20 story starters for couples

How to play

1. Pick a story starter and read it out loud.
2. Take turns adding two sentences at a time, out loud or by text through the day.
3. After twelve turns, the story is finished. Read the whole thing back together.

Story starters

1. We are two art thieves in Milan who have accidentally stolen the wrong painting. The painting has just started talking. What happens next?
2. We run a tiny hotel for retired superheroes. Our first guest has accidentally turned the breakfast room invisible. What happens next?
3. We have inherited a bakery on the moon. Our first customer asks for a cake that can predict the weather. What happens next?
4. Our train stops at a station that does not appear on any map. A penguin in a waistcoat calls us by name. What happens next?
5. We are undercover judges at a dragon talent show. One contestant seems very familiar. What happens next?
6. We discover a door behind our bookshelf. On the other side, every household object has a full-time job. What happens next?
7. We are captains of a very small pirate ship. Our treasure map keeps offering unsolicited restaurant recommendations. What happens next?
8. A time machine arrives with a note asking us to return a library book that is 300 years overdue. What happens next?
9. We are the only two staff at a lighthouse that has started receiving mail from the sea. Today’s letter is addressed to both of us. What happens next?
10. We run a food truck that only appears at midnight. Tonight a famous chef orders something that isn’t on the menu. What happens next?
11. Our houseplants have formed a committee and want to discuss our watering schedule. What happens next?
12. We are detectives in a cozy village where the only crime is that every garden gnome has vanished. What happens next?
13. We have been chosen to name a newly discovered planet. The planet has opinions. What happens next?
14. We wake up to find our voices have swapped, and we both have an important call at nine. What happens next?
15. We are wedding planners for two dragons who cannot agree on a venue. What happens next?
16. Our vacation rental comes with a butler who insists he is a ghost. What happens next?
17. We find a map in an old cookbook that leads somewhere in our own neighborhood. What happens next?
18. We are the last two contestants on a baking show where every cake must also be a working musical instrument. What happens next?
19. A hot air balloon lands in our backyard with a note that says “Your turn.” What happens next?
20. Every morning, our toaster prints a tiny prediction on the toast. Today’s says “Say yes to the next invitation.” What happens next?

Playing Alternate Universe in KinHarmony

Build a fictional story together, two sentences per turn. Take turns throughout the day. After 12 turns, your story is complete. It stays here for seven days from the start, unless either of you ends it sooner.