Creative Writing Topics & Story Starters

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Few things get my teacher mojo flowing like creative writing assignments.

A Few Tips

While it is a good idea to have most topics fit your learner’s interests, challenging them to think about topics that they don’t usually think about can open them up to some wild out of the box thinking. That rough and tumble little boy who dresses as a superhero on a regular basis could probably put an interesting spin on a classic princess story.

Don’t be afraid to make up new words as journal topics. Words like “hamble”, “goodensloff”, or “umblegrudge” can spark some wild creations. What is it? It is whatever you say it is. It can be whatever you want it to be. A picture file can be a great source of inspiration, too. Click here to find out more.

If you have a wicked sense of humor like me, you can give younger ones words like “onomatopoeia”, “lobotomy”, or “Mongolia” with the same directions as above. It can be whatever you want it to be. Read it back to them when they are older and understand the actual meanings of the words.

Remember to keep the assignment within your learner’s abilities. Before your little one can write, s/he can still create oral stories. Next, start with a single sentence and a drawing. Gradually add sentences until you build to a paragraph. Add paragraphs until you build up to a short story.

Story Starters don’t always have to go at the beginning of the story. Sometimes the events that lead up to the story starter can be more interesting than the events that unfold afterwards. You will notice that I am especially fond of story starters that leave the story wide open for interpretation. Those really are the best.

You know your learners best. Steer clear of topics that might trigger difficult memories or other issues.

Creative Writing Topics

My Favorite Sport
My Favorite School Subject
The Worst School Subject
My Favorite Time of the Year
What I love about my (mom, dad, siblings, grandparents, aunt/uncle, neighbor, friend, teacher, pastor…)
My Favorite Meal
If I had an extra arm and hand
If I ran the circus
My Favorite Animal (or more specific: Bird, Backyard animal, Zoo animal, Sea creature, Forest animal, Reptile…)
My Favorite Game
My Favorite Superhero
If I could be a superhero
If I could have any superpower
My day as a prince/princess
My day as king/ruler/queen/president
If I could pass a law
The Greatest Invention
My Favorite Bible Prophet/King/Disciple
My Favorite Book of the Bible
My Favorite Singer/Song/Lyric/Poem
If I could write my own TV show/Movie/Cartoon
If I could go any place in the world/galaxy/time
What I want to be when I grow up
If I could spend one day as a grown up
If I could spend one day as any animal
My Favorite Way to Exercise
My Favorite Book
If I became trapped in a video game/TV show/cartoon/movie/website/comic book
My Favorite Holiday
If I had three wishes and couldn’t wish for more wishes
If I could give one thing to anyone besides myself
If I could decorate my bedroom anyway I wanted
My Favorite Shirt/Outfit
The Most Disgusting Thing I Have Ever Eaten
What Dessert Would You Eat in the Desert
If I could eat only one food for (the rest of my life, one whole week/month/year)
If I ruled a tiny island
If I could be in a parade, I would…
If I were a chef
If I were an imaginary character/troll/fairy/goblin/elf/pixie
If I had a jet pack/flying car/flying saucer/hover board/spaceship
If I owned a restaurant
If I had a billion dollars (ten, hundred, thousand, million)
If I could take a trip anywhere
My Favorite Planet
If I owned a cruise ship
If my pet could talk to me
If I could choose one thing that I never had to do ever again
If I lived in a tree/cave/castle
I’m just too scared to…
My Perfect Birthday
The Greatest Vacation Ever
The Greatest Saturday Ever
The Perfect Party
If I could talk to animals
If I could have any pet
The Greatest School Day Ever
If I owned a store
My Favorite Sound
My Favorite Scent
If you could interview anyone (modern, throughout history)
What to do when you’re bored
If I could eat only one fruit (vegetable, legume, nut) for a whole year (week, month, decade)
My Favorite School Assignment
I am happiest when
I am saddest when
I am angriest when
I am most scared when
I am most grateful when
I am most calm when
I have the most fun when
An Ordinary Day In My Life
The most brilliant thing I have ever done
The most creative thing I have ever done with (play doh, yarn/string, a ball, my computer, paint)
My favorite (Summer/Winter/Fall/Spring/Christmas) Playlist
If I could play any instrument (Learn a new instrument)
My Day as a Symphony Conductor
My Day as a Famous (Artist, Writer, Sculptor, Painter, Musician, Singer, Songwriter)
If I became a character in my favorite book
My Day as a Top Secret Spy

Story Starters

I opened the box and found…
With a can of cola, a balloon, and a piece of string, I could…
The shovel hit something hard…
He carefully opened the envelope…
I didn’t expect a stampede
The view outside the window was (just as I expected, not what I expected, beyond anything I could have expected…)
That fall knocked the wind out of me
With that final ____, the game is over.
The stone had strange writing on it
I can’t believe it landed right in my backyard
The curtain opened, and I stepped out on stage
I awakened to find
That serum/spray/powder worked like magic
Then I shrank to the size of an ant
Then I grew to the size of a/an tree/elephant/building
When I realized I had this superpower, I
I was totally creeped out
I have never been this excited in my entire life
When I opened the door
The pain was unbelievable, but worth it
Yuck! I can’t believe I put that in my mouth.
I rode the camel/horse/dolphin/elephant all the way to
I finally washed up on the shore of
This planet/country/city is nothing like I thought it would be
He got down on one knee
Tiny paws tapping my face
Then it licked me
I’ve heard of raining cats and dogs, but this is ridiculous.
When I looked into the microscope/telescope
My journey begins here on this train/plane/bus
I had no idea the path led to
She opened the book and couldn’t believe what she saw
I never thought I’d find myself in this jungle
In all his years studying ancient ruins, he has never seen anything like this.
Then I added Pop Rocks (*best if you give the learner Pop Rocks for inspiration)
I knew that nothing good would come of this
The noises coming from the room turned out to be
Oh no! Not wild animals!
Mentos and cola were only the beginning
She played happily on the piano oblivious to
Is this a clue?
He woke up in a jail cell
I can’t believe they threw me into…
With a little faith
When she looked at the picture, she couldn’t believe her eyes
I turned the corner, and
He fought for his life.
She found $20,000 hidden inside
He passed it to me
Once I read the email, I realized…
Inside the cup was…
I climbed the tree and found
Then the doctor came in and said
Just an ordinary Tuesday
I can’t believe my slippers started talking
Not another face plant!
I closed my eyes and jumped
Right in the middle of all the flowers was…
What are worms doing here?
She grabbed a tissue and…
I couldn’t sleep so
The night the world turned to candy
When marshmallows attack
My day living inside a sand castle (ice castle, gingerbread house, candy land)
When I put on the magic glasses,
Oh no! Anything, but that!
How did that get there?
This is a recipe for disaster
The chime of the bell meant
If I lived in a house made out of books
But behind the painting she found…
I was excited until I read the fine print at the very bottom.
I followed the recipe exactly as she wrote it.
It can’t be 2 o’clock already!
As I listened to the wind howl, I knew I was in a lot of trouble.

I plan to add to this list over time, but 120 is a good start. I hope you get a lot of use out of this list.

Tell your friends to stop by and visit as well. I would love to hear what your learners came up with. Feel free to share in the comments.

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