Story Magic Cards

Unlock and Unblock Your Creativity

These are more than writing prompts, they help strengthen your writing craft skills. Mix and match the twelve categories to practice your writing skills, build better characters, and even create a story! Unlimited ways to use these cards and categories. Great for writing groups and writing solo.

These cards are loosely curated chaos! Amazing writing craft exercises and so much more.

Find out more about the creators, Sheila Redling and Tobi Doyle at their other website AskIGW.com!

The Card Categories: 

AWKWARD SITUATIONS

Awkward situations are a great way to create conflict between characters and reveal your characters. The basic deck has 30 awkward situations cards, the deluxe deck has 75 cards.

BAGGAGE:

How does this past trauma affect their current behavior? This is a great starting point for believable characters with emotional stakes. The basic deck has 30 baggage cards, the deluxe deck has 45 cards.

CONFLICT:

Conflict is the heart of great fiction. Some of these are major, some minor, but all can compel action and revelation. The basic deck has 30 conflict cards, the deluxe deck has 75 cards.

CRIMES AND DISRUPTORS

These are crimes, mischief, and mayhem that can be used to propel a plot, complicate a situation, or deepen a character’s backstory. The basic deck has 30 crimes & disruptor cards, the deluxe deck has 45 cards.

DIALOGUE

You might notice the dialogue on these cards is a little basic. Banal. Boring even. That’s intentional! Good dialogue relies heavily on subtext. Basic dialogue gives you the chance to add to, interpret, and put it into the context you need. Check out our exercises below. The basic deck has 30 dialogue cards, the deluxe deck has 45 cards.

DOORWAYS AND DILEMMAS

These are moments where a character must make a choice or accept a situation. Think of these as A or B cards. What would your character do? The basic deck has 30 doorways & dilemmas cards, the deluxe deck has 45 cards.

FEARS

These are the personal fears and phobias that people deal with every day. Some are common. Some are strange. The basic deck has 30 fears cards, the deluxe deck has 60 cards.

GENRE

Trying new genres is a great way to understand what makes each genre and subgenre work. Even if you’re not entirely sure what a particular genre requires, play a little bit. There is no wrong way to experiment. The basic deck has 30 genre cards, the deluxe deck has 60 cards.

MOODS AND EMOTIONS

These are broad categories of emotional states and moods. The basic deck has 30 mood cards, the deluxe deck has 45 cards.

SENSES

There are several copies of five senses. Pick one to focus on. The basic deck has 30 senses cards, the deluxe deck has the same 30 cards. (There are only five senses :/)

SETTING

Don’t overlook the power of setting! These cards, like the stock characters, are broad and can be interpreted in different ways. Draw on whatever impressions you get from these settings. The basic deck has 30 settings cards, the deluxe deck has 75 cards.

STOCK CHARACTER CARDS:

These are stereotypes and over-simplifications of characters. They’re also a great starting point to creating fully realized, fleshed-out characters with broad emotional ranges and complex personalities. Why start with such simplified characters? To challenge yourself to get behind the cliches, to add meat to basic framework, and to find the truth behind the obvious. The basic deck has 45 stock character cards, the deluxe deck has 90 cards.

HOW DO I START?

Here are a few basics we like to start with. Draw the cards in the combinations below. Remember – there is no wrong way to write these scenes. Play around. Take chances. Some combos will work better than others but all of them will deepen your writing skills. 

Draw the cards as directed. For an extra challenge, continue on with the Level Up option.

SETTING + MOOD

Here’s a great starting exercise. Imagine yourself or a character in this setting, feeling this mood/emotion. What do you notice? What stands out? 

LEVEL UP: Draw a SENSE card and try to express what you notice focusing primarily on that sense. Writing scenes like these develop your sensory vocabulary.

LEVEL UP: Draw a GENRE card. Does it change your description?

TWO STOCK CHARACTERS + ONE SETTING

Make a list of up to five particular things each character would notice in that setting. Be as specific as possible and don’t be afraid to add your own fictional touches to the setting. 

This will help you specify how your characters interact with their settings. 

Example: you drew an FBI agent, a painter, and a greasy spoon diner. The FBI agent would probably notice shady characters sitting at the bar, the exits, the types of cars in the parking lot, who is carrying a weapon. The painter, on the other hand, might notice the light streaming through the windows, the colors of the leather booths, the shadows on the faces of the patrons. 

LEVEL UP: Don’t stop there! Remember, these are stock characters and we’re trying to go deeper into them, to get behind the obvious. Take your lists and swap them. Think hard and find some good, believable reasons why Character A would notice at least one or two items on Character B’s list and vice-versa. 

Example: maybe the FBI agent had always wanted to be an artist but caved to family pressure to follow her father’s footsteps and join the agency. Still, she can’t stop thinking how much she would love to paint again. The diner looks like something from an Edward Hopper painting. Conversely, perhaps the painter was the victim of a violent crime. He’s paranoid about not being able to get away in a dangerous situation. He’s afraid of strangers and makes a point of memorizing faces and always has a getaway plan.

MIX & MATCH ON YOUR OWN!

There are so many more combos you can make with Story Magic Cards. 

2 STOCK CHARACTERS + 2 FEARS + CONFLICT 

Can you use their fears to up the pressure on the conflict?

STOCK CHARACTER + BAGGAGE + DOORWAY

Does their baggage impact their decision?

2 STOCK CHARACTERS + CONFLICT + THIRD STOCK CHARACTER TO STIR THINGS UP! 

How does this newcomer affect the situation?

Add on complications, fears, more characters, more baggage and don’t forget moods and settings and genres! 

AWKWARD SITUATION + SETTING

What character would most likely be in this situation? Who is least likely? 

DIALOGUE + TWO MOODS

Imagine the dialogue coming from two characters in two very different moods. What is the subtext? What are they not saying? What do you need to add to this dialogue to show the disconnect between the two characters. 

LEVEL UP – Draw a GENRE card. Does it change the tone and pacing? 

STOCK CHARACTER + BAGGAGE

Discover the backstory in which this character acquired this baggage. How did it happen? How did they react? How has it shaped their life and choices? What lies does it make them tell themselves about themselves? (i.e. ‘I’m not worthy. I’ll never be loved. I’m irresponsible.’) What will it take for them to heal this damage?

STOCK CHARACTER + DOORWAYS & DILEMMAS

How does this stock character act in this doorway moment? What decisions do they make? 

LEVEL UP – Draw a MOODS card. How does this change the situation? Does it make it worse? 
LEVEL UP – Consider the reaction you chose. What happens if they choose the opposite path? 

TWO STOCK CHARACTERS + AWKWARD SITUATION

Throw them in there and see how they react! How does the combination affect their actions? Can you dig a little deeper and find some alternative reactions? 

LEVEL UP – Throw in some BAGGAGE for one or both characters. How does that change the situation? Does it make it worse or better?

DIALOGUE + CRIMES

This one works as both a writing exercise and a simple thought exercise. Draw the dialogue card first, then the crime. This crime is what they are actually talking about. Changes things, doesn’t it? This is the power of subtext. What other non-verbal clues can you add that would deepen, complicate, and illuminate this criminal situation?