22
May

Random Story Seeder

   Posted by: craig   in

Fiction Starting Tool

Click the Generate button, below, to randomly select a set of story elements. Exactly how you go about writing a story around them is entirely up to you. — Take the suggested elements literally or figuratively. Try to fit them all in, or just riff off one or two. Whatever works. — If the generated combination doesn’t speak to you at all, then just hit Generate again. This tool picks from more than 40 main character archetypes, and 20 to 30 of each of the other elements. Happy crafting.

The main character is: blank

The secondary character is: blank

Their starting point is: blank

Their goal is: blank

The plot twist is: blank

A key line: blank

goalList = ["a holy quest", "a hunt for clues/buried treasure/hidden secrets", "fame/honor/glory/notoriety", "to be rid of each other", "to bring justice", "to avenge a wrong", "to catch up", "to repair some damage", "to make amends", "to cause trouble/stir things up/create anarchy", "to destroy/sabotage something", "to steal something", "to gain control of something that is loose/wild", "to save the day", "to survive/reach safety", "just to wander/sightsee/let loose/go on walkabout", "understanding/enlightenment"];

plotTwistList = ["the story is not real/a dream/a movie set/an hallucination", "an anachronism/a time-traveling anomaly", "the character(s) are not whom they seem (shape shifter/apparitions)", "it's only practice/a simulation", "it was all done on a dare", "there's an inobvious cause", "there's an unexpected third party", "it's all just illusion/smoke and mirrors", "secrets are revealed", "there are skeletons in the closet", "a third party is in control (mind control/extortion)", "they took a wrong turn", "it's all a con/bait and switch", "it's all a misunderstanding", "there's a role reversal", "technology goes awry", "there's a double cross/a double agent", "a string of bad luck", "someone pushes the boundaries", "there's a change in the rules", "someone violates protocol", "a witty observation/a moral to the story", "a pun/a play on words"];

dialogList = ["Don't go out there!", "It's a trap!", "Now, go!/Leave!/Be free!", "I love [you/it].", "Pick your poison.", "I congratulate you.", "I don't see it.", "That's backwards.", "That was fun.", "That's one way of looking at it.", "You caught me./I give up./I surrender.", "It's beyond compare.", "I apologize./My mistake./That's on me.", "Well, that was weird.", "Ready, aim, fire!", "Heads up!/Fire in the hole!/Fore!/Timber!", "I never knew [that].", "You never know...", "You can say that again.", "I don't care anymore.", "It changed forever.", "It was inevitable.", "Carpe noctem. (Seize the night.)", "Now, it's your turn.", "It's a good day for [it].", "Eureka!"];

function generate() { c1 = Math.floor(Math.random() * charList1.length); c2 = Math.floor(Math.random() * charList2.length); s = Math.floor(Math.random() * startingPointList.length); g = Math.floor(Math.random() * goalList.length); p = Math.floor(Math.random() * plotTwistList.length); d = Math.floor(Math.random() * dialogList.length); $("#char-1").text(charList1[c1]); $("#char-2").text(charList2[c2]); $("#start-point").text(startingPointList[s]); $("#their-goal").text(goalList[g]); $("#plot-twist").text(plotTwistList[p]); $("#key-line").text(dialogList[d]); }