Write about a person who's impersonating someone else.

Write about a failure that turns out for the best.

Write about tradition.

Write about a relationship (mother/son, husband/wife, brother/sister, employer/employee, etc.)  that doesn't fit into the typical dynamic.

Choose one of the following and work it into your story: Earth, Air, Fire, Water.

Write two arguments; one about something important and one about something trivial, but fire up emotions in both scenes.

Introduce a foreigner into your story.

"My life is..."

 

Write a farewell.

Write about a birthday. Is there a much anticipated celebration? A dreaded milestone? A lonely evening spent pondering? A forgotten date?

Let your character fix something that everyone else thought was broken.

"The man in the black suit..."

Let your character be responsible for the safety or well-being of someone else and then let everything go wrong.

Write about a character that your reader can identify with and root for, but whom you would never want to be friends with in real life.

Write from the point of view of someone who is close to death. Was the death expected? Is there a flash of memories? A deathbed confession? One final act of rebellion?

Write about your character's deepest fear. What would it take to make him face it?
 

Write about vices, addictions, or habits.

How do your character's friends affect his choices? Write about a character who seeks counsel from two different people. Which is the bigger influence, the advisor or the advice?

Fictionalize a real life experience and give it a happier ending.

"This seems like a pretty good time for..."

"The most extraordinary thing about him was..."

If you could change any law or create a new one, what would it be? Write about a society where that change has been enacted.

Write a letter to someone you aren't able to speak with--a romantic interest who got away, a loved one who has passed on, a celebrity you'll never meet, etc.

Can you bring a classic story up to date? If you move Hunchback of Notre Dame, Les Miserables, Moby Dick, etc. to the 21st century, how does the story change and/or stay the same?

Tell a lie.

What is your favorite thing to eat? Write about it.

Write about a special occasion (wedding, funeral, birthday, graduation, etc.) and all the things that go wrong.

What's the most interesting thing you've ever found on the ground? Write about it.

Two strangers having a conversation on a train: Go!

What happens when the fire burns out? It can be a figurative fire of passion and motivation or an actual fire that leaves the world dark and cold once it's gone.

What invention would make your life easier or more enjoyable? Let a character invent it and see what happens.

"You can apologize all you want to. Everyone knows that you..."

"I should have told you this a long time ago, but..."

Write about the moment when the protagonist realizes his mistake.

Turn on the television or radio and write down the first complete sentence you hear. Now turn off the source and continue the conversation.

Write a list of things that would often be whispered and a second list of things that would often be shouted. Then choose one and build a story with it.

It was not a dark and stormy night. What was it?

Besides sunshine, what comes through the open window?

Write one paragraph explaining a tightly held belief.

Now write another paragraph to counter it.

"This never would have happened if I hadn't..."

What would your story be like if your protagonist and your antagonist switched places?

What does your character see when he looks in the mirror? Is it different than what other people see?

If real life were a musical, at what moment would the chorus break into song? Write the scene and the song.

Open a dictionary randomly and find a word to be the inspiration of your story today. If you don't own a dictionary, go to dictionary.com and use the word of the day. Use the word in any way you want to.

Pick your least favorite sentence from whatever you're working on right now. Find at least twenty different ways to say the same thing.

What has your character given up or lost in search for whatever he's looking for?

Does your character spend his time working toward all the things he wants, or is he asked to do something for someone else that he doesn't want to do? How does he handle that request?

Write about something that won't stop growing.

What’s your favorite book? Who’s your favorite character in that book? Why is he your favorite? What traits does he/she have that you wish you had? What would your life be like if you had them?

Describe the relationship between your character (or self) and his/her body.

What does your character think he needs to be happy? A person? A thing? An accomplishment? And experience? Knowledge? If you give him something else (i.e. If he won the lottery instead of the race or the girl instead of the lottery) could he still be happy?

Does your character believe in anything he can't prove? Why? How do those beliefs affect him?

Write about your fantasy vacation.

Give your character everything he wants and see if it really makes him happy.

What happens to your character when he breaks the rules?

Give your character a super power that has no useful application.

Something isn't what you think it is.

How would your character spend a rainy afternoon?

Write about the room in which all of this is happening.

Can you pinpoint the exact moment when they fell in love? Write about it.

Start with the weather.

How does your character meet someone new? Who is this mysterious stranger? Do they get along?

What does it take for your character to lose control?

Give your character an object he has no idea how to use.

Does your character have smaller goals he wants to accomplish as he accomplishes the big one? Can he do both? Will he get lost in one?

How long has it taken your character to build or obtain what he wants? How fast can you destroy it?

What does your character resort to when apologies are not enough?

Write about the one who's different.

Write about a meal, the preparation of one, or the consuming of one.

Write about someone who gets sick or someone who gets well.

Start at the end and work backwards.

Write about someone who fights for freedom in an unconventional manner.

Write about someone who's faking it.

Add some reality to a myth or legend.

What's the strangest job you can imagine? Write about someone who does it.

What kind of art would your character create to express himself? Create it for him from his point of view.

What is the one thing your character identifies with the most? That he's a baseball player? A guitarist? An only child? A refugee? Explain in as much detail as possible why that attribute became so meaningful to him or take it away.

Write about a seemingly meaningless interaction that has a big impact.

Write about someone who makes an unusual deal or bargain.

Write about someone who has everything and suddenly loses it all or someone who has nothing and suddenly gets everything.

Write about the winner.

Write about two characters who have been thwarted by the decision of only one of them.

Write something persuasive. Change someone's mind.

Give your character the power to control something most of us can't control.

What happens when we run out (of chocolate, helium, water, space, money, time, etc.)? Write about it.

Write about your favorite song. Dissect the lyrics. Describe the changes in mood as the song progresses. Explain the sounds of the instruments and voices.

Write about the one who didn't make it.

How much story can you tell in 1,000 words? Be succinct and force yourself to stop before 1,001.

Write about a character who sucks at doing something. Then help the character get better at it.

Who was the first family to live in the house? Who was the last family to live in the house? Do they have any connection?

Start at the end and work your way back.

Write about a new break in technology that no one else has considered yet or the world that will exist once technology has gone as far as it can go.

Write about the tiniest thing you can see.

Write about the most unusual friend.

Describe the moment when everything changed.

See how many one liners you can come up with--brilliant sentences that have nothing to do with each other, but might inspire a story idea in the future. Try your hand at description, dialogue, and action, but make every line powerful.

Write about someone who goes somewhere for the first time--somewhere everyone else has already been.

Write about someone who is a genius in his field... whatever field that might be.

Write about someone who gets away with it.

Write about someone who establishes his/her independence for the first time.

Write about three...

Write a short story or poem with a color in every line.

Write something that centers around the memory of something or someone lost.

Write from nature's point of view. Be a tree, a storm, the earth, etc.

Create a family even crazier and less socially adept than your own and put them in a strange predicament to overcome together.

Give your character a "big" problem; an elephant, a hippo, a a whale, a tornado.

Give yourself or a character an unusual super power and see what happens.

Write a poem. Use obscurity, metaphor, and analogy to write something with a hidden meaning.

Open a dictionary to any page and pick a random word or visit dictionary.com and use the word of the day in your story.

Tell a lie and build your story around it.

Set your scene before, during, or after a huge catastrophe.

"I learned a lot from..."

Describe a place--any place. Now go back and change all of your adjectives to change the mood and write a new scene that takes place there.

What would your character discuss if he/she went to a therapist?

Turn the tables in a cliche scene. Let the child yell at the parents for coming home late or the student complain about the teacher not finishing homework. Switch the dynamic, but keep it realistic.

Write a dialogue between two or three people in first person. Now switch the perspective to third person and write it again. Then go back to first person, but from the perspective of a character who was not the original narrator and write it again.

Remember the strangest customer, coworker, or manager you ever encountered on the job and turn that person into a character.

"We have to go now! We have to get out before..."

Write about a holiday celebration besides Christmas or Easter.

If you didn't write, what would you do? Write about someone who does that for a living.

"I know you were lying when you said..."

Choose two or more of these people and entangle their lives: tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beautiful daughter, wives.

"The breath of the dog was horrendous..."

Write about a person/family who attends the reading of a will and discovers they've inherited something very unusual.

What things do you or your character hide from the world? Do they need to stay hidden? What would happen if they were uncovered? Write about it.

Which rules of society do you think we take for granted? Change one and write about the society that grows from it. (i.e. People are no longer expected to wear clothes, cannibalism becomes acceptable, etc.)

What three things would you want to have with you on a deserted island? Give someone those three things. Now put him on an island...

Describe a boring day. Don't let anything out of the ordinary happen. Can you still tell an interesting story?

Add a quirk to give your story more character; a limp, a stutter, a leak, etc.

If you had three wishes, what would you wish for? If you had unlimited wishes what would your 143rd wish be?

Write about the one that wouldn't go away--the person, problem, stray cat, etc.

Make three factual statements (I.e. the sky is blue, water is wet, I am human, etc.). Now change one and keep going (I.e. The sky was red..., the water had dried up..., I was built by Simpson and Dunn Technologies in 2087..., etc.).

Give ears to the walls. Write from the point of view of something seemingly insignificant; a mosquito who's bitten your character, a knick knack on the coffee table, the toy that's never played with anymore, etc.

What would happen to a super hero whose weakness is stranger than kryptonite (i.e. carrots, polyester, coughing, heights, etc.)?

Write down ten nouns and put them in a hat or bowl. Then draw one and write about a character who has similar traits to whatever you've chosen.

Build a hands on poem using paper, not a computer. Cut out words or lines from the newspaper or magazines; use colored pencils, crayons, or markers to add a bit of color or represent emotions; or draw a picture with tiny hand-written words instead of solid lines.

Write about someone who doesn't speak English.

Write about someone who becomes physically lost and runs into someone who is metaphorically lost.

Write your story backwards; a tree that grows into a seed, an old man who grows young, a couple falling out of love, Columbus un-discovering the new world, etc.

What message is in the bottle that washes up on shore? An S.O.S.? A love letter? A treasure map? A dying man's confession?

Write one of your favorite memories in third person.

Turn on the radio. Write down the first lyrical line you hear and then turn it into a story.

Use your description of an object from Friday and your description of a person from Saturday and write a short story about the relationship between the two.

In fifteen minutes describe a person (real or imagined) in as much detail as possible.

Pick an inanimate object and give yourself fifteen minutes to describe it in as much detail as possible.

Finish this story: "In the beginning Charlie had the purest of intentions."

Create a new species today! Need a little inspiration? How about a microscopic parasite, an invading alien, a talking lizard, or a beast strong enough to keep trolls and dragons in check? Get creative and think up your own and then write as much detail as you can about your new friend.

Think about your favorite book and write a short story about one of its characters that takes place before the book began or after it ended.

Go back (or forward) in time. If you write Victorian romance novels, try a futuristic comedy. If you write 21st century thrillers, set a drama in the stone ages. Or get really crazy and take a character back and forth.

Write about two people working together to achieve two very different things.

Green with envy, fight like cats and dogs, all dressed up with nowhere to go; pick an old cliche and cliche the heck out of it!

Could you describe a sound to someone who is deaf or a color to someone who is blind?

Write about someone who is in love with someone who does not feel the same way.

Your character has the wrong set of keys, but really needs to get in...

Today use the word "rose" or "leaves" in your writing. Did you use it as a noun or verb? Now use it the other way.

Make a list of every adjective you hear today (at home, at work, on television, on the radio, etc.). Then choose your favorite and use it to describe something that becomes the focus of a short story.

Use all five senses in your writing today. Having a hard time setting the scene? Try to recall the last time you were aware of a smell and/or taste and sart there.

Use the word "mount" in your writing today.

Find a photo from your childhood and write about the scene you see--not the memory you created then, but the things a stranger might assume if they looked at the photo.

Are you holding onto any outdated resources? Do you refuse to trade in your encyclopedias for Wikipedia.org or your phone book for yellowpages.com? Do you still mark up an atlas instead of pulling out your gps device or google maps? Write a story that requires an old fashioned version of information and wouldn't be the same with its modern, electronic counterpart.

Ask a friend to send you something--anything--in the mail. When it arrives, write about it. Offer to send something in return so you'll both be inspired. The more unexpected the package, the better.

Write a story including each of the following: Roast Beef Georgia Goldfish A microphone

Write a journal entry about life twenty years in the future.

"It's not you; it's me." Write a break up scene without using cliche lines like that one.

We've all had typos in text messages or misheard something someone whispered. Write a scene where a simple misunderstanding is blown out of proportion. Need help coming up with an idea? Google "auto correct" or play Telephone with a few friends.

In five hundred words or less, explain your view about a hot political topic like abortion, contraceptives, homosexuality, bullying, etc. Now write about a character who disagrees with you. Let that character be your protagonist.

Imagine a great disaster destroys all the world's literature. How much of it would you remember and be able to pass on to future generations? Which three stories most deserve to be told? Would you attempt to retell them exactly as the original author had or make changes to improve them or make them more useful to a recovering society? Now choose one and write it.

"There were phone numbers which could be ignored at two in the morning. This was not one of them."

Who's calling? How does the conversation go?

Center a scene around a sporting event and let the last shot, touchdown, home run, strike, goal, or play be the climactic moment.

Turn your favorite nursery rhyme into a dramatic short story. Was there a reason Jack and Jill fell down the hill? Why did Peter eat pumpkins? How did the crooked man come to be so crooked? Get creative.

Carry a notebook or scrap of paper around with you today. Make a list of the interesting words and phrases people use. If you live and/or work alone, you may have to spend a little time eavesdropping in a public place (like the mall or grocery store). At the end of the day, work as many of those words and phrases as possible into a conversation between characters.