Some of these might sound silly or stupid, but the idea is to write whatever comes into your head. I know that can be scary but still write and have fun.
1. It was a cold Halloween night when I saw the...
2. The mad scientist was creating a new monster that could...
3. The large cauldron of purple liquid started to boil when...
4. I got an eerie feeling when I heard...
5. The mysterious object started floating in the air and...
6. The Halloween pumpkin turned into a...
7. The black cat started to crouch and hiss when...
8. Something in the closet was making a strange noise, so I opened the door and...
9. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw...
10. As I carefully entered the haunted house, the door shut behind me and...
11. One dark and rainy Halloween ...
12. "There," said my Dad, as he handed me our jack-o-lantern. "Just set it on the porch." ...
13. Halloween has been canceled because.......
14. If I could trick-or-treat on the internet, I would go to..........
15. You are staying home alone on Halloween night. There have been no trick-or-treaters yet. You are getting bored. While you are watching TV, you finally hear the doorbell ring. You go over to the door, with the candy bowl, and look out the window. You don't see anyone. You open the door, and you think you see a man on the side of your house. What happens?
16. "It is Halloween night and I've been trick or treating all night long. I finally get to the last house on my street, but when I look around no one is there. I slowly walk up the path to the big, old, creepy house. It looks haunted to me. My finger is shaking once I ring the doorbell. My heart is pounding as someone or something slowly opens the squeaky door." What happens next? Where does the story go?
17. What if pumpkins grew on trees? [Link]
The subconscious mind works wonders in your sleep. One morning I woke up with an important question running through my brain: What if pumpkins really did grow on trees? Instantly, a collage of thoughts related to the political, emotional, and spiritual state of the world begged to be released, so I went on to write a richly symbolic piece that surprised me.
Sometimes it's latching onto the "silly" that shifts our logical thinking into a new mode that allows our creativity to flow such deep and free expression of thoughts and emotions that have been percolating within us for years. Try it. Get out your crayons or other favorite art media and think of something silly to create through visual journaling (like my pumpkins growing on trees). Then see how that process prompts something much deeper and meaningful within you that begs to be released.
18. [Might make you think a little bit..] Use your five senses. Brainstorm a list of all the Halloween sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings you can think of.
19. Pretend that you are a jack-o-lantern. Describe Halloween from a jack-o-lantern's point of view.
20. [Link] Go with the flow: Choose a prompting word from the following list and write about whatever comes to mind for five minutes without stopping.
Prompting Words List:
Season, seasonal, fall, autumn, acorns, leaves, leaf, colors, red, yellow, orange, red, green, brown, branches, twigs, aroma, burning leaves, crunch leaves, pressing leaves, smells, sights, sounds, color, vibrant, energy, beauty, beautiful, pumpkins, Halloween, ghosts, gourds, ghouls, vampires, costumes, dressing up, candy, treats, tricks, trick-or-treat, turkey, Thanksgiving, family, dinner, pilgrims, Mayflower, Indians, feathers, corn, popcorn, arts and crafts, gifts, pumpkin pie, whip cream, apples, orchard, cranberry sauce, potatoes, cornbread, stuffing, green beans, applesauce, cooking, warm, aroma, cinnamon, apple pie, vanilla ice cream, ham, food, abundance, thankful, cold, frost, snow, football, snowflakes, raking, rake, leaf piles, campfires, hiking, nature, forest, woods
Subject: Story Starters... 
10/10/2008, 6:51 am
