Writing exercise: Use a random word generator to come up with two random words, then brainstorm a story inspired by those words.
Random words: Gang, Monster
A group of middle school band geeks have their music room trashed by school bullies. They decide to form their own gang to protect their turf. The gang of dorks and nerds use mind games instead of physical violence, drawing on D&D lore and making the entire school think the band room is haunted by a fearsome monster.
Random words: Sheet, Exile
In a harsh city, one of the worst punishments is Sheet Exile. The condemned is given a bed sheet and a few minutes to gather anything they can within it. They are then exiled from the city, allowed only to bring with them what’s in the sheet. Outside the city, a harsh and deadly environment awaits them. We follow one man as he is condemned, packs his sheet, and cleverly uses its contents to survive and ultimately return to the city.
Random words: Monkey, Saucer
Aliens have been abducting humans for years, taking them up into their saucers and experimenting on the pliant species. When the aliens try to do the same to a group of monkeys, however, they find that not all of Earth’s species are so easy to work with. The monkeys rebel and kill all the aliens, but the monkeys remain trapped on the flying saucer. By randomly pressing buttons, they eventually manage to crash the saucer in a human city. Humans see the monkeys fleeing from the saucer and assume the monkeys are invading aliens.
Random words: Order, Mouse
A young boy watches an older man with OCD repeatedly struggle to leave their apartment complex. The man is repeatedly distracted or turned back by his disorder, and the boy wants to help. He dresses as a mouse – an old Halloween costume – and calls himself Order Mouse. He makes it his duty to keep things in order along the older man’s path and to help the man leave his apartment.
Random words: Mustard, Fax
In the nineties, a secretary set a disastrous chain of events in motion when a dab of mustard from her sandwich blotted out a word and altered the message of a fax she was instructed to send to the president of the United States.
Random words: Fair, Fare
Unable to afford a ticket, a young boy sneaks into a rural fairground. Just inside, he’s met by a witch who tells him he is welcome to see the sights and to ride the rides but that he must not partake of any food or drink within the fair. “Why not?” the boy asks, but he gets no explanation. The boy eventually finds himself more interested in answering this question than experiencing the wonders of the fair.