Liz Warren | Storyteller

Over the years I've created dozens of lists of story prompts.  Here is a compilation of my favorites, and the ones that have proved most productive in sparking memory. Enjoy!

The Big List of Story Prompts!

• You and your friends got in trouble in school or college
• A date or an appointment or a meeting went wrong
• The moment you knew you were on the right path – what happened, how did it change you?
• A moment of inspiration or understanding that made a difference for you
• Someone who believed in you and your path – what happened
• A mentor who has guided you, opened doors for you, changed your life
• Someone you admire and how they inspired you
• A key obstacle to you becoming who you are today and how you overcame it
• Something you worked very hard on turned out great – or didn’t – and why.
• A story of a tragedy that didn’t have to happen
• You embarrassed your mother (or father, siblings, spouse, children)
• Your mother (or father, siblings, spouse, or children) embarrassed you!
• A super dramatic, life-changing experience
• That time you beat the odds!
• You were embarrassed by your mother (or father siblings, spouse, children)
• You needed to be rescued or you rescued someone
• You had to make a mid-course correction – what led up to it and what did you do?
• Your most interesting relative – what they taught you?
• You didn’t get blamed when it was your fault – or you did get blamed when it wasn’t!
• A time you faced your fears – what happened?
• You broke or damaged yourself in some way
• You learned a family secret
• You got in big, serious trouble
• You lost your temper, or you caused someone to lose his/her temper – what happened?
• You misjudged someone, or you were misjudged – what happened?
• You needed help and you got it
• You got lost
• You took on a physical challenge
• You advocated for a cause
• You took on a difficult journey
• A journey that was supposed to be easy became difficult
• You were stranded
• You travelled to someplace that was frightening, or made you uneasy
• You went on a hero’s journey of personal growth
• A normal journey turned into a hero’s journey
• You survived something difficult
• You found yourself in a dangerous situation
• You put yourself in harm’s way to help someone else
• Your life or character was enhanced by troubles you survived
• You explored the dark and dangerous corners of . . .
• You forged a path into the wilderness – actual or metaphorical!
• You took a big risk
• You followed through on a bold and crazy idea
• You took a bold step into the unknown against the advice of others
• You found yourself in dangerous weather
• You pulled yourself out of a bad spot
• An environment you thought you knew turned difficult or dangerous
• You made an adventurous beauty or fashion choice
• You made an adventurous relationship choice
• You had a culinary adventure
• You lived to tell the tale!
• Your best friend moved away
• You had your first kiss
• Your first serious relationship came to an end
• Your friend or friends, or significant other came to your rescue
• You came to the rescue of your friend or significant other
• You were caught in the middle between two friends
• A rough beginning to a good friendship
• You survived, or didn’t survive a rough patch with a loved one
• A misunderstanding led to deeper understanding and more love
• You had to let a loved one go
• You received a special gift from a friend or loved one
• A date went wrong
• You said yes to the wrong person
• Love caught you by surprise
• You experimented with on-line dating
• You introduced a new boyfriend or girlfriend to the family
• You got in big, serious trouble
• You played matchmaker, or someone made a match for you
• You had to apologize, or received an apology
• You experienced a wedding disaster
• You experienced a wedding miracle
• You understood the saying, “Friends are God’s apology for relations!”
• You attended disastrous family dinner
• You took part in a family holiday disaster
• You needed to be rescued or you rescued someone
• You experienced the benefits (or the downside) of being the oldest (or the youngest, or the middle) child
• Someone in your family made a bad situation better
• You were sick and someone in your family knew just what to do
• Your most interesting relative – and why!
• You learned the truth (or delivered the truth) about Santa Claus
• You broke something valuable in your or a relative’s house
• You broke or damaged yourself in some way
• You learned a family secret
• You lost a family member
• You got a new member in the family
• You introduced a new boyfriend or girlfriend to the family
• You took a road trip, or vacation, with the family
• An incident that brought your family closer – or pushed them apart
• The joke was on you
• You went to summer camp when you didn’t want to – or you did want to
• You took an endless family vacation, in a car, with your siblings/children
• You got in trouble in the water, or on a hike, or with a campfire
• You had an encounter with a snake, or a bear, or . . .
• Your trip to Disneyland didn’t turn out like you thought – or it did
• You had a problem with a tent, or a camper, or a sleeping bag
• You had the longest airport delay ever
• Your traveling companion surprised you by . . .
• Your hotel was supposed to have something it didn’t have
• You got stranded and you didn’t speak the language
• You were sent to your relatives for the summer
• You had to go to summer school while your friends had fun
• You saved for a big vacation, but . . .
• You thought you knew what you were ordering, but
• Your car broke down in the middle of . . .
• You thought you knew how to work the barbecue, or the fireworks, or whatever
• You attended or threw a memorable party
• You attended or organized a summer picnic
• Your GPS stopped working
• Your reservations were lost
• You got bumped from the airplane

The image at the top of the post can be found here.