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Story Ideas - - Online Resources to Stir Your Imagination and Inspire Your Creativity
By Deb Gallardo
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Today I discovered some sites that got my imagination going, so I thought they might do the same for you. They are part of the Bored.com “network.”
http://www.getclippings.com This site allows you to create your own fake newspaper clippings. Enter the name of a newspaper (real or imagined), the date you want, the headline, then the text for the article. Two styles of torn-edged clippings are generated for you: gray-tone-crumpled and yellowed-with-age. Choose the one you think looks best and send that link to your friends. (I couldn’t get two versions to show up.)
There isn’t room for a lot of text, no matter how much you type in. If you want something important to appear, include it near the beginning. Once you click on the link you like (assuming you actually get a choice), you can copy the graphic file
http://www.oldsuperstitions.com I read about this site on a blog this morning. It lists all kind of superstitions, by category, from positive ones to negative, to seasonal, to quirky, to downright weird. ***Note: This site could be an absolute goldmine of story ideas!***
May Be Especially Useful for Teen and Children’s Writers
A lot of the entries on these two sites are by kids/teens, but they’re still grist for the mill if you’re a writer. I kept seeing 7th grade mentioned a lot… But we’ll take story ideas where we can get them, right?
http://www.bored.com/realbreakups/index.php Presumably true, first-person break up stories
http://www.bored.com/datestories/index.htm Same as above for bad date stories
http://www.bored.com/dumbmoments/index.htm Ditto for dumb moment stories
http://www.bored.com/getannoyed/index.htm And for 1000s of ways to annoy people
http://www.bored.com/filmcliches/index.htm This one is interesting from a writer’s perspective
http://www.bored.com/crazycriminals/index.htm Not sure if these are true, but they’re funny
http://www.bored.com/sillymessages/index.htm Some real groaners here
http://www.bored.com/dumbthings/index.htm Includes some real zingers from resume’s
http://www.bored.com/funtwisters/index.htm Some fun with tongue twisters — could give you story ideas — well, they might…
http://www.bored.com/bizarrebids/index.html Bizarre eBay auction items — updated daily, they say
http://www.bored.com/bighoaxes/index.html Might find story ideas here
http://www.bored.com/crazyreports/index.html The weird, the wild, the news
http://www.badjocks.com/ Athletes who go bad or do something stupid
http://www.strangenewproducts.com/ Actual inventions for sale
http://www.virtualkiss.com/ You’ve GOT to see this site! It has everything from kissing tips to kissing cams, to kissing games and daily tips. Checkout Kissing 101 at Kissing School. It will have you ROFL or puckering up.
http://www.funbureau.com/ AKA the Bureau of Missing Socks — and we’ve all had this happen
There are hundreds of other links on bored.com, but I wasn’t all THAT bored. Or desperate. I hope these have put a smile on your face, but more importantly, sparked your imagination.
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November 2nd, 2007 at 6:44 pm
What a great list! Thanks for sharing it.
By the way, I came to your site because I noticed your headline on my Blogrush widget.
November 2nd, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Thanks, Cindy, for your comment. Glad the article was useful. And thank you also for the click on the BlogRush widget. They keep saying my headlines are getting shown. Well, now I know a real person came to my blog because at least one of them was.
I’ll drop by your blog after I make it through the weekend. Directing high school play, recording soundtrack, composing music, directing choir at a friend’s funeral tomorrow and on Sunday, making set decorations for play, plus rehearsing with students who 5 days before we open want extra help with their lines. Let me see, have I forgotten anything? Well, there’s sleep, but, nah! No time for something that frivolous…
Thanks again.
Deb
December 20th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
very interesting. i’m adding in RSS Reader