221. The protagonist finds himself or herself stranded on a deserted island. But this island wasn’t always deserted. An abandoned village and a lighthouse, which may be the best chance for getting rescued, become the protagonist’s new home.
222. Decades after reneging on an important political deal—a choice that destroyed a colleague’s career— a retired senator is murdered, and the Secret Service agent who had protected the senator for years is determined to prove who did it.
223. Time travel goes crazy when people from history and the future start arriving in the present. What happens when unusual people from the past and future all show up in the here and now, and why have they come?
224. Archaeologists discover an ancient city buried deep underground, filled with bones and artifacts that prove mythical beasts and magical creatures once roamed the earth.
225. Turn ordinary animals into monsters that prey on humans: dog-sized rats, killer rabbits, or a pack of rabid mountain lions. Give the animals intelligence and set them loose.
226. Write a classic romance story about two young lovers from different—even enemy—worlds. Will it be a tragedy? A comedy? Drama? A little of everything?
227. In Nazi Germany, Hitler managed to get ordinary citizens to support his evil actions against Jews and other groups he deemed unfit for society. Write about one such ordinary citizen. Did this character go along with Germany’s actions out of fear? Loyalty? Was the character convinced by Hitler’s rhetoric?
228. A couple decides to spend their honeymoon in a tropical paradise, but every- thing imaginable goes wrong.
229. Children’s stories often impart ethical lessons. Write a story for kids that teaches a lesson in values.
230. Write a story about two teens who get separated because one moves far away. Do they stay in touch or grow apart? A story like this could partially be told through e-mail correspondences.
231. Unable to have children, one couple turns to the foster care system, believing they can fill their empty home and make someone else’s life better. They take in a troubled twelve-year-old youth.
232. A bounty hunter is caught between a rock and a hard place when he or she finds out there’s a price on the head of someone he or she loves.
233. Aliens are often depicted as either ferocious and terrifying or cute and cuddly. Write about aliens who are more complex, aliens from a culture more like our own.
234. Werewolves are probably the most common shape-shifters in literature. Come up with a shape-shifter of your own, and write a story about it.
235. A defining feature of horror is a tragic, disturbing ending. Write such a story about a virus that breaks out all over planet Earth.
236. Write a story about a character who finds love later in life. Is it his or her first love? Third marriage?
237. Write a story that is set around the assassination of an important, benevolent, historical figure: for example, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, JFK, or John Lennon.
238. There’s a contest for the world’s ugliest dog every year in Northern California. Write a funny story about the competition, one of the contestants (and its human companion), or the winner.
239. Write a story about a child who draws or writes stories and who believes his or her stories are real in some other world.
240. Kids at the bottom of the social hierarchy in school get ignored, bullied, and picked on. What happens when one of those kids dies? How does it affect the other students, especially the ones who did the bullying?