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One suggestion I might add is to write the story you would like to read. I read somewhere that S.E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders when she was in high school because she couldn't find any books she enjoyed; she wrote the book she wanted to read. This is not to say that you should write a story just like a story you have enjoyed, but what makes a story interesting to you?

A story can begin with a question. What would happen if . . . ? What would someone do if . . . ? What would it be like to . . . ? Fill in the blanks here and you will be on your way to a story.

thanks peeps! really appreciate it!! anyone else whos got any more ideas that can help me, I would really like to read it! :)

All of these are great suggestions. I really like the white paper bag idea. Another idea that has been used by so many writers is to take an already familiar story and put your own spin on it. What is a favorite short story or book you have read? What if you told that story from a new point of view or told another chapter or sequel to the tale? Some of my favorite books have been ones like Ella Enchanted where the author took the very basic outline then ran with it in a totally new direction. For instance, what if "The Tale-Tell Heart" was told by the police officer that came to the house to investigate the noise? The possibilities for this are vast!

Some really great ways to get started is just to brainstorm, or try writing in a form known as stream of conciousness, where you just write whatever thoughts come to your mind in no particular order, it doesn't even have to make sense, and then look at what's there and work from a thought or idea, or piece of those thoughts that could be developed further. Observing others and being a really good listener can help you work on developing characters or descriptions; depends on you, your life experiences and the type of creative writing you are working on. Good luck! I hope this is helpful.

If you cannot do random writing then write ten topics on separate pieces of post it notes, and throw them in a jar. Then, select one without looking BUT ONLY WRITE 100 words on that topic. Limiting yourself expands your initiative to create more. Try that.

When I teach creative writing I start out with having students sit in a public place and observe people and create character profiles based on what they observe: what they see, hear, smell etc. How does the person walk? What do they wear? what does their voice/laugh sound like? What do you think they do for a living? I find this helps one to not only closely observe from reality, but to extrapolate based on assumptions and imagination. You can then embellish and create characters; characters are the basis of storytelling!

Well, universe is composed of atoms and these atoms compose of stories to tell. So the focus of your writing will depend on your intrinsic motivation; perhaps asking this question, what makes me inspire? So, start playing now your pen.

In reply to what a lot of you said I do agree that it is often easier to write about your past or something you are passionate about. It is often easier to write about something that you know and feel. If your still stuck brainstorm on what you know and are passionate about, after a good brainstorm you will find what you want to write about. I find a web brainstorm works best for me and students...good luck and fun with it, that's why is called creative writing

In reply to #1:

In my writing classroom, I have this quote: "A writer is an individual who uses language to discover meaning in experience and communicate it."

I'm often stumped like you are, and I resorted to trying to remember with an experience or observation that I just REALLY don't understand, and then using writing as a tool in my own way to discover its meaning. I do this first for myself (the rough drafts) and then for my audience while I'm polishing it up so it communicates what I learned to my audience.

In the back of my journal (and in the back of all my students' journals) is a page just for a list of these "Ponderables," since one never knows when something inexplicable will strike. (Just FYI, in case it might help you, we all have four other pages:

This is Who I Am

This is Who I Want to Be

This is What I Like

This is What I ____ Everyone fills in his/her own...hate/fear/want/do.)