261. While their spouses are deployed overseas in a war that has no end in sight, a young man and woman meet and strike up a friendship that is centered around the struggles they’re facing as newlyweds with absent spouses.
262. A young sports or entertainment celebrity known for partying and promiscuity is linked to a murder of passion. Only an experienced, top-notch lawyer can crack the case and prove the star’s guilt or innocence.
263. Write a story set a hundred years in the future. What is the population of the planet? How far into space have we gone? What are we using for energy? Are we still separated by borders, race, and religion?
264. A child living on a farm or ranch can hear the thoughts of animals—both the livestock and the local wildlife.
265. Some say torture doesn’t work and is morally wrong. Others say it does work and is a necessity. Write a story about torture from the perspective of the tortured or the torturer.
266. Write a story about a protagonist who has hallucinations and is in love with someone who doesn’t really exist.
267. During the Crusades, people were brutally murdered because they did not fol- low the religion of the land. Write about someone who pretended to subscribe to Christianity in order to survive.
268. One of the easiest ways to inject humor into a story is to make one of the characters funny— either because the character is naturally funny or is always saying and doing things that others laugh at. Write a story about one such character.
269. Stories often teach children how to resolve issues. Write a story demonstrating how to solve conflict at school (preschool or kindergarten age).
270. Write a story about a teenager frustrated by a younger sibling who copies everything and always wants to tag along.
271. Two siblings are separated at a very young age when their parents decide to have nothing to do with each other ever again. Many years later, an unexpected event forces the siblings, who hardly remember each other, together again.
272. One of the most sought-after assassins in the world is known for his or her ability to hunt down and kill wily targets. What happens when this assassin is hunt- ed by a younger but equally talented assassin?
273. A disgraced star ship captain is kicked out of the interstellar military. He or she buys a run-down passenger ship and starts a business transporting people (including aliens) across the galaxy.
274. Demons and monsters are, by definition, evil. But what if the demons and monsters are actually the good guys and humans are the bad guys?
275. Write a story about a group of kids who are writing and filming their own horror film.
276. The protagonist grew up sheltered in an overprotective family. What happens when he or she goes out into the world as a young adult and starts dating for the first time?
277. Write a story about a character living in the American South during the Civil War.
278. Three friends are retired and either single or widowed. They’re elderly and each one lives alone, but then they decide to share a house.
279. Write a children’s story about siblings whose parents are getting a divorce.
280. Kids these days—and their gadgets! Write a short story exploring how the next generation is plugged in all the time. Does technology cut them off from the real world, or does it allow them to connect with a larger circle of other people?