A plot generator gives you a random premise to start from. This one builds a story from seven parts: who it's about, where, what happens to start the story, what they must do, what stands in the way, what they lose if they fail, and a twist. Pick a genre or leave it open, keep the parts you like, and generate the rest again.
How to use the plot generator
- Choose one of 12 genres, or any genre for unexpected mixes.
- Generate a plot and read the premise sentence first.
- Press Keep on any piece you want to hold, such as the protagonist or the setting, and generate again to replace only the others.
- Copy the plot when a combination sparks a question you want to answer.
The seven pieces of a plot
| Piece | The question it answers |
|---|---|
| Protagonist | Who is the story about, described in a few words? |
| Setting | Where does it happen, specifically? |
| Inciting incident | What happens that the protagonist can't ignore? |
| Goal | What must they do, in concrete terms? |
| Obstacle | Who or what stands in the way? |
| Stakes | What happens if they fail? |
| Twist | What turns out to be different from what we believed? |
These pieces map onto the opening of almost any structure. The incident is your inciting incident, the goal drives act two, and the stakes make the climax matter. Once you have them, you can turn the premise into a logline and lay out the beats with the beat sheet calculator.
When the pieces don't fit
They won't always, and that's useful. A random combination forces a question: why would a retired safecracker be on a research ship, and who benefits from it? The answer is often the story. If a piece is simply wrong for what you want, keep the others and roll it again.
From idea to outline
- Write the premise as one sentence in your own words.
- Ask what the protagonist believes at the start that the twist will break.
- List the three worst things that could happen on the way to the goal, in rising order. Those are your act two turns.
- Decide the ending before you outline the middle, so every scene can push toward it.
In Scenaloom you can paste the premise into a new project as its logline, generate beats from a story structure, and lay out scenes on a board linked to your script. Start free, or read how to outline a story.
Questions
Is this an AI plot generator?
No. It combines pieces written by people, by genre, at random in your browser. That makes it fast and free, and it never repeats someone else's finished story.
Can I use a generated plot for my own story?
Yes. The pieces are prompts, and the story you build from them is yours. Ideas aren't protected by copyright; your own expression of them is.
How do I get a plot twist on its own?
Keep every piece except the twist, then generate again. Each roll gives a new twist for the same premise.
What makes a good story premise?
A specific protagonist with a concrete goal, an obstacle that pushes back hard, and stakes the audience understands. If you can say it in one sentence and someone asks what happens next, it's working.
What genres are included?
Drama, comedy, thriller, horror, science fiction, fantasy, romance, mystery, crime, family, western and war.