Good writing often starts with reading. Imagine jumping into the pages of a favorite storybook and living out a new adventure with the characters. Alternately, you can turn it around and imagine that your favorite character comes to life and pops out of the storybook. Create a plot and ending that answers questions like: How did you get there or how did she get here? Whom do you meet? What adventures do you have together? How are your worlds different and what problems or misunderstandings does that cause? How do you (or he) get home -- or do you (or he) stay in the new world?
History is full of choices for writing "you are there" stories. Pretend you are a character in history or someone close to a famous historical figure. Write a story about what it was like to live through the historical events of your time or recount an anecdote about something you did as a child that not many people know about to make readers think about your life beyond your famous or heroic deeds. Another option is to tweak the perspective by telling the story from a minor character, inanimate object or animal's point of view such as George Washington's horse, Queen Victoria's maid or Babe Ruth's bat.
Silly, unusual or improbable characters can stimulate creativity from laughter. Make up an unlikely character such as a kangaroo who wears red tennis shoes, a wacky neighbor who does everything backwards, a possum who thinks he's a cat or an owl who wants to be an opera singer. Write a comical story starring this character. The plot should follow the crazy situations that develop from her oddities and how she solves the problem, or maybe his strange behavior turns out to be useful and save the day.
The saying goes that "truth is stranger than fiction." Unusual family anecdotes can make entertaining story starters. If nothing comes to mind, try making up an unusual family adventure such as a trip to Jupiter or waking up to find your house had turned to marshmallows or pizza. Or maybe you look outside and it's raining jellybeans and candy bars or there is a giant creature in your yard (What kind? Does he have a name? Is he friendly or dangerous? What is he doing? What do you do?). Another option is a classic switching-places tale where you switch lives with your parents, your brother or sister, your teacher or even the president. Write about your adventures and troubles as the other person. Do you want to switch back or keep on living in another body?
A good mystery keeps readers on the edge of their seats with suspense, unable to put the book down without finding out "whodunit?" Start with an opening sentence such as, "The lights flickered as Shelley wearily climbed the stairs to her apartment after a long shift at Ackerman's Corner Market. She didn't notice the muddy footprints leading to her door nor the scratches around the doorknob. The door slowly creaked open when she turned her key in the lock. She took three steps into the entryway before she noticed..." Each student can finish the sentence anyway he desires and spin a plot from his own imagination using as many elements of suspense as possible to hold reader's interest.
Group writing is another way for students to participate in creating a story. One person will be the scribe for this story. One group member starts the story but leaves off at a moment of suspense or leaves people hanging in the middle of a sentence. She could start off with something like, "The kids always knew that Hobart was a little strange with his orange pants, purple shirt and green spiky hair that looked like he stuck his finger in a light socket. But when rainbow colored smoke and a rancid stench started coming out of the science lab, they knew..." The next person takes up the story, continuing for example with, "not to invite themselves to dinner because Hobart was making his infamous radioactive spaghetti and sugar cookie stew." The tale continues in the same manner with each person taking a turn adding to the story while the scribe records the story in its entirety.