Spin three reels for a genre, a character and a twist, then write to a word goal against the clock.
Open Story Starter See all classroom tools
Free. This link opens the tool straight away, with no sign-up.
How it works
- Open Story Starter: a prompt is spun as the page opens. Press Spin a prompt for another one.
- Choose a goal of 50, 100 or 150 words and a timer of 5 or 10 minutes, or no timer, and press Start timer.
- Write in the box. The word count updates as you type and the page celebrates when the goal is reached.
Ideas for your lesson
- Project one prompt and let the whole class write on paper for ten minutes.
- Pair writing: each student writes half of the story, then they swap.
- Use the twist as a challenge, such as a story told without the letter e.
Good to know
- 10 genres, 10 characters and 10 twists give 1,000 combinations.
- Your writing is not saved and not sent anywhere: copy it before you close the tab.
- Anonymous usage counts, such as spins and goals reached, go to Plausible analytics. The text itself is never sent.
- It needs only www.abcwebsites.online.
Frequently asked questions
Is Story Starter free?
Yes. It is marked Free in the ABC toolbox, and this link opens it in your browser with no sign-up.
Is my writing saved?
No. It stays in the page until you close or reload it, so copy it somewhere first.
Can I add my own prompts?
No. The reels hold 10 genres, 10 characters and 10 twists.
Which word goals can I set?
50, 100 or 150 words, with an optional 5 or 10 minute timer.
Related tools
- Classroom Timer: countdown, stopwatch and Pomodoro for the projector
- Tongue Twister Trainer: pronunciation practice with levels
- WordLab: collocations and real-English examples
More: all classroom tools · guides · getting tools past the school filter