12 New Short Story Starters

If you are anything like me you are both a writer and a procrastinator.

Ouch.

Let’s be honest now – how many times have you told yourself, “I should be writing?” And then you go and do something else – like water the roses, trim the hedge, check your email, make a coffee, take the dog for a walk.

Until…

Until half the day is gone – and you haven’t written a word. I know that scene far too well. We all do it – unless you are one of those highly self-motivated beings from another planet who can write at the drop of the hat and make great progress all day, every day, month after month.

What can I do to help?

Below is a list of 12 new short story starters in my very popular series of story starters – go to the cloud of topics on the sidebar to access more of the same – or just do a search of this site.

The idea is to read through these ideas, pick one and then start your short story with the words that I have provided. Simple as that. Oh – you might want to read the ‘Conditions of use’ at the end of this post for more ideas.

12 Story Starters

1. It had never occurred to me that this might be the scariest day of my life.
2. ‘How could you be so stupid?’ I yelled. ‘The last thing we need right now is to have yet another cat!’
3. I could see the line of animals steadily coming closer. At first, I thought that they were horses, but as they approached I realised that they were actually camels. At least five camels being led by someone wearing a djellabah.
4. I instinctively ducked as the plane screamed low overhead. It missed me by barely five metres. The bus coming towards me braked hard, but still the plane ploughed nose first into it.
5. The children, their scared eyes wide open, instinctively crouched under their tables as the explosions rocked their classroom.
6. Our canoe slipped silently through a break in the reeds lining the river. We could see our destination ahead.
7. Silence settled on our cottage as the snow wrapped us up in its soft, chilling beauty. I could tell that this was going to be a long wait.
8. The almost imperceptible flutter of his hanky, like a small flag unwillingly waved, was the dreaded sign for us to move. I felt my heart thumping, like some demented elephant trampling inside me.
9. On a better day, Pete might have made a saner choice, but this was turning into a disastrous day, and his brain had long ceased to function normally.
10. As the ship forged out past the headland, I began to feel free at last. I was no longer under her spell which had kept me almost like a prisoner all those years.
11. As I opened the door, I was aware of a strange rubbing on my leg. I looked down to see a kitten rubbing against my trouser leg. ‘Where did you come from?’ I asked. The cat didn’t reply.
12. As the old clock in the hallway struck midnight, I realised that the events of the day would mean I might have trouble getting any sleep at all.

Conditions of use:

• Feel free to use any of the story starters listed above.
• Change anything to suit your needs.
• Give it your best shot.
• Edit your work carefully before sending it off to a publisher or posting it on your blog.
• Let me know in the comments section how it went.
• If you publish your story on your web site or on your blog let me know so I can make a link to it for others to read.
• Now get writing.

Good writing.

Trevor