Short Story Ideas?

Question

I'm in a class where I have to write some short stories. Normally thinking of ideas isn't a problem, but I'm feeling very uninspired this semester. I'm looking for any and all story ideas you can give me (from very simple basic ideas to fully fleshed out ideas). Also, I would prefer ideas that are not geared towards the Children's genre, because I'm trying to branch out of my comfort zone, but I will accept any Children's Short Story ideas too :)

Answer 1

I read a line in a biography of Robert E. Lee once, about his life as a college president after the war:

"Some of his students had been his soldiers, and wore beards . . ."

What must it have been like, to go from having to worry about a brigade charging your regiment with fixed bayonets to having to worry about mid-terms?

Did they live in fraternities? If so, did anyone younger try to haze them? ("Son, I've got more hair in my ears than you have on your {euphanism for private parts}. If you sit down and shut up, I won't have to kill you.")

What did they think about, during the dull parts of the class?

What did the girls think about their missing parts? How do you dance with a wooden foot? How did the college food compare to they acorns they were eating, towards the end?

You'd have to do some historical research about life in Washington College (Now Washington and Lee) in 1866 - 1870.

Answer 2

Sometimes small town list things that wouldn't be mentioned in larger papers. Go to the section of a small newspaper where it lists police/fire calls etc. Take one of those listings and create a story about what happened. I did this once for a college creative writing class at my teachers suggestion. I wrote a story about a woman that found a box on the beach. Good luck writing!

Answer 3

there was a man a while back (like, a couple centuries ago) named Johann Conrad Dipple (his published works were in the name Christianus Democritus), who invented a "miracle potion" called Dipples Oil that was supposed to be able to cure some illnesses. You could write about someone who has to take that every day. There would be several other events that happen during the time, but they would all be strung together by the oil.

Answer 4

You might think this is silly but there is somuch said about shoes , They have been stolen off of childrens feet , this is something you have to have , there are big shots that pay hundreds for them and have 50 pair , there are poor people that have holes in their shoes and cant afford 1 pair , there are people who have lots of children that they dont know how to keep them in shoes . you have the saying You havnt walked till you have walked a mile in my shoes , you have kids and people that love to design them , you have a pair of shoes that cost hundreds and a pair that look just like them and the rich shoes that dont last no longer that the cheap ones , and you have people that have to have the best or they are talked about , so this might sound silly but it is a fact of life . Thank You

Answer 5

What if you wrote stories about a fictional you as an adventurer - doing all the things that are part of your wildest imagination, things that you'd feel completely crazy if you really did them (and might never at that, but would be thrilling to think about and write about).

Answer 6

Why no longer attempt to incorporate all the recommendations in those solutions!? so which you have have been given zombie-hunters, vampires, a guy looking an mind's eye under a rock, laser-eye surgical operation and a creepy postman. i'm going to throw in a porcupine. Whoah - i could study it!!

Answer 7

Go to a coffee shop or some public place where you can sit and listen to other peoples conversations. you will only hear parts of it and the rest you get to make up