• 60 stories to finish
  • Checked October 2026

Finish the Story Writing Prompts

The opening of a story, stopped just as something is about to happen, with the rest left to you.

Finish the Story Writing Prompts

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  1. The fox offered a trade: the ball that had rolled into its den for one thing from Elio's backpack. Elio unzipped the bag. Inside were his lunch, his homework and his lucky marble.Now finish it: what does Elio hand over, and what does the fox want it for?

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All 60 stories to finish

Stops at a door 15

  • Behind the last tent at the fair stood a ride with no sign and no line. The man at the gate did not ask for a ticket. He lifted the latch and said, You are late. Now finish it: late for what, and who else has been waiting on the ride?
  • The cat flap had been nailed shut since before we moved in. Tonight it swung back and forth, twice. Then a very small hand pushed a letter through. Now finish it: what does the letter ask for, and what do you push back through the flap?
  • The conductor punched everyone's ticket but mine. Yours is for the other car, he said, and pointed. At the end of the train was a car I had not seen from the platform, and its door stood open. Now finish it: who else is riding in that car, and where does it stop?
  • Dev found the trapdoor while sweeping under the rug in the art room. It had a brass ring and a paper tag that read Back Soon. He looked at the clock, then pulled. Now finish it: who wrote the tag, and are they back yet?
  • The door at the back of the library had always been locked. Today a strip of yellow light showed under it. Nora set down her books and reached for the handle. Now finish it: who is in there with the light on, and are they glad to see her?
  • Every house on Maple Lane had a front door except number six, which had only a wall. This morning it had a door, small and green. Somebody inside was knocking to be let out. Now finish it: who opens the green door, and who steps out onto the porch?
  • The hatch in the playground rocket had always been painted on. Today it had hinges. Ben climbed the ladder, knocked twice and felt it give. Now finish it: what is inside the rocket, and does Ben make it back before the bell?
  • The lighthouse had one hundred and one steps, and Ama had counted them every summer. At the top was a little blue door she had never been tall enough to reach. This summer she was. Now finish it: what has been waiting behind the blue door for someone her height?
  • The museum guard said the small door behind the dinosaur was only a closet. But at noon a line of people in muddy boots walked out of it, carrying buckets. The last one held the door for Jun. Now finish it: what are they digging for back there, and do they hand Jun a bucket?
  • My little brother cut a door in the side of the big refrigerator box and drew a handle on it in crayon. He crawled in at four o'clock. At five he crawled out, leading a goat. Now finish it: where did the goat come from, and what else is in that box?
  • On the last day of school, the custodian gave Leo a key with no number on it. It fits one door in this building, she said. At three o'clock he found the door. Now finish it: where was the door all along, and why did she choose Leo?
  • Our classroom has a tall cupboard that the teacher never opens. On Friday the substitute sent me to it for glue. The cupboard was already open a crack, and it was not dark inside. Now finish it: what is lit up in there, and what do you tell the substitute?
  • The snow was so deep that we had to dig our way down to the shed. Dad scraped the last of it off the latch. The door swung inward, and warm air came out. Now finish it: who has been keeping the shed warm, and what are they making?
  • The tent zipper was stuck halfway. Outside, something small was holding a flashlight and humming. Priya gave the zipper one more tug, and it slid open. Now finish it: who is holding the flashlight, and what do they need help finding?
  • There is a door in the old oak in the park, and everyone knows it is only painted on. Hana knocked on it for a joke. From inside, a voice said, Just a minute. Now finish it: who lives in the oak, and why has nobody ever knocked before?

Stops at a sound 15

  • At the bottom of the well in Aunt Rosa's yard there was only mud. I dropped a pebble in to hear it land. Something down there said, Ouch. Now finish it: you say sorry. What does the voice in the well say back?
  • The attic had been empty since the day we moved in. Tess had checked it herself, twice. So what was up there now, rolling slowly from one end to the other? Now finish it: Tess goes up with a flashlight. What does the beam land on first?
  • Deep in the corn maze, Theo and I had been taking left turns for ten minutes. The corn was too tall to see over. Then somebody on the other side of the row began to whistle our school song. Now finish it: who is whistling, and are they lost or leading the way?
  • Ines was the last one in the gym, stacking cones. The lights hummed. Behind the folded bleachers a ball bounced once, twice, and then came rolling out toward her feet. Now finish it: who wants a game, and why do they only come out when the gym is empty?
  • It was the quietest hour of the sleepover. Everyone else was asleep, and the house ticked the way houses do. Then, from the kitchen, came the sound of someone carefully peeling a banana. Now finish it: who is hungry at this hour, and how do you find out without waking anyone?
  • Milo had lived by the sea all his life and knew every sound it made. This one was new. It came from under the pier, and it sounded like a trumpet learning a song. Now finish it: who or what is practicing under the pier, and what is the song for?
  • My grandmother's cuckoo clock lost its bird years ago. This morning, while I poured the cereal, its little door flapped open. A voice inside said, Is it safe to come out? Now finish it: who moved into the clock, and what were they hiding from?
  • The new clock in the town square did not chime on its first day, or on its second. On the third day, at a quarter past two, it gave one long, low moo. Now finish it: what did the clockmaker put inside, and what does the town decide to do?
  • On the third night of the camping trip, the owls went quiet all at once. So did the frogs. Then every one of us heard it: a tiny voice, counting down from ten. Now finish it: what happens at zero, and who in the tent is the first to laugh?
  • The orchestra was tuning up when the lights went out. In the dark, one instrument kept playing. It was not an instrument that anyone on the stage had brought. Now finish it: what does it sound like, and who is holding it when the lights come on?
  • The piano in the school hall was missing eleven keys, so nobody ever played it. On Monday, in the middle of the spelling test, it played three notes. The whole class turned to look. Now finish it: who played the three notes, and what happens when the class answers?
  • The radio in the garage had been broken for years. Papa kept it because it had been his father's. This afternoon it crackled, cleared its throat and said my name. Now finish it: what does the radio say next, and does Papa hear it too?
  • Rain drummed on the roof of the bus shelter. Under the drumming was another sound, small and steady, coming from the cardboard box on the bench. It was snoring. Now finish it: what is asleep in the box, and whose problem is it when the bus comes?
  • Snow had closed the road, and the cabin was silent except for the fire. Kofi was dealing the cards when a bell jingled outside, close to the window. Then came a polite cough. Now finish it: who is out in the snow, and what do they ask for at the door?
  • We were halfway across the lake when Aunt Bea stopped rowing. Listen, she said. Somewhere under the boat, a bell was ringing. Now finish it: what is the bell calling, and does Aunt Bea already know?

Stops at a choice 15

  • At the science fair, Ruby's jar of pond water had been only pond water on Friday. This morning something in it was building a tiny raft. The judges were three tables away, and the lid was right there. Now finish it: does Ruby screw the lid on or call the judges over, and who is on the raft?
  • The class vote was tied, eleven to eleven: the zoo or the planetarium. Mr. Park looked at the one kid who had not put a hand up. Well, Idris, he said. It is up to you. Now finish it: what does Idris say, and who thanks him for it on the bus?
  • The dragon at the bridge asked everyone the same question: left pocket or right? Everyone before Sana had answered wrong. She put a hand in each pocket and thought. Now finish it: what is in Sana's pockets, and what is the answer the dragon wants?
  • The ferry left in two minutes, and the stray dog had followed Kai all the way down the dock. The ticket seller shook her head: no dogs. Kai looked at the boat, then at the dog. Now finish it: does Kai get on, and what does the dog do either way?
  • The fox offered a trade: the ball that had rolled into its den for one thing from Elio's backpack. Elio unzipped the bag. Inside were his lunch, his homework and his lucky marble. Now finish it: what does Elio hand over, and what does the fox want it for?
  • The genie was very small and very tired. One wish, it said, and not a big one. And you have to decide before the kettle boils. Now finish it: what small wish gets made in a hurry, and what does it lead to by supper?
  • Grandma's recipe said one spoonful of the red powder and never two. Nico had already put in one. Or had he? The spoon was clean, and the soup was starting to bubble. Now finish it: does Nico add a spoonful, and what does the soup do to the dinner guests?
  • The last cookie on the plate was the big one, and my sister had not come downstairs yet. I reached for it. Then I saw the note beside the plate, in her handwriting: I counted. Now finish it: do you eat it, and what is your sister's next move?
  • The map showed two ways to the waterfall. The long one was marked in ink. The short one was drawn in pencil, with one word beside it: maybe. Lena folded the map and looked at her friends. Now finish it: which way do they vote to go, and what does maybe turn out to mean?
  • The new kid had saved me a seat at lunch. So had my oldest friend, at the table across the room. Both of them were waving. Now finish it: where do you set your tray down, and what do you say at the other table later?
  • The robot would follow exactly one instruction before its battery ran out. Tavi had been building it for six months. She cleared her throat, and the little red light blinked, waiting. Now finish it: what one thing does Tavi tell it to do, and does it do it her way?
  • School was closed for snow by seven. By eight Dara had two invitations: build the fort with the kids next door, or help Mr. Abel dig out his car. She could hear both from the porch. Now finish it: which way does Dara turn, and how does the day pay her back?
  • The spaceship had two seats, and three of us wanted to go. The pilot, who was a tortoise, checked her watch. Sort it out among yourselves, she said. I leave at noon. Now finish it: who stays behind, and what do they see that the other two miss?
  • There were two kittens left in the box at the shelter. We can take one, Dad said. The bold one was already climbing my sleeve. The shy one looked at me and did not move. Now finish it: which kitten comes home, and how do you know you chose right?
  • Two envelopes sat on Omar's desk, both with his name on them. One was thick and one was thin. The note between them said, Open only one. Now finish it: which does Omar open, and what does he never stop wondering about the other?

Stops mid-sentence 15

  • The bus was empty. The driver was gone. On my seat was a... Now finish it: name the thing on the seat, then say who left it there for you.
  • Every Saturday Mr. Ito puts a box of free things by his gate. Books, mostly, and once a lamp. Today the box was tied shut with string, and the tag on it said... Now finish it: write the tag, then what happens when someone unties the string.
  • The fortune cookie was empty. So was the second one. When Mei cracked the third, a strip of paper fell out, and on it someone had written... Now finish it: write the message, and what Mei does about it before the bill comes.
  • I had dug for an hour and found two worms and a bottle cap. Then the shovel hit something that rang. I brushed off the dirt and saw... Now finish it: what rings under the dirt, and who buried it?
  • I threw the ball for Biscuit the way I always do. She ran into the tall grass and stayed there a long time. When she trotted back, tail going, the thing in her mouth was not the ball. It was a... Now finish it: say what Biscuit found, and who comes looking for it.
  • The letter had taken forty years to arrive. Mr. Okoro put on his glasses, opened it and read the first line aloud: Dear whoever lives here now, please look under... Now finish it: where does the letter say to look, and what is still there?
  • The magician asked for a volunteer and chose me. She covered my hand with a red cloth and counted to three. When she pulled it away, I was holding... Now finish it: what is in your hand, and why does the magician look as surprised as you?
  • The new neighbors moved in at night, so nobody saw them. In the morning there was a ladder against their roof and a telescope in the yard. I went over with the welcome pie, and the person who answered the door was... Now finish it: who answers, and what do they ask you to hold?
  • Nobody believed Arlo about the thing in the pond. So he borrowed his sister's camera, lay down in the reeds and waited. Just before dark the water bulged, and up came... Now finish it: what comes up, and does the camera work?
  • On the hike, Bo was always last. That is how he was the only one who saw the stone roll aside by itself. Behind it was a hole the size of a bicycle wheel, and looking out of the hole was... Now finish it: who looks out at Bo, and why did they wait for the last hiker?
  • Our class let a balloon go with a postcard tied to it. Four months later the postcard came back in the mail. On the back, in green ink, a stranger had written... Now finish it: write the stranger's message, and what the class sends in reply.
  • The telescope was pointed at the moon, as always. Tonight something was in the way. Gus wiped the lens, looked again and whispered, That is not a cloud. That is... Now finish it: what is Gus looking at, and is it looking back?
  • The tide pool was the size of a bathtub, and I knew everything in it. Two crabs, some snails, one sleepy fish. Today, sitting on the bottom and looking straight up at me, was... Now finish it: what is new in the pool, and what does it want before the tide comes back?
  • The tooth had been loose for a week. It came out at dinner, in a bite of corn. When Sol held it up to the light, he saw that written on it, in tiny letters, was... Now finish it: what does the tooth say, and who could have written it?
  • We planted the seed from the unmarked packet on Monday. By Wednesday it was taller than my brother. On Friday it tapped on the kitchen window, and when Mom opened it the plant handed her... Now finish it: what does the plant hand over, and what does it expect in return?

How it works

Each of these finish the story writing prompts is three or four sentences long. Read it, then write the rest, right through to the end.

Read the full guide

Finish the story writing prompts for kids

Every opening is fit for a child. A goat is led out of a refrigerator box, a well says ouch, and the pilot of the spaceship is a tortoise. Under each opening is a question or two to settle first; once those are answered, the middle of the story is already moving.

Four places a story can stop

At a door, the writer decides what is behind it. At a sound, what made it. At a choice, which way the character goes and what it costs. An opening that stops mid-sentence asks only for the next word, and then the one after that.

  • Copy the opening out by hand, then keep the pen moving.
  • Decide on the last sentence of the story first, then write toward it.

Questions and answers

What is a finish the story writing prompt?

The beginning of a story with the rest left off. Here that means three or four sentences that stop where something is about to happen: a trapdoor under the art room rug, a tag that reads Back Soon, and a boy who pulls the ring.

How do I use a writing prompt to finish the story?

Keep the opening as it stands and answer what it leaves hanging. Then let one more thing go wrong before the end. The beginning is done, so the writer owes a middle and an ending the first lines could not have guessed.

What makes a good finish this story writing prompt?

One strange thing, shown and not explained. A cuckoo clock lost its bird years ago; this morning its little door flaps open and a voice inside asks, Is it safe to come out? The writer begins with a question that wants an answer.

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