Story Sparks Fest

[silvercat17]

The Story Sparks Fest will run from September 1st to 30th and is open to all fandoms and original work. All sizes and media welcome.

Story Sparks is a list of prompts to inspire ideas. I created the list as cards and have each one written on a card to shuffle and pull from. At the very bottom of this entry is the full list with some interpretations for each prompt.

For the purpose of this bingo, I've prepared a few public cards and a list formatted for the Bingo generator. But feel free to use it for your own purposes. I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

How can you use the Story Sparks prompts?
- As inspiration for the theme of your next story. Just get a prompt or couple of prompts for ideas.
- To recover from writer's block. Can't decide what goes next? Pull a couple of prompts and use them to get writing again.
- To create the skeleton of a plot. Deal between five and ten cards, or as many cards you need, to create the storyline from.
- As a writing exercise. Get a prompt and write a paragraph or short story with it as inspiration.
- As a way to decide between possibilites. Select appropriate cards and pull one from a hat.
- Any way you want!


Bingo list (all):
Addiction, Adversary, Age, Ally / Companion, Attack / Defense, Body, Chance, Cold, Creature, Darkness / Light, Death, Disaster, Discovery, Dream, Earth, Electricity, Escape, Family, Fate / Future, Fire, God, Government, Growth, Heaven / Paradise, Hell, Honor / Morality, Illusion, Innocence, Justice, Key, Loss, Love, Magic, Medicine / Drugs, Mercy, Mind, Misunderstanding, Monster, Obsession, Path / Travel, Punishment, Reconciliation / Redemption, Rescue / Recovery, Resources / Money, School / Education, Science, Sex, Sky, Soul / Spirit, Space, Superstition / Custom, Time, Tool / Technology, Reversal, Transformation / Revelation, Wall / Tower, Water, Weakness / Illness, Weapon, Wood

Bingo list (essentials):
Adversary, Ally / Companion, Attack / Defense, Body, Chance, Disaster, Discovery, Escape, Fate, Growth, Key, Loss, Mind, Misunderstanding, Path / Travel, Reconciliation / Redemption, Rescue / Recovery, Creature, Dream, Honor / Morality, Reversal, Space, Time, Tool / Technology, Transformation / Revelation, Wall / Tower, Weakness / Illness, Darkness / Light, Innocence, Justice, Monster, Soul / Spirit<


Public Cards:

Age	Tool / Technology
Discovery	Dream

Cold	Space	Honor / Morality
Creature	FREE SPACE	Sex
Attack / Defense	Death	Sky

Mercy	Reconciliation / Redemption	Wall / Tower	Resources / Money
Growth	Loss	Transformation / Revelation	Fire
Rescue / Recovery	Water	Adversary	Weapon
Superstition / Custom	Innocence	Soul / Spirit	Creature

Obsession	Cold	Ally / Companion	Misunderstanding	Magic
God	Fate / Future	Innocence	Wall / Tower	Tool / Technology
Reconciliation / Redemption	Body	FREE SPACE	Dream	Rescue / Recovery
Loss	Mind	Time	Justice	Growth
Fire	Sex	Reversal	Sky	Hell

Each prompt is a word or couple of related words. They're designed to be used as literally or metaphorically as you see fit. The list below is all the prompts with some of the possible interpretations. Some of the words overlap. The prompts with a star next to them are useful enough to have two or more cards if you're using it as a deck.

1. Addiction: whether to be lived with, defeated, or struggled with; metaphorical, physical, mental
2. * Adversary: a temporary enemy, a rival, the antagonist, recurring enemy; a setback or obstacle to be overcome - bad weather, crime, a time restraint...
3. Age: mental age, stage of life, geological age, rapid aging, age differences, antique, new
4. * Ally / Companion: a true friend, a traveling mate, a classmate, advice, a pet, spouse, fair weather friend, or false friend...
5. * Attack / Defense: mental defenses, strategy, a random encounter, crime, threats, abuse; from the enemy or hero
6. * Body: fatigue, strength, physical effort, corpse, student body, injury, disability, physical skills or attacks
7. * Chance: an opportunity, luck, a game, random chance for good or ill
8. Cold: ice, snow, subzero, the illness, winter, cold of space, relief from heat
9. Creature: animal, non-human, robot, pet, mascot, pest, alien, monster
10. Darkness / Light: evil, night, darkness, murkiness of thought or strategy, good, revelation, daylight, artificial light, elemental users, space, stars
11. Death: for who, how, what purpose, how many? Actual, faked, not quite, or metaphorical?
12. * Disaster: apocalypse, natural disasters, major setbacks,
13. * Discovery: reason for story, new tools, abilities, information, invention, thing or place found
14. Dream: daydream, nightmare, something to work toward, unreachable, desire, covet
15. Earth: the planet, any planet, the element, strength, dirt, mountains, cave, earthquake, stability, clay, pottery
16. Electricity: makes things work, lightning, power, relationship sparks, a bright idea, electronics
17. * Escape: running away or getting away; temporary or true; a plan or goal to; mental escape, escapism,
18. Family: supportive, dysfunctional, abusive, adopted, metaphorical, found, as close as, biological, extended or nuclear, marriage, birth
19. * Fate / Future: destiny, doom, future events, predictions, prophecy; inevitable, to be fought, to be accepted; is it binding or inconsequential?
20. Fire: wild fire, camp fire, house fire, arson, firing squad, warmth, anger, passion, romance
21. God: true, false, one, many, ultimate power, miracles, avatars, incarnations, angels
22. Government: red tape, bureacracy, power, methods, help, government agents, spies, police, secret agents, loopholes, paperwork
23. * Growth: additional problems, additions to the group, building, new skills or tools, physical or mental growth, cancer, weeds
24. Heaven / Paradise: utopia, goal, comfort, rest, happiness, bliss, Eden, good, god, Olympus, Asgard, Valhalla, angels, nirvana, afterlife, beautiful place, holiness, myth, ejected from
25. Hell: dystopia, suffering, torture, demons, devil, inferno, chaos, mischief, devilment, sin, exaggeration, hyperbole
26. Honor / Morality: obligations, code of conduct, dishonor, ethics, differing morals, connections with people
27. Illusion: fraud, disguise, trick, legerdemain, lie, false friend, magic, gimmick, hack
28. Innocence: civilians, lack of knowledge, elders, children, lack of experience, naivete, or lack of innocence
29. Justice: karma, true justice, goal, ideal, court room, detention, police
30. * Key: a solution or physical key, a key piece of the puzzle, a clue, final element, something important
31. * Loss: life, of limbs, resources, allies, freedom, money, love; defeat
32. Love: friendship, platonic, sex, family, a crush, lust, conquers all, Valentine's day, femme fatale
33. Magic: miracle, true magic or sleight of hand, trickery, occultism, witchcraft, wizardry, deus ex machina, as good as, sudden help
34. Medicine / Drugs: hospital, doctors, nurse, care, illness, injury, surgery, comfort, vetinarian, illegal drugs, drug trade
35. Mercy: relief, comfort, mercy killing, begging for
36. * Mind: a decision, telepathy, thinking through ideas, brainstorming, intelligence, thought, strategy, ignorance, out-thinking, mental blinders, mental illness, will, tactics
37. * Misunderstanding: of the hero, by the hero, a delay or major incident
38. Monster: a horrible person or beast, misunderstand creature, bigotry
39. Obsession: feud, hate, letting go, renewing, forgiving, compulsion
40. * Path / Travel: moving from one place to another, voluntary or non-? plan, route, map
41. Punishment: abuse, justice done, unfair, prison, jail, karma, time out
42. Reconciliation / Redemption: between friends or family, a recovery of esteem, the redemption of a character, an event turing from bad to good
43. * Rescue / Recovery: comfort, help, assistence, rest, from illness or injury; a recovered skill, item, or memory; savior
44. Resources / Money: money, food, fuel; lack of or in excess; to be bought, bartered, sold, stolen; natural resources, banks, national economies
45. Reversal: traitor, double agent, change of weather, change of plan, change of direction, setback, revision, duplication, redo
46. School / Education: college, grade school, school of hard knocks, technical skill, apprenticeship, self-improvement, trade school, learning a new skill, insight, or background information
47. Science: at any level, mad science, an advancement of technology or skills, alchemy, good or bad, weapons, vehicles, computers, technobabble, chemistry, physics, biology
48. Sex: gender or horizontal intrigue; as a tool, a way to pass time, a way to build relationship; porn, to further plot
49. Sky: flight, wind, weather, heavens, flight, space, air, mental fog, airhead, lack of air, head in the clouds, asthma...
50. Soul / Spirit: death, ghosts, switched identities, soul mates, something to sell or buy, a change of heart, renewed strength or ideals, fighting spirit, school spirit, alcohol, supernatural
51. Space: emptiness, vacuum, void, room, open space, space travel, lack, gap, private area, enclosed area
52. Superstition / Custom: silly custom or life-saving? Or a customization of items or skills or...? as an obstacle, religion, ritual, holidays
53. * Time: lack of, deadline, time travel, abundance of, planning, schedule, waiting, meeting, timing
54. * Tool / Technology: a handyman, technology at any level, weapons, vehicles, experts, skills, useful people, creating or forging, invention
55. * Transformation / Revelation: the denouement, revealing events, mysteries, or identities; removing of disguise; a mental, physical, metaphorical, or sociological change
56. * Wall / Tower: an obstacle or refuge, castle, town, home, siege, stubborness, prison, defenses, dead-end, mental defenses, refusal, something to climb, something to overcome
57. Water: rivers, oceans, floods, rain, something to drink, abundance or over-abundance, a symbol of change, defense, flow
58. * Weakness / Illness: injury, fatigue, disability, stress, sickness, surgery, wounds, mentall illness; a lock of skills, strength, resources, or allies; chemical imbalance, failure, angst, drugs
59. Weapon: lethal or non, metaphorical
60. Wood: plants, trees, forests, knock on, furniture, environment, wilderness, unexplored territory, building out of, fence

Comments

Wheee!

[curiosity]

Tentative card: https://curiosity.dreamwidth.org/976363.html

I'm almost finished with the April one. :P

Re: Wheee!

[silvercat17]

Glad I'm not the only one who finishes things slowly. Hope you have fun with it!

Re: Wheee!

[curiosity]

Bro, if I get any slower, I'll be going backwards. Don't sweat it!

[siberian_skys]

I decided on making my own 3x3 bingo card. Here it is:

Ally / Companion	Love	Age
Water	Justice	Tool / Technology
School / Education	Family	Fate / Future

[silvercat17]

Enjoy!

[siberian_skys]

Thank you.

[dandelionblizzard]

My card: https://dandelionblizzard.dreamwidth.org/8272.html

I keep starting these challenges and then abandoning them. Hopefully I'll have a little more luck this time :)

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

I wish you luck!

However, this is a low-pressure, high-inspiration community. It's okay if you don't make a bingo. If the challenge inspires you to make more stuff than you would otherwise -- or if just making a card makes you smile -- that's worthwhile.

Done!

[ysabetwordsmith]

My card is here.

[cindybug]

My card is over here. :D

My card for Story Sparks Fest

[pattrose]

Justice	Path / Travel	Resources / Money	Transformation / Revelation	Innocence
Water	Time	Family	Loss	Creature
Dream	Rescue / Recovery	FREE SPACE	Obsession	Age
Discovery	Superstition / Custom	Chance	Illusion	Fate / Future
Monster	Key	Wood	Darkness / Light	Heaven / Paradise