Great Story Ideas

Did I get your attention with the title? Good, because I intend to deliver as I promise - great story ideas. However, you will do the work, and I will show you how.

First, a digression into why I wrote this.

Many times, I am asked where I get my ideas for my stories. I would like to say I have a great imagination, but actually, the means for creating story ideas is not given to a privelidged few, and anyone is capable of harnessing down great ideas if given the tools to do so. Luckily, it takes very few, but they are extremely powerful.

First, you must know that great story ideas can be reached by working a formula. Yes - a formula. This sounds like a con, but hear me out, and you will understand what I say is plausible.

First, you must start with a question that will give you a story idea. Many first time writers start out with the wrong question, and that's why they don't get to harvest their idea. We all know the question - 'Wouldn't it be really cool if ... ?'

As in, 'Wouldn't it be really cool if robots took over the Earth?' It might be, but that's what we call a situation, not a story. You would rush to the keys and type out what happened, and in the end, you would have only one scene, with the robots taking over the Earth, and nothing more - no story.

Frustrating, right?

Okay, then what is the right question?

Here it is, and it's even shorter and simpler ...

What if ...?

As in, 'What if robots took over the Earth?'

Looks the same, right? Not exactly. With the first question you just visualize the scene. With the second question, you actually consider 'what it would be like if it happened.'

The next step is to answer the question - 'Then someone would try to stop them.' In answering the question, answer it in the form that someone will perform the action. This is important, as then it will lead into the other questions more easily. For those wondering the importance of this question, this is the initiating act that begins the story – ‘someone decides to stop them.'

Next question - 'Who?'

Answer - 'The hero (protagonist) of your story.' We will call him 'Charlie'

Next question – ‘Then?’

Answer - ‘Then someone would try to stop them.’

Next question - 'Why?"

It seems odd, because we could not conceive anyone questioning why someone would not want to save their planet, but the fact is, character's in fiction ALWAYS need motivation, and it can't just be because they want to.

Answer - 'He wants to save his wife and kids from being enslaved by the robots.'

Now there is motivation, and a seemingly corny idea actually begins to sound relevant and interesting.

Next question - 'Where?'

The first question gave us that, but it does not always do so. Every story must have a setting, and the setting of this story will be 'Earth.'

Next Question - 'When?'

This question sets the time - be it past, present, or future. The answer here will be, 'the future'

Next Question - 'How?'

As in, how does the hero resolve the issue. This is the period at the end of the sentence - the story ending, if you will. If you do not know where you are headed, then you will wander aimlessly in circles, and go nowhere. You must have a goal. This DOES NOT mean you can not change it later, when a better ending, perhaps, emerges, but you must start with a finish line in place, or you will spin your wheels forever. That's not saying you won't finish, it's saying you will waste a lot of time and energy.

Tha answer to this one will be, 'The hero creates a virus that stops all the robots.'

Now, let's gather our answers:

(What if?) Robots took over the Earth.

(Then?) Someone would try to stop them.'

(Who?) Our Hero, Charlie.

(Why?) He wants to save his wife and kids from being enslaved by the robots.

(Where?) Earth.

(When?) In the future.

(How?) The hero creates a virus that stops all the robots.

Now here is the only part that requires a bit of assembly. We need to assemble the pieces all into one paragraph, in an order that makes sense. This can be easy, or it can be difficult. Focus hard on this part, because if you can't make the answers to these few questions assemble together into a paragraph that makes sense, then you will have much difficulty plotting a whole story, as you will have no direction.

Here is my attempt. You could assemble this multiple ways and still have it work:

In the future, Robots have taken over the Earth. Our hero, Charlie, fights to save his family from being enslaved, and eventually creates a virus that stops the robots.

There, now we have an idea for a story. All we need now is to start writing. There are many tips to start, but there is also a simple formula to follow throughout your story which you can follow until the end:

'What if ...' (problem)
'Then ...' (result)
'So he would ...' (plan of action)
'But this would fail because ...' (plan fails)
'So he would decide instead to ...' (new plan - which creates new problem)



'What if' robots took over the Earth.

'Then' Charlie would be afraid for his family.

'So he would' try to hide his family.

'But this plan would fail because' the robots would find them.

'So he would decide instead to' gather his neighbors to put up a fight.

Which leads back to ...

'What if' his neigbors gather with him to put up a fight?'


Only at the end of the story does the hero win - or he might even still lose, but not without resolving the original issue. For instance, Charlie might be killed by the robots as he uploads the virus that terminates them.

Remember, always work towards the end of the story. Take a direct path, always coming up with more plausible reasons why each plan fails. Failures create concerns, and readers like to be concerned.

As a last example, I will look at the beginning of my recent novel.

(What if?) A young boy grew into manhood, believing the world around him was a safe haven, then faced with the fact that all he has believed was a lie, and his people are in grave danger?

(Then?) Someone would have to save them

(Who?) Our hero, Krelg

(Why?) Because he lives on this world and cares about these people

(Where?) Aldus

(When?) In the future.

(How?) He fulfills the Dark Prophesy

So I assemble all that and I get this:

In the future, on a planet called Aldus, Krelg discovers that everything he has been taught to believe has been a lie. His world, once thought to be a safe haven, is now threatened, and he will have to act to save the people he loves, by fulfilling the Dark Prophesy.

Almost sounds like one of those blurbs you read telling you about an online book you want to purchase, doesn’t it? It should.

This is the formula they use to devise those little blurbs, and they use it because it gives out the most info in the least amount of space. All of the basics are answered, and hopefully they are enough to tantalize the reader to pick up your story and read it – or in your case, to pick up your keyboard and write it.

So how did I start my story? Using the formula for scene creation:

'What if’ Krelg’s best friend dies in a mining accident

'Then’ He would find it difficult to accept.

'So he would’ Try to discover what really happened.

'But this would fail because’ He would be captured while trying to investigate.

'So he would decide instead to’ Escape from his captors


Which leads to …

‘What if’ Krelg decided to escape from his captors?


This was the original assembly for chapter one of my story. I wrote up the scene just using these parts, then added more material around it to make it more interesting. Write the basics – then dress it up – that’s all you do.

Now, for those who have read the first chapter, they already know that Krelg does not decide to escape in the next chapter. Instead, the chapter switches off to a different scene, featuring a different character. This is multi-weaving, where you have several different story lines weaved together as one. And this CAN be done, using this same principle I described, but to do it, you have to examine each main character separately, treating each as a separate story with a separate goal. You then intertwine the story lines as you continue on through your story.

So, someone cries foul in the back. After all, those who have read the story would say Krelg never tries to escape. However, he does, in chapter three, when the focus returns to him. It’s a subtle move that fails immediately, but then resolves to him giving up and following his captors until a better moment presents itself.

And yes, the transition for this one happens in the middle of a chapter, and that’s okay. Chapters are blocks of text meant to give a story to a reader in piecemeal. They are not needed – and some books sell without any chapters. However, I highly recommend chapters, and I recommend them every 6-10 pages, unless you are so involved in a scene, that you can’t stop abruptly to go to another chapter. After all, if you can’t stop writing the chapter, then perhaps the reader won’t be able to stop reading it. Excitement does transfer from writer to reader, so keep that in mind. If a scene seems flat to you, then invariably it will be flat to your reader – and the reverse normally holds true as well.


So, there it is, and I hope it helps some writers past the mental block of developing ideas.

Also, so long as you fulfill all of the beginning questions, you are starting with a solid foundation. It might not be a viable plot – for instance, how viable would it be for the robots to leave because Charlie sent army ants out to destroy them, but your mind should tell you what would work and what wouldn’t.

Inevitably, Be honest with yourself. If you do not like an idea, then push it no further. Keep scrawling away, until you find one that entices you, then keep at it, because that’s the story you have been waiting to write.

I would relate more tips on writing, but inevitably, there are thousands of things to learn – but only one true way to learn them – by writing.

Now print this out and get to your keyboard. Start popping out ideas until one clicks, then map out your scenes and write them. I expect you all to have a great story idea within two days of reading this, or else I will be forced to tell you about my poor old Aunt Edna who lives in the Alps, fearing the locals who have been stealing her laundry that she hangs out on the line. Currently, she cowers in fear, but she intends to hire a hitman to take them all out.

Erm, wait, there’s a story idea. Possibly a comedy. Good luck!