Story Starter Ideas

I’ve had a couple people mention that although they want to participate in the Summer Writing Challenge, they don’t know what to write about. For those of you who are having trouble getting started, here’s a few ideas.

1. Pick your fairytale- It could be one of your favorites, a commonly ignored one, we’ll even accept folklore/mythology for this one.

2. Follow some of the below ideas to get started. You are welcome to use any/all of these ideas, but remember to make them your own! You don’t have to use them at all if you don’t want to, these are merely things to get your ideas flowing.

If you’re writing a poem for the contest:

1. Match your format to the piece you’re retelling

• Japanese mythology could be retold in haiku
• Retell Greek/Roman stories in epic format (though maybe not epic length…)

2. Use character voice

• Pick a character. Write how the story looks from their eyes. What do they see?

3. “Dr. Seuss” it!

• Put your favorite stories into a cute rhyming format

If you’re writing a short story:

1. Change the setting

• What if the story took place in a different time period?
• Would changing the location change the story?

2. Tell YOUR Version

• Unsatisfied with the way the story went? Rewrite it the way you want to!

3. Play “What if”?”

• What if Cinderella had been a boy?
• What if no on woke up Sleeping Beauty?
• What if Bluebeard’s wife hadn’t opened the door?
• What if Beauty hadn’t gone to the Beast’s castle?

4. Change the Point of View

• How did the Dwarfs really feel about Snow White leaving?
• What did the Frog Prince think about the princess?

5. Decide what happens next

• Is “happily ever after” really the end?

6. Mix them together

• How would your favorite characters react to each other’s stories?

Hopefully that gets some ideas going. In the next few days I’ll be posting a bunch of booklists you can also look to for inspiration… just in case you get stuck.

Good luck everyone!