150+ Story Starters: Creative Sentences To Start A Story

The most important thing about writing is finding a good idea. You have to have a great idea to write a story. You have to be able to see the whole picture before you can start to write it. Sometimes, you might need help with that. Story starters are a great way to get the story rolling. You can use them to kick off a story, start a character in a story or even start a scene in a story.

When you start writing a story, you need to have a hook. A hook can be a character or a plot device. It can also be a setting, something like “A young man came into a bar with a horse.” or a setting like “It was the summer of 1969, and there were no cell phones.” The first sentence of a story is often the hook. It can also be a premise or a situation, such as, “A strange old man in a black cloak was sitting on the train platform.”

Story starters are a way to quickly get the story going. They give the reader a place to start reading your story. Some story starters are obvious, and some are not. The best story starters are the ones that give the reader a glimpse into the story. They can be a part of a story or a part of a scene. They can be a way to show the reader the mood of a story. If you want to start a story, you can use a simple sentence. You can also use a question or an inspirational quote. In this post, we have listed over 150 story starters to get your story started with a bang! A great way to use these story starters is at the start of the Finish The Story game.

Click the 'Random' button to get a random story starter.

If you want more story starters, check out this video on some creative story starter sentences to use in your stories:

150+ Creative Story Starters

Here is a list of good sentences to start a story with:

  1. I’ve read about a million stories about princesses but never thought I could ever be one.
  2. There was once a man who was very old, but he was wise. He lived for a very long time, and he was very happy.
  3. What is the difference between a man and a cat? A cat has nine lives.
  4. In the middle of the night, a boy is running through the woods.
  5. It is the end of the world.
  6. He knew he was not allowed to look into the eyes of the princess, but he couldn’t help himself.
  7. The year is 1893. A young boy was running away from home.
  8. What if the Forest was actually a magical portal to another dimension, the Forest was a portal to the Otherworld?
  9. In the Forest, you will find a vast number of magical beings of all sorts. 
  10. It was the middle of the night, and the forest was quiet. No bugs or animals disturbed the silence. There were no birds, no chirping. 
  11. If you wish to stay in the Forest, you will need to follow these rules: No one shall leave the Forest. No one shall enter. No one shall take anything from the Forest.
  12. “It was a terrible day,” said the old man in a raspy voice.
  13. A cat is flying through the air, higher and higher, when it happens, and the cat doesn’t know how it got there, how it got to be in the sky.
  14. I was lying in the woods, and I was daydreaming.
  15. The Earth is a world of wonders. 
  16. The fairy is the most amazing creature I have ever met.
  17. A young girl was sitting on a tree stump at the edge of a river when she noticed a magical tree growing in the water.
  18. My dancing rat is dressed in a jacket, a tie and glasses, which make him look like a person. 
  19. In the darkness of the night, I am alone, but I know that I am not. 
  20. Owls are the oldest, and most intelligent, of all birds.
  21. My name is Reyna, and I am a fox. 
  22. The woman was drowning.
  23. One day, he was walking in the forest.
  24. It was a dark and stormy night…
  25. There was a young girl who could not sleep…
  26. A boy in a black cape rode on a white horse…
  27. A crazy old man in a black cloak was sitting in the middle of the street…
  28. The sun was setting on a beautiful summer day…
  29. The dog was restless…”
  30. There was a young boy in a brown coat…
  31. I met a young man in the woods…
  32. In the middle of a dark forest…
  33. The young girl was at home with her family…
  34. There was a young man who was sitting on a …
  35. A young man came into a bar with a horse…
  36. I have had a lot of bad dreams…
  37. He was a man who wanted to be king…
  38. It was the summer of 1969, and there were no cell phones.
  39. I know what you’re thinking. But no, I don’t want to be a vegetarian. The worst part is I don’t like the taste.
  40. She looked at the boy and decided to ask him why he wasn’t eating. She didn’t want to look mean, but she was going to ask him anyway.
  41. The song played on the radio, as Samual wiped away his tears.
  42. This was the part when everything was about to go downhill. But it didn’t…
  43. “Why make life harder for yourself?” asked Claire, as she bit into her apple.
  44. She made a promise to herself that she would never do it.
  45. I was able to escape.
  46. I was reading a book when the accident happened.
  47. “I can’t stand up for people who lie and cheat.” I cried.
  48. You look at me and I feel beautiful.
  49. I know what I want to be when I grow up.
  50. We didn’t have much money. But we knew how to throw a good party.
  51. The wind blew on the silent streets of London.
  52. What do you get when you cross an angry bee and my sister?
  53. The flight was slow and bumpy. I was half asleep when the captain announced we were going down.
  54. At the far end of the city was a river that was overgrown with weeds. 
  55. It was a quiet night in the middle of a busy week.
  56. One afternoon, I was eating a sandwich in the park when I spotted a stranger.
  57. In the late afternoon, a few students sat on the lawn reading.
  58. The fireflies were dancing in the twilight as the sunset.
  59. In the early evening, the children played in the park.
  60. The sun was setting and the moon was rising.
  61. A crowd gathered in the square as the band played.
  62. The top of the water tower shone in the moonlight.
  63. The light in the living room was on, but the light in the kitchen was off.
  64.  When I was a little boy, I used to make up stories about the adventures of these amazing animals, creatures, and so on. 
  65. All of the sudden, I realized I was standing in the middle of an open field surrounded by nothing but wildflowers, and the only thing I remembered about it was that I’d never seen a tree before.
  66. It’s the kind of thing that’s only happened to me once before in my life, but it’s so cool to see it.
  67. They gave him a little wave as they drove away.
  68. The car had left the parking lot, and a few hours later we arrived home.
  69. They were going to play a game of bingo.
  70. He’d made up his mind to do it. He’d have to tell her soon, though. He was waiting for a moment when they were alone and he could say it without feeling like an idiot. But when that moment came, he couldn’t think of anything to say.
  71. Jamie always wanted to own a plane, but his parents were a little tight on the budget. So he’d been saving up to buy one of his own. 
  72. The night was getting colder, and the wind was blowing in from the west.
  73. The doctor stared down at the small, withered corpse.
  74. She’d never been in the woods before, but she wasn’t afraid.
  75. The kids were having a great time in the playground.
  76. The police caught the thieves red-handed.
  77. The world needs a hero more than ever.
  78. Mother always said, “Be good and nice things will happen…”
  79. There is a difference between what you see and what you think you see.
  80. The sun was low in the sky and the air was warm.
  81. “It’s time to go home,” she said, “I’m getting a headache.”
  82. It was a cold winter’s day, and the snow had come early.
  83. I found a wounded bird in my garden.
  84. “You should have seen the look on my face.”
  85. He opened the door and stepped back.
  86. My father used to say, “All good things come to an end.”
  87. The problem with fast cars is that they break so easily.
  88. “What do you think of this one?” asked Mindy.
  89. “If I asked you to do something, would you do it?” asked Jacob.
  90. I was surprised to see her on the bus.
  91. I was never the most popular one in my class.
  92. We had a bad fight that day.
  93. The coffee machine had stopped working, so I went to the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea.
  94. It was a muggy night, and the air-conditioning unit was so loud it hurt my ears.
  95. I had a sleepless night because I couldn’t get my head to turn off.
  96. I woke up at dawn and heard a horrible noise.
  97. I was so tired I didn’t know if I’d be able to sleep that night.
  98. I put on the light and looked at myself in the mirror.
  99. I decided to go in, but the door was locked.
  100. A man in a red sweater stood staring at a little kitten as if it was on fire.
  101. “It’s so beautiful,” he said, “I’m going to take a picture.”
  102. “I think we’re lost,” he said, “It’s all your fault.”
  103. It’s hard to imagine what a better life might be like
  104. He was a tall, lanky man, with a long face, a nose like a pin, and a thin, sandy moustache.
  105. He had a face like a lion’s and an eye like a hawk’s.
  106. The man was so broad and strong that it was as if a mountain had been folded up and carried in his belly.
  107. I opened the door. I didn’t see her, but I knew she was there.
  108. I walked down the street. I couldn’t help feeling a little guilty.
  109. I arrived at my parents’ home at 8:00 AM.
  110. The nurse had been very helpful.
  111. On the table was an array of desserts.
  112. I had just finished putting the last of my books in the trunk.
  113. A car horn honked, startling me.
  114. The kitchen was full of pots and pans.
  115. There are too many things to remember.
  116. The world was my oyster. I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth.
  117.  “My grandfather was a World War II veteran. He was a decorated hero who’d earned himself a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart.
  118. Beneath the menacing, skeletal shadow of the mountain, a hermit sat on his ledge. His gnarled hands folded on his gnarled knees. His eyes stared blankly into the fog. 
  119. I heard a story about a dragon, who was said to be the size of a house, that lived on the top of the tallest mountain in the world.
  120.  I was told a story about a man who found a golden treasure, which was buried in this very park.
  121. He stood alone in the middle of a dark and silent room, his head cocked to one side, the brown locks of his hair, which were parted in the middle, falling down over his eyes.
  122.  Growing up, I was the black sheep of the family. I had my father’s eyes, but my mother’s smile.
  123. Once upon a time, there was a woman named Miss Muffett, and she lived in a big house with many rooms.
  124. When I was a child, my mother told me that the water looked so bright because the sun was shining on it. I did not understand what she meant at the time.    
  125.  The man in the boat took the water bottle and drank from it as he paddled away.
  126. The man looked at the child with a mixture of pity and contempt.
  127. An old man and his grandson sat in their garden. The old man told his grandson to dig a hole. 
  128. An old woman was taking a walk on the beach. The tide was high and she had to wade through the water to get to the other side.
  129. She looked up at the clock and saw that it was five minutes past seven.
  130. The man looked up from the map he was studying. “How’s it going, mate?”
  131. I was in my room on the third floor, staring out of the window.
  132. A dark silhouette of a woman stood in the doorway.
  133. The church bells began to ring.
  134. The moon rose above the horizon.
  135. A bright light shone over the road.
  136. The night sky began to glow.
  137. I could hear my mother cooking in the kitchen.
  138. The fog began to roll in.
  139. He came in late to the class and sat at the back.
  140. A young boy picked up a penny and put it in his pocket.
  141. He went to the bathroom and looked at his face in the mirror.
  142. It was the age of wisdom and the age of foolishness. We once had everything and now we have nothing.
  143. A young man died yesterday, and no one knows why.
  144. The boy was a little boy. He was not yet a man. He lived in a house in a big city.
  145. They had just returned from the theatre when the phone rang.
  146. I walked up to the front of the store and noticed the neon sign was out.
  147. I always wondered what happened to Mary.
  148. I stopped to say hello and then walked on.
  149. The boy’s mother didn’t want him to play outside…
  150. The lights suddenly went out…
  151. After 10 years in prison, he was finally out.
  152. The raindrops pelted the window, which was set high up on the wall, and I could see it was a clear day outside.
  153. My friend and I had just finished a large pizza, and we were about to open our second.
  154. I love the smell of the ocean, but it never smells as good as it does when the waves are crashing.
  155. They just stood there, staring at each other.
  156. A party was in full swing until the music stopped.

For more ideas on how to start your story, check out these first-line writing prompts. Did you find this list of creative story starters useful? Let us know in the comments below!

150 Story Starters

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