#story ideas

[promptsforthestrugglingauthor]

Writing Prompt #2668

"He's a monster!"

"He's a hot monster, though."

[flavoracle]

Story Idea: Set in a fantasy world, a necromancer uses their magic to provide laborers in the town to build walls, maintain roads, harvest crops, and more.

With the all the profit they earn from hiring out their undead workforce, they fund a private nursing home with incredible elderly care. The nursing home is absolutely free, as long as residents agree to let the necromancer have their body for reanimation if they die while at the nursing home.

Maybe at some point a warlord comes and the protagonist has to protect the town with everybody’s reanimated grandparents? Honestly, who needs a big bad when you can have protagonist instructing their employees on good end of life care, and how to show proper respect for the dead, amiright?!

[theladysunami]

I keep thinking about the comedy potential of a Jinlan City arc story where Luo Binghe can read Shen Qingqiu’s mind.

I’ve read several excellent ones where Shen Qingqiu is dealing with some sort of curse, potion, or pollen that compels him to speak his thoughts out loud, but there are some key differences between that and mind reading. Shen Qingqiu is typically aware he’s broadcasting his thoughts in these scenarios, he can sometimes rephrase things or cover his mouth, and what he says can be heard by everyone around him, not just Binghe.

If Luo Binghe were to acquire some form of mind reading ability though, he could experience the full force of Shen Qingqiu’s absolutely wild internal ramblings without other people reacting and without Shen Qingqiu knowing he’s doing it!

I only found one story that includes Binghe reading Shen Qingqiu’s mind, and it’s unfinished and likely abandoned. This is just tragic!

(The existing story is funny how you just break down (waiting on some sign) by WhenasInSilks).

[sharenadraculea]

Thinking about a Dungeon Meshi x Warhammer 40k Crossover

Some ideas I allready have:

-Marcille is absolutly like „I will sell my soul to chaos to bring Falin back. I will resurrect the dead gods and if that doesn‘t work, I will create a new one. Not even the laws of reality will stop me from getting my girlfriend back!“ (Not much of a change there)

-Laios beeing a Space Marine and not understanding that regular people can‘t eat literally everything.

-Senshi figthing Tyranids and just beeing like „Yeah, I do that every thursday, they taste very good.“

-Chilchuck killed at least a dozen Comissars, because they made the working conditions intolerable aka treating the canonfodder army as canonfodder. Also he is maybe from Catachan but doesn‘t tell the others because Laios would want to eat the animals from there

-Izutsumi beeing Izutsumi

[bronson4444the2nd]

Transformers Story idea: Starscream,newly banished from the decepticon forces after trying to kill Megatron for the 87th time,runs for president of the United States.

He gets away with it because: "I have layed dorment on American soil sense before it's colonization by the British. Making me, by technically, a native American."

Hilarity issues.

[novlr]

[writing-promptsss]

꒰ঌ Couple prompts ໒꒱

☆ when they had a hard and stressful day ☆

massaging their feet/shoulders

making dinner/a snack for their significant other

doing the dishes/chores instead of their s/o

buying them a gift or something simple like a favorite drink/snack

cracking jokes to make them feel better

listening to them vent about their stressful day

watching their favorite tv shows/movies with them

telling them how much they mean to you and how great they are doing

giving them kisses/hugging them

asking to do their favorite activity

visiting their favorite places

cuddling in bed

"we need to experience rainy days from time to time, only then can we appreciate the sunny days"

"the next day will be more wise than today"

"they annoyed me so much today" "I can throw a piano at them" *their s/o gives them a 'serious' look* "it was just a suggestion"

@largefluff <3 <3 <3

[writersmayhem]

We made a deal, that the loser must let the winner ask for anything. I only ask for one thing...

Let me love you.

[words-on-pa-per]

“Sometimes I think you’re my god.”

“Hah, how come?”

“Because I’d follow you as blind as faith. If you set the world on fire, I would make my offerings all the same.”

[who-canceled-roger-rabbit]

Some spins on the "mostly male team with a token woman" trope:

The woman is trans and stayed in her old circle of bros even after transition

The woman is the only one in her circle of "girls" who didn't turn out to be a trans man

[cheeseanonioncrisps]

Dr Doolittle-style show about a detective who can talk to animals, except instead of talking like people the animals still talk like animals, just translated into English sentences, so the plot of most episodes centres around trying to figure out what the star witness testimony actually means.

Victim's murder was witnessed by her pet snake, whose tank was in the room. Unfortunately pet snake is incapable of describing the world around them except in terms of 'rocks' and 'meat', with their descriptions of individual forms of 'meat' focusing almost entirely on body temperature and smell.

(Solved when it turns out that their description of 'warm-cold meat with rock' was actually an attempt to describe a suspect with a prosthetic limb, which is pretty unnoticeable to a human, but looks dramatically different in infrared.)

Murder at a honey farm. Each witness managed to see about ~0.06% of the full crime, in order to get the full picture, you have to get them to swarm.

Victim was found several days after death, already crawling with maggots. Days into the investigation, protag begins a frantic search to find any surviving maggots/flies that were on the corpse, after realising that how the victim tasted would give vital information about the poison used.

Also there's at least one or two animals who actually do talk in full sentences and in terms humans can understand, and the reason behind this is never fully explained.

All cats in this universe talk in terms of 'mine/not-mine' and mainly focus on territory, mates and food, with the one exception of the main character's cat who is named Watson and knows how to use sarcasm.

All insects speak in one word sentences where everything is 'food', 'enemy' or (for hive insects) 'friend' and 'queen', with the exception of seven-spotted ladybirds specifically, who for some reason speak in full English sentences and are up to date and knowledgeable about world events. The protagonists is as concerned by the full implications of this as you are.

[promptsforthestrugglingauthor]

Writing Prompt #2667

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me anything?!"

"I didn't want to make you mad..."

"Well look at how well that worked!"

[dduane]

Had an idea you might be able to use for something: Klingon Soap Operas.

(sigh)

Thanks for the thought. I appreciate your kindness!

But unfortunately, because you've sent me the idea and I've read it, I can now not use it, ever. No matter how much I might like to.

This isn't about you, you understand. And in its way it probably seems like a cruel paradox. You were only trying to be helpful! But if I was working on something for Trek and this concept came up even in casual discussion, I would be honor-bound (and contractually required) to inform them that the idea had come to me from a reader or fan. And then—rightly, from their point of view—they would forbid me to use it, because the idea's originator might some day, despite all their friendly intentions now, sue them over it. And the evidence that I was at fault would be easy to obtain. Sending a DM on any major platform generates an electronic "paper trail" that will confirm its target has opened and read the message in question. And that electronic record can be subpoenaed and submitted as evidence, and would stand up in court.

"Oh, come on, who'd do a thing like that, what are the odds...?" people will say. But it's not generally known that I've already been involved in a high-stakes lawsuit in which someone tried to sue Mattel over material I wrote when developing the initial form of the "Barbie: Fairytopia" universe (and the first Fairytopia film) for them. I'd never so much as met or communicated with the person suing them, had never read even a word of their work... but they still went to great trouble and expense attempting to prove that I'd had access to their material and used it without permission.

Mattel won the suit (as I'd frankly been expecting: the attorney handling their defense was one of the most expert IP lawyers in the US). But it gave me the chills... and made it clear how very wrong things could go, and the kind of damage that could be done to my career and my personal life, if I even accidentally used ideas from unauthorized sources.

Seriously, folks. I know you all mean well! But please don't make me tap the sign. DO NOT SEND ME STORY IDEAS, no matter how vague or general or unformed they may be. To do so is to absolutely guarantee that they will never, ever happen.* (And in my own universes, your innocently-meant suggestion could mean that neither you or anyone else will ever see that particular Young Wizards or Middle Kingdoms plot, no matter how much you'd like to... because I take this stuff seriously.)

...Thanks, all.

*This is also why I don't read fanfic set in my universes. Which you also shouldn't send me: please and thank you.

ETA: I would really, really appreciate it if y'all would refrain from giving @eldritchcatpossumamalgam grief in the tags. They made an honest, well-intentioned mistake, that's all, and they don't deserve to be personally raked over the coals for it. (And any of you who think I would derive any kind of satisfaction from that happening plainly don't know me very well.) So thanks in advance for your cooperation.

[apparentlytheproblem]

e n e m i e s t o l o v e r s t r o p e - p r o m p t l i s t

these are prompt lists which im so excited to do and share in the future and i hope my list only grows :)

-ˏˋ. dialogue ˊˎ-

"As if you would ever cross my fucking mind."

"fuck you" "when"

“He so likes her.”

“I don’t mind wasting time on you.”

“I feel the opposite of hate…towards you.”

“I feel things…”

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you"

“I might need more.”

“I’m not…used to feeling this way, okay?”

“Oh - don’t fucking do that.”

"shut up and kiss me"

"such a pretty liar mhmm"

“Took you long enough.”

“We might have been wrong.”

"what did you do"

“What the fuck is your problem?

"where the hell is he?"

"you want me?" "you know i do"

"stop crying"

"stop acting as if you're royalty, join reality."

"this is so wrong-"

-ˏˋ. scenarios ˊˎ-

both of them are in forced proximity because of a crowd rush

internal conflict of being enemies with benefits

fake dating to get someone of their back

enemies but they are shivering and the other offers their hoodie

they make fun of eachother just to keep their attention

they have to work together and they hit a realization on how its not too bad

injured and goes to them to fix up their wounds as they have no where else to go

cant stand that they're ignoring them

[writingraven]

Writing Tips

Punctuating Dialogue

✧

➸ “This is a sentence.”

➸ “This is a sentence with a dialogue tag at the end,” she said.

➸ “This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a dialogue tag.”

➸ “This is a sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence. New sentences are capitalized.”

➸ “This is a sentence followed by an action.” He stood. “They are separate sentences because he did not speak by standing.”

➸ She said, “Use a comma to introduce dialogue. The quote is capitalized when the dialogue tag is at the beginning.”

➸ “Use a comma when a dialogue tag follows a quote,” he said.

“Unless there is a question mark?” she asked.

“Or an exclamation point!” he answered. “The dialogue tag still remains uncapitalized because it’s not truly the end of the sentence.”

➸ “Periods and commas should be inside closing quotations.”

➸ “Hey!” she shouted, “Sometimes exclamation points are inside quotations.”

However, if it’s not dialogue exclamation points can also be “outside”!

➸ “Does this apply to question marks too?” he asked.

If it’s not dialogue, can question marks be “outside”? (Yes, they can.)

➸ “This applies to dashes too. Inside quotations dashes typically express—“

“Interruption” — but there are situations dashes may be outside.

➸ “You’ll notice that exclamation marks, question marks, and dashes do not have a comma after them. Ellipses don’t have a comma after them either…” she said.

➸ “My teacher said, ‘Use single quotation marks when quoting within dialogue.’”

➸ “Use paragraph breaks to indicate a new speaker,” he said.

“The readers will know it’s someone else speaking.”

➸ “If it’s the same speaker but different paragraph, keep the closing quotation off.

“This shows it’s the same character continuing to speak.”

[onebadnoodle]

here are some messy sketches of what i'm working on. i try not to post stuff that isn't finished but sometimes its fun to share stuff like this