Story Starter Generator
Pick a genre and get story starters, the first lines of a story, on printable pages, cut-apart cards, or a list. Free in your browser, no sign-up.
What is a story starter generator?
A story starter is the first line or two of a story, already written, so the student's job is to keep going. A story starter generator picks them for you: 360 original starters across eight genres and three grade bands, each set on a printable page with a planner row, a Title line, and ruled lines. You can also print cards or a numbered list, or type your own. Press New Starters for others, then download the PDF.
When do you use a story starter?
Whenever students need the first sentence handed to them. Three moments where a ready opening saves the blank-page stare:
Narrative writing units
Pick the genre your unit is on, such as Mystery or Fantasy, and print one starter per page. Students read the opening, fill in the Who?, Where?, and What goes wrong? boxes, then write on. Each genre gets its own title and directions.
Early finishers and writing centers
Print a sheet of cards, cut along the dashed lines, and keep them in a jar. A student who finishes early draws a card and keeps the story going. Pick Funny or Animal for a lighter center.
Warm-ups and sub plans
Print a numbered List for the start of class and let each student choose one starter. The directions on the sheet already say "Choose one and keep writing," so a substitute has nothing to explain. Press New Starters for a fresh list tomorrow.
Core features of
a story starter generator
A good story starter generator picks the opening and lays out the page. Here is what this one does, from choosing a genre to the printed sheet.
Choose the genre and the level
Pick Adventure, Mystery, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Funny, Realistic, Spooky, Animal, or Mix of All, then a grade band. Starters get longer and more complex with each band. A hint under the choice counts how many it draws from.
- Eight genres, or Mix of All
- Three grade bands, longer at each step
- A hint counts the starters available
A page ready to continue
Each starter gets its own page: a row of three boxes (Who?, Where?, What goes wrong?), a Title line, the starter in bold, then ruled lines to the bottom. Show or hide the planner and a picture box.
- Planner row of three story boxes
- Picture box to draw in, Show or Hide
- Plain or Guided writing lines
Cut-apart cards and numbered lists
Set Print as to Cards for eight starters to a page, with dashed cut lines and the genre on each card. Set it to List for a numbered handout with a tick circle. Fill the Page sets how many fit.
- Eight cards to a page, dashed cut lines
- A numbered list with tick circles
- Fill the Page sets the count
Type your own starters
Choose My Own and type your starters, one per line, up to 100. They print in the order typed. One longer than 240 characters is cut at a word with an ellipsis, and a hint says so.
- One starter per line, up to 100
- Printed in the order you typed
- Long starters cut at a word
Download the PDF or print it
The Worksheet download button gives you one PDF with every page, card sheet, or list. Print sends it to the printer. Choose US Letter or A4, edit the title and directions, and switch Name and Date off.
- One PDF with all your starters
- US Letter or A4 paper
- Small, Medium, or Large text
How to make
a story starter page
Five steps from a blank screen to openings in your students' hands, and choosing the genre is the longest part.
Pick a genre and a level
Choose a Genre, then a grade band for your writers. Mix of All draws from every genre. Choose My Own if you would rather type your own starters.
Choose how to print
Set Print as to Page, Cards, or List. For pages, set Planner, Picture, and Lines. Set How many, or press Fill the Page to fill a sheet of cards or a list.
Add a title and directions
The title and directions fill in for the genre and print form, such as "Mystery Story Starter", until you type your own. Switch off the Name and Date row if you do not need it.
Press New Starters for others
Not happy with the openings? Press New Starters to draw a different set from the same settings, as often as you like. A starter never appears twice on the same sheet.
Download or print
Choose US Letter or A4, then download the Worksheet as a PDF. Or press Print to send the pages to the printer. Raise How many first if you want more starters.
That's the whole sheet
Pick a genre once and print fresh starters whenever you need them. The generator is at the top of this page.
Make Story Starters
Get started in under 5 minutes.
Sign up and walk through the onboarding tutorial. By the end you've got your classes set up and you're ready to plan your first lesson. No credit card required.
Get Started for FreeMore than a list of first lines
A list of story starters leaves you to copy, format, and print each one. This one sets every starter on a page, a card, or a list, and it runs in any browser with nothing to install.
Openings that grow with the writer
Each grade band has its own 15 starters per genre, longer and more complex as the band goes up, so a young writer is not handed a long opening.
A planner row before the writing
Each page starts with Who?, Where?, and What goes wrong? boxes, so students plan the people, place, and problem. Hide the row if you do not want it.
Guided lines for early writers
Switch Lines to Guided and every row gets a top line, a dashed middle line, and a baseline, so early writers keep their letters the right size.
Never the same starter twice
A sheet never prints the same starter twice. Ask for more than your choice holds and a hint says every starter is already on the sheet.
Your settings are remembered
Your choices and your own starters stay in this browser, so you can close the tab and pick the sheet up later. Nothing is uploaded.
Free, and no watermark
No account, no sign-up, and no logo across the page. The only mark is a small "Made with EMStudio" line in the footer.
Who is the story starter generator for?
Anyone who wants a writer to begin with the story already moving. If thinking up openings eats your planning time, it is for you.
Classroom teachers
Narrative units, warm-ups, and early-finisher cards. Pick the genre and level, print a page for every student in the class, and press New Starters when you need tomorrow's set.
Tutors and homeschool parents
Print one starter for today's writing session at the kitchen table. Use Guided lines for a young writer and a higher band for an older one, and keep a few cards for days when ideas run dry.
Writing clubs and library groups
Print a list of Fantasy or Mystery starters for a club meeting and pass it around. Each member chooses one and keeps writing. Type your own starters under My Own for a club theme.
How EMStudio's story starter generator is different
Many story starter generators show one line on screen, add a sign-up before the download, or put a logo on the sheet. This one is built by the team behind a full teacher planner, and it sets the opening on a page you can hand out.
Free, with nothing held back
The full PDF, both paper sizes, and printing, all without an account or a daily limit. The only mark on the page is a small "Made with EMStudio" line in the footer.
Openings, not topics
All 360 starters are original openings, one or two sentences that leave an obvious next sentence to write. None uses a brand name, a real person, or an existing character.
Part of a full teacher planner
A story starter is one small part of a lesson. When you are ready, EMStudio's lesson planner holds the rest: every class's lessons on a weekly calendar, beside your students, grades, and attendance.
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