81. A ten-year-old boy comes home from school and heads out to the backyard to play with his beloved dog, but he finds the dog lying dead underneath a big, shady tree.
82. Several high-profile research-and-development labs have recently been burgled, and trade secrets that could be dangerous to the public have been stolen.
83. While on vacation on a tropical island, a young couple spots a strange bird that speaks their names. When the bird takes off, they decide to follow it.
84. In ancient times, there were five portals to another world carefully hidden on Earth’s five largest continents. Those portals have since been buried, but their discovery is inevitable.
85. A team of archaeologists is studying ancient caves that have been buried over the millennia when they are suddenly trapped deep underground. Terror ensues as the team faces earthquakes, rock slides, and monstrous creatures.
86. One character is a soldier, and the other is a citizen in a country ravaged by war. They are on opposite sides, but their love could change the tides for everyone.
87. Write a story set at the point in history when Christianity split from Judaism. Write the story from the perspective of an ordinary person—in other words, not from the perspective of someone who was involved but from the perspective of an outside observer.
88. The protagonist is digging in the garden and finds a fist-sized nugget of gold. There’s more where that came from in this hilarious story of sudden wealth.
89. Halloween is just around the corner, and the protagonist has a lot do this year: candy, costumes, and pumpkin carving. The house smells like apples and caramel. While making preparations, he or she looks outside and sees something astonishing.
90. Two adolescent siblings are visiting their relatives’ farm and witness a sow giving birth.
91. Write a story about someone with a debilitating condition, illness, disorder, or handicap. The story starts on the day the character is diagnosed.
92. The protagonist is obsessed with another person. When the object of the protagonist’s obsession is found dead, the protagonist becomes the prime suspect.
93. A sixteen-year-old growing up on a ranch is out in a storm, gets hit by lightning, and survives. After that, the kid can hear other people’s (or animals’) thoughts.
94. At first, they think a strange visitor is selling snake oil, but over time, they come to realize the magic is real…and it could be dangerous.
95. Castaways on a deserted island find themselves stalked by ferocious wildlife.
96. The protagonist has a plan: go to college, start a career in a demanding and highly competitive field, and retire with wealth and accolades. But then the protagonist falls in love, and the relationship threatens to derail all those carefully laid plans.
97. Think back to the decade in which you were born. Now write a story about an adult protagonist living during that time.
98. Try your hand at parody: choose any serious dramatic film or novel and retell the story as a comedy.
99. A young girl and her mother walk to the edge of a field, kneel down in the grass, and plant a tree.
100. Write a story set in juvenile hall.