The Thirty-six (plus one) Dramatic Situations
Georges Polti says that all stories boil down to just 36 dramatic situations and takeoffs of those situations. Somebody else out there added #37. If you're stuck for a situation, try this. A situation appears below randomly (in bold print). If you'd like more information, or want to see the subplots for the situation, click on its link below.
(Note: In several cases, specific gender in the original descriptions has been replaced with non-specific gender. After all, men aren't the only ones out there having adventures! And women aren't only there to be loved, taken advantage of, or rescued.)
Your situation:
Still stuck for plot ideas? Try Hatch's Plot Bank. Over 2000 scenarios, some mundane, some very strange, that should get your creative juices flowing! Or take a plot idea from roleplaying games at The Big List of RPG Plots. Just remember that you don't want to write a story ABOUT that RPG campaign!
Oblique Strategies | The 37 Dramatic Situations | Cosmic Thoughts
Random Science Fiction Story Ideas | Curses | Paragraphs
SF Characters | SF Items | SF Descriptors | SF Places | SF Events
SF Jobs/Occupations | Fantasy Jobs/Occupations | Contemporary Jobs/Occupations
Random Emotions | Emotions List | Intensity of Feelings
| 
