One plot per press: a monster by what it does, its home, who finds out, its want and a turn.
Monster Story Ideas: 30 story ideas
A beast that would like the record set straight lives in a recording booth that nobody books. A night guard promised the dullest post in town finds out. What it wants: a quieter sneeze. The turn: the monster follows a search party home out of curiosity.
Padlock: keep a part.Arrows: change only that part.
The monsterbeast that would like the record set straight
Livesin a recording booth that nobody books
Who finds outnight guard promised the dullest post in town
What it wantsa quieter sneeze
The turnthe monster follows a search party home out of curiosity
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Story Idea of the day
A beast that would like the record set straight lives in a recording booth that nobody books. A night guard promised the dullest post in town finds out. What it wants: a quieter sneeze. The turn: the monster follows a search party home out of curiosity.
A beast with a reward poster in every post office lives under the stairs, where the vacuum cleaner sleeps. A piano tuner who hears a snore between the notes finds out. What it wants: to stop running. The turn: a bedtime story gets a second listener every night.
A thing that keeps path lanterns lit for strangers lives in the back of a piano. A wildlife photographer with one roll of film finds out. What it wants: the ending of a tale it only half overheard. The turn: a younger sibling inherits the monster and is delighted.
A monster that gets the hiccups whenever it tries to be scary lives inside a wrecked boat on a mudflat. A father who came in to close the window finds out. What it wants: a welcome mat where the warning notice stood. The turn: a famous footprint proves to belong to its finder.
A thing that rehearses its side of the story in a mirror lives under a bridge everyone hurries across. A clerk demanding a claim form in triplicate finds out. What it wants: a doorbell, and somebody willing to ring it. The turn: a scream turns out to be a fan asking for an autograph.
A creature that collects lost dogs and walks them home lives at the bottom of a lake with a bad reputation. A historian who finds one handwriting across three centuries finds out. What it wants: a name. The turn: the monster is asked to open the harvest fair.
A monster that can only roar in a small polite voice lives inside the toy chest, beneath an unfinished puzzle. A school photographer on picture day finds out. What it wants: its name written correctly on the town sign. The turn: the monster rescues its own pursuers from a rockslide.
A monster that holds perfectly still whenever anyone looks lives under the bed, behind the box of winter boots. A piano tuner who hears a snore between the notes finds out. What it wants: to stop setting off the automatic doors. The turn: a hunter becomes the monster's lookout.
A creature that collects lost dogs and walks them home lives in the map drawer of a county surveyor. A night-shift janitor with a ring of forty keys finds out. What it wants: its pursuers to go home with a good enough story. The turn: a search party is led home by the thing it was seeking.
A thing that hides by standing behind lampposts lives in the paper store of a printing works. A grandmother who had the same monster as a child finds out. What it wants: an invitation to the harvest supper. The turn: a birthday clown asks the monster for lessons.
A beast with a reward poster in every post office lives under a bridge everyone hurries across. A birthday clown who is harder to scare finds out. What it wants: to be included in the goodnights, by name. The turn: a search party is led home by the thing it was seeking.
A monster that sends unsigned letters to the newspaper lives in the reeds beside a storyteller's bench. A postal worker with a parcel for an impossible address finds out. What it wants: to stop running. The turn: an old photograph shows the monster at the town's founding.
A creature that mends whatever it is said to haunt lives in the hills past the last streetlight. A clerk demanding a claim form in triplicate finds out. What it wants: to be scary for five whole minutes. The turn: a lost tooth is found tucked under the wrong pillow.
A creature that corrects the legends about itself lives in a railway tunnel closed since the detour. A trainee journalist sent to cover the flower show finds out. What it wants: one of the stuffed animals, on loan. The turn: a missing flock is found safe in the monster's care.
A creature that corrects the legends about itself lives in a thicket too dense for dogs. A janitor who would like the confetti to stop finds out. What it wants: a second chapter. The turn: a family moves house and saves the monster a box.
A creature that travels only after dark and never by road lives in a broom cupboard labeled staff only. A twin who always wakes up first finds out. What it wants: a fair head start before the dogs. The turn: a costume fools everyone and the monster wins the vote.
A creature that travels only after dark and never by road lives in a culvert below a highway. A shepherd whose flock keeps coming back better groomed finds out. What it wants: to be checked for, every night. The turn: an old photograph shows the monster at the town's founding.
A thing that returns dropped oars to the dock lives under the stairs, where the vacuum cleaner sleeps. A second grader newly able to read cursive finds out. What it wants: its side of the story told at school. The turn: the monster learns to knock.
A monster that leaves no tracks on purpose lives in a recording booth that nobody books. A child who drops a marble and follows it finds out. What it wants: a listener who does not interrupt. The turn: a town votes to keep the scarier version.
A beast that knits, badly, and gives the results as gifts lives in a beach hut crammed with folded deck chairs. An archivist cataloging a diary nobody admits to writing finds out. What it wants: a blanket of its own. The turn: a library card is issued without comment.
A creature that tucks in dropped teddy bears lives in the dark half of the wardrobe. A shepherd whose flock keeps coming back better groomed finds out. What it wants: a fair head start before the dogs. The turn: a professor files the notes under fiction.
A monster that counts children, not sheep, to fall asleep lives behind drapes that never meet in the middle. An archivist cataloging a diary nobody admits to writing finds out. What it wants: to be scary for five whole minutes. The turn: a brave child inspects beneath the monster's own cot.
A beast that would like the record set straight lives in the towel cupboard of a swimming pool. A toddler with exactly four words to explain it finds out. What it wants: a bedtime story read loud enough to hear. The turn: a town votes to keep the scarier version.
A creature that tucks in dropped teddy bears lives behind the paneling of a newspaper office. A schoolchild doing a project on local legends finds out. What it wants: to be checked for, every night. The turn: a famous footprint proves to belong to its finder.
A thing that hides by standing behind lampposts lives behind the cereal boxes at the supermarket. An archivist cataloging a diary nobody admits to writing finds out. What it wants: a wave from the ferry. The turn: a sneeze redecorates the whole gymnasium.
A monster that weeds the graveyard at night lives in the ball pit of a play center. A grandmother who had the same monster as a child finds out. What it wants: a second chapter. The turn: villagers learn who has been patching the lane.
A monster that mends holes in socks overnight lives behind the cereal boxes at the supermarket. A clerk demanding a claim form in triplicate finds out. What it wants: a second chapter. The turn: a valley is declared a reserve for no stated reason.
A creature that collects lost dogs and walks them home lives beneath the gymnasium bleachers, folded away. A toddler who thinks it is a dog finds out. What it wants: a chance to deliver the ending face to face. The turn: a family moves house and saves the monster a box.
A monster that is afraid of children and hides it badly lives in a railway tunnel closed since the detour. A farmer who only wanted the fence mended finds out. What it wants: to stop setting off the automatic doors. The turn: the monster gives the opening speech at the library.
A thing that returns lost gloves one at a time lives in the space behind the bathtub. An archivist cataloging a diary nobody admits to writing finds out. What it wants: somebody to finish a conversation with. The turn: a valley is declared a reserve for no stated reason.
creature that hums the same lullaby every night at nine
creature that tucks in dropped teddy bears
monster that herds dust bunnies into tidy rows
monster that is afraid of children and hides it badly
monster that mends holes in socks overnight
monster that practices saying boo and cannot do it
shadow that bows whenever it is greeted
shape that holds the night-light steady during storms
thing that guards whatever rolls out of reach
thing that returns lost gloves one at a time
thing that sorts shoes into pairs overnight
Misunderstood 12
beast that scares travelers away from thin ice
creature that collects lost dogs and walks them home
creature that follows hikers to carry what they drop
creature that howls only to warn of avalanches
creature that mends whatever it is said to haunt
creature that rearranges boulders to mend the path
monster blamed for every missing sheep and guilty of none
monster that takes scarecrows home to keep them company
monster that weeds the graveyard at night
thing that keeps path lanterns lit for strangers
thing that keeps the village well water clean
thing that returns dropped oars to the dock
Hunted 12
beast that doubles back to watch its trackers sleep
beast with a reward poster in every post office
creature that lays false trails leading in circles
creature that sweeps away every trace of itself at dawn
creature that travels only after dark and never by road
monster that can tell each trapper by their knots
monster that holds perfectly still whenever anyone looks
monster that is the last of its kind and knows it
monster that leaves no tracks on purpose
monster that studies the trackers' maps at night
thing that has outlived nine expeditions sent to find it
thing that hides in plain sight at the county fair
The monster tells it 12
beast that gives interviews only to owls
beast that would like the record set straight
creature that corrects the legends about itself
creature that has outlived everyone who named it
creature writing its memoirs in very small print
monster that counts children, not sheep, to fall asleep
monster that insists it was here first
monster that narrates its own evenings to the moths
monster that remembers being a rumor
monster that sends unsigned letters to the newspaper
thing that logs each knock it was too shy to answer
thing that rehearses its side of the story in a mirror
Funny 12
beast that faints at the sight of spiders
beast that knits, badly, and gives the results as gifts
creature that applauds at the wrong moments
creature that is ticklish everywhere
creature that trips over its own shadow
monster that can only roar in a small polite voice
monster that gets the hiccups whenever it tries to be scary
monster that is allergic to moonlight
monster whose sneezes scatter confetti
monster with a whisper as loud as a foghorn
thing that eats homework and hands it back corrected
thing that hides by standing behind lampposts
How this list was compiled
Each entry says what a monster does, not how it looks, with no article in front, so the sentence can add "A" or "An". Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03. The five headings (under the bed, misunderstood, hunted, the monster tells it, funny) are shared by all five lists of the page. Every entry was made up for this list. No entry says what a monster looks like, none is a creature of a named film, game or book, and nothing is graphic: nobody is hurt in any entry, and under Hunted the monster is looked for and never caught. Licence: own work
Lives: all 60 lairs
Under the bed: for young readers 12
behind drapes that never meet in the middle
behind the encyclopedias on the landing shelf
behind the radiator, where the marbles end up
in the attic trunk with the costume hats
in the closet, on the shelf nobody can reach
in the dark half of the wardrobe
in the hamper, beneath the unmatched socks
in the space behind the bathtub
inside the toy chest, beneath an unfinished puzzle
under the bed, behind the box of winter boots
under the porch, beside the forgotten sled
under the stairs, where the vacuum cleaner sleeps
Misunderstood 12
at the bottom of a lake with a bad reputation
in a barn that the owner has stopped visiting
in a cave above a village that locks its doors early
in a disused lifeboat station on the point
in a grain elevator that creaks at night
in a quarry the school trips avoid
in a railway tunnel closed since the detour
in a reed bed beyond the last duckboard
in the hills past the last streetlight
in the woods behind the keep-out signs
on an island the ferry does not stop at
under a bridge everyone hurries across
Hunted 12
high in a pine no ladder reaches
in a blowhole cavern below the cliff path
in a charcoal kiln cold for fifty years
in a culvert below a highway
in a den with three exits
in a ravine that every map folds across
in a sinkhole fenced with rusted wire
in a thicket too dense for dogs
in a valley left off the survey
in the cellar of a burned-out lodge
inside a wrecked boat on a mudflat
on a ledge higher than the last pine
The monster tells it 12
behind the paneling of a newspaper office
beneath the trapdoor of an assembly-hall stage
in a grotto that repeats every word twice
in a lightship's lantern cage, retired
in a radio mast's maintenance hut
in a recording booth that nobody books
in the clock loft over a council chamber
in the map drawer of a county surveyor
in the paper store of a printing works
in the prompter's box of an old playhouse
in the reeds beside a storyteller's bench
in the stacks of a reading room, unshelved
Funny 12
behind the cereal boxes at the supermarket
behind the pins at a bowling alley
beneath the gymnasium bleachers, folded away
in a beach hut crammed with folded deck chairs
in a broom cupboard labeled staff only
in a mailbox on a very quiet street
in the back of a piano
in the ball pit of a play center
in the prop room of a puppet theater
in the towel cupboard of a swimming pool
inside a deflated bouncy castle in storage
inside a photo booth at the mall
How this list was compiled
Each entry begins with a preposition and names a place, so it reads after "lives". Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03. The five headings (under the bed, misunderstood, hunted, the monster tells it, funny) are shared by all five lists of the page. Every entry was made up for this list. No entry says what a monster looks like, none is a creature of a named film, game or book, and nothing is graphic: nobody is hurt in any entry, and under Hunted the monster is looked for and never caught. Licence: own work
Who finds out: all 60 finders
Under the bed: for young readers 12
babysitter on a first evening
child who drops a marble and follows it
family cat that sits and stares at one floorboard
father who came in to close the window
grandmother who had the same monster as a child
mother who vacuums under the bed without warning
older sister who checks under beds for a small fee
preschooler with a forbidden flashlight under the pillow
puppy that barks at one corner of the room
sleepover guest on the fold-out mattress
toddler with exactly four words to explain it
twin who always wakes up first
Misunderstood 12
birdwatcher who came for a rare owl
bridge inspector with a clipboard
goat that will not stop visiting
lost hiker with a dead phone
neighbor who brings soup to everyone on the hill
newcomer whom nobody has thought to warn
owner of a runaway kite
painter who came for the view and not the legend
postal worker with a parcel for an impossible address
schoolteacher leading a nature walk off the path
shepherd whose flock keeps coming back better groomed
village child sent to fetch water
Hunted 12
camp cook from a competing search team
dog that slips away from the search party
farmer who only wanted the fence mended
game warden who prefers things as they are
lead tracker's child tagging along for the school break
monster catcher with a van and a net
owner of a trail camera who is checking the card
professor who has staked a career on it
scout troop that took the wrong fork
television crew's youngest runner
tracker hired by a magazine
wildlife photographer with one roll of film
The monster tells it 12
archivist cataloging a diary nobody admits to writing
bell ringer who feels a second rope move
disc jockey filling the small hours with requests
historian who finds one handwriting across three centuries
librarian who notices books reshelved by mood
night-shift janitor with a ring of forty keys
owl that has heard it all before
pen pal who finally visits
schoolchild doing a project on local legends
second grader newly able to read cursive
trainee journalist sent to cover the flower show
typesetter who finds an extra page in the morning edition
Funny 12
birthday clown who is harder to scare
bowling league captain three pins short
clerk demanding a claim form in triplicate
health inspector on a surprise visit
janitor who would like the confetti to stop
mall guard on a slow electric scooter
night guard promised the dullest post in town
piano tuner who hears a snore between the notes
pizza delivery driver with the wrong address
school photographer on picture day
substitute teacher with a seating chart
toddler who thinks it is a dog
How this list was compiled
Each entry is whoever finds the monster, with no article in front, so the sentence can add "A" or "An". Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03. The five headings (under the bed, misunderstood, hunted, the monster tells it, funny) are shared by all five lists of the page. Every entry was made up for this list. No entry says what a monster looks like, none is a creature of a named film, game or book, and nothing is graphic: nobody is hurt in any entry, and under Hunted the monster is looked for and never caught. Licence: own work
What it wants: all 60 wants
Under the bed: for young readers 12
a bedtime story read loud enough to hear
a blanket of its own
a drawing of itself on the wall
a name
a turn with the flashlight
the ending of a tale it only half overheard
the landing lamp kept burning till dawn
one of the stuffed animals, on loan
quiet after eight o'clock
to be checked for, every night
to be included in the goodnights, by name
the wardrobe left slightly ajar
Misunderstood 12
a doorbell, and somebody willing to ring it
a postcard with its name on the front
a wave from the ferry
a welcome mat where the warning notice stood
an invitation to the harvest supper
its side of the story told at school
somebody to finish a conversation with
to be counted as one of the neighbors
to be thanked, once
to hear the legend told with a better ending
to help openly instead of at night
to return something without causing a scream
Hunted 12
a fair head start before the dogs
a truce until the thaw
a whole winter in the same burrow
every reward poster taken down
its footprints left unmeasured
its pursuers to go home with a good enough story
proof that it does not exist
safe passage to the next valley
to be left off the map
to be taken for a trick of the light and forgotten
to see its own photograph, just once
to stop running
The monster tells it 12
a chance to deliver the ending face to face
a listener who does not interrupt
a reader for the diary
a second chapter
an apology from the author of a certain rhyme
its name written correctly on the town sign
its own shelf in the library
the legend corrected in print
somebody to write down what it says
to approve the next telling of its legend
to be asked about its day, for once
to be quoted accurately
Funny 12
a borrower's ticket for the mobile library
a go on the swings after the park has closed
a hat that finally fits
a quieter sneeze
a rosette from the village pet parade
its own key to the staff room
pizza without having to order by phone
somebody to laugh at the right moments
steady work helping children across the road
tap-dancing lessons from a patient teacher
to be scary for five whole minutes
to stop setting off the automatic doors
How this list was compiled
Each entry is what the monster wants and brings its own nouns, so it reads after "What it wants:" beside any other row. Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03. The five headings (under the bed, misunderstood, hunted, the monster tells it, funny) are shared by all five lists of the page. Every entry was made up for this list. No entry says what a monster looks like, none is a creature of a named film, game or book, and nothing is graphic: nobody is hurt in any entry, and under Hunted the monster is looked for and never caught. Licence: own work
The turn: all 60 turns
Under the bed: for young readers 12
a bedtime story gets a second listener every night
a brave child inspects beneath the monster's own cot
a family moves house and saves the monster a box
a hallway lamp stays lit as a courtesy to the monster
a lost tooth is found tucked under the wrong pillow
a parent admits to having had one too
a scary noise turns out to be purring
a younger sibling inherits the monster and is delighted
the monster has a monster of its own to worry about
the monster learns to knock
the monster moves out and is missed within the week
the monster turns out to be more scared of the dark
Misunderstood 12
a bridge toll turns out to have been a repair fund
a flood shows what the monster was guarding against
a keep-out sign is repainted by the children
a legend proves to be one jealous neighbor's invention
a mayor's apology is accepted with a nod
a missing flock is found safe in the monster's care
a rescued hiker tells the true version and is believed
a storm sends the whole village to the monster's door
an old photograph shows the monster at the town's founding
the monster is asked to open the harvest fair
the monster's thank-you gift frightens everyone, at first
villagers learn who has been patching the lane
Hunted 12
a blurred photograph is the only one ever published
a famous footprint proves to belong to its finder
a hunter becomes the monster's lookout
a professor files the notes under fiction
a reward goes unclaimed by common agreement
a search party is led home by the thing it was seeking
a second monster is found, and the first is no longer alone
a tracker decides to lose the trail on purpose
a trap is found sprung with a thank-you note inside
a valley is declared a reserve for no stated reason
the monster follows a search party home out of curiosity
the monster rescues its own pursuers from a rockslide
The monster tells it 12
a last chapter is left for the reader to write
a legend is corrected and nobody likes the true one
a listener stays until the story is finished
a narrator turns out to have been the monster all along
a reporter prints the interview on the back page
a rhyme about the monster gains a kinder verse
a town votes to keep the scarier version
an owl turns out to have been taking notes
the monster discovers it has been misquoted for a century
the monster gives the opening speech at the library
the monster learns it is the hero of a story elsewhere
the monster's diary is published as a children's book
Funny 12
a birthday clown asks the monster for lessons
a class photograph gains one extra pupil
a costume fools everyone and the monster wins the vote
a favorite hiding spot turns out to be fully booked
a health inspector awards the monster five stars
a knitted scarf becomes the town's favorite thing
a library card is issued without comment
a roar comes out as a squeak at the vital moment
a scream turns out to be a fan asking for an autograph
a sneeze redecorates the whole gymnasium
the monster is hired on the spot
the monster wins the talent show by accident
How this list was compiled
Each entry is a whole clause that brings its own nouns and points at no other row, so it reads after "The turn:" whatever the other rows dealt. Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03. The five headings (under the bed, misunderstood, hunted, the monster tells it, funny) are shared by all five lists of the page. Every entry was made up for this list. No entry says what a monster looks like, none is a creature of a named film, game or book, and nothing is graphic: nobody is hurt in any entry, and under Hunted the monster is looked for and never caught. Licence: own work
How it works
These monster story ideas deal a plot, not a body: a thing that returns lost gloves one at a time lives in a den with three exits, and a goat that will not stop visiting finds out.
Read the full guide
A plot, not a creature design
The monster part says what it does and never how it looks, so the picture stays yours. The story comes from the other four parts: where it lives, who finds out, what it wants and the turn. Keep the monster and the finder, then change the want until the two are at odds.
Five kinds of monster story, mixed
Each list below has five headings: under the bed, misunderstood, hunted, the monster tells it, and funny. The tool mixes all five and cannot filter, so a beast that gives interviews only to owls may live inside a toy chest. Under the bed is the gentlest heading.
Tell it from the finder's side, then again from the monster's: the second version is usually the story.
Questions and answers
Can I use these as monster ideas for stories of my own?
Yes. Each monster entry is a behavior, such as a creature that howls only to warn of avalanches, so it drops into any setting. To give it a body, build one with the monster generator.
Are the monsters scary?
Mildly, at most. Nobody is hurt in any entry, and under Hunted the monster is looked for and never caught. Under the bed is written for young readers, and one whole heading is played for laughs.
What does "the monster tells it" mean?
It is the heading for stories told from the monster's side: a creature writing its memoirs in very small print, a beast that would like the record set straight. Write those in the first person and let the finder be the interruption.
Why does the monster have to want something?
A want turns a creature into a character. A monster that wants a postcard with its name on the front is a different story from one that wants to be left off the map, even in the same lair.