Intro

You’ve probably seen or done quizzes that use the month you were born in, Christian or Surname initial, or your favourite colour or animal etc. to give you a DJ name, movie star name or your football club’s latest transfer rumour.

This activity uses that idea to generate some story ideas. You can use these quizzes or adapt them however you like. You can also try making up your own quiz to use on friends and family.

How it works

Fill in one of these quizzes or make up your own and see what stories you can write after doing it. It might be a springboard to a longer story or you can make it into a piece of ‘flash fiction’ (a short piece of fiction, generally around 50-200 words in length).

The quiz can be used to build a character, form the basis of a plot or create a setting – or all three.

Quiz for main characters and setting

Baddy

Date of birth:
1st- 5th = Clever and evil witch
6th-10th = Eccentric and power-hungry scientist
11th-15th = Giant who doesn’t think much and is very violent
16th-20th = A wizard who hates everyone and everything and just wants to destroy
21st – 25th =  A robot who was made to serve a clever inventor but turned evil and got a mind of its own
26th – 31st = A fire-breathing dragon

Goody

Month of birth:
Jan/Feb = A superhero with the power of invisibility
Mar/Apr = A brave and cunning mouse
May/Jun = A grandma/grandad with a secret agent past and they still have all the gadgets
Jul/Aug = An ordinary-looking pet dog who secretly has great intelligence and martial art skills
Sept/Oct = A group of friends who get superpowers after their science teacher’s experiment goes wrong– these superpowers could be strength/flying/teleporting
Nov/Dec = A person who gets hit by lightening in a storm and transported to another world where they have to fight the baddy to get back home

Setting

The initial of your first name:

A-D = Jungle
E-H = Park
I-L = Woods
M-P = Beach
Q-U = Farm
V-Z = Fairground

Use the quizzes below to create more detailed characters

Build a villain

The date of your birthday is their personality:

1st- 5th = Blood-thirsty
6th-10th = Evil
11th-15th = Cruel
16th-20th = Wicked
21st – 25th = Vicious
26th – 31st = Wild

Your favourite colour is their secret weapon:

Red = Wrestling
Blue = Flying
Green = Ice-blasting
Yellow = Flame-throwing
Orange = Ninja
Pink = Bone-crushing
Purple = Lightening-striking

Your favourite animal is their evil villain job:

Dog = Clown
Cat = Monster
Monkey = Alien
Mouse = Teacher
Fish = Doctor
Elephant = Giant
Bird = Troll

Hero’s name

Your first name initial:

A-C = The Brilliant
D-G = The Awesome
H-K = The Epic
L-O = The Amazing
P-S = The Great
T-V = The Fantastic
W-Z = The Magnificent

Your surname initial is their personality:

A-D = Fiery
E-H = Crafty
I-L = Brave
M-P = Cool
Q-T = Wild
U-Z = Bonkers

Your birthday month is their hero job:

Jan/Feb = Rock star
Mar/Apr = Tiger-man
May/Jun = Lion-lady
Jul/Aug = Wonder-kid
Sept/Oct = Knight
Nov/Dec = Warrior

Crime-fighting gadget

Your middle initial:

A-F = Helicopter hat
G-L = Rocket boots
M-R = Super-fast car
S-Z = Invisibility suit
None = Sticky shoes to walk up buildings and ceilings

Side-kick

Your favourite food:

Chocolate = Super-smart talking parrot
Pizza = Ninja cat
Chips = Brave dog
Strawberries = Speedy cheetah
Ice cream = Acrobatic monkey
Crisps = Fire-breathing dragon

Try drawing your favourite results and writing a short description of them. You can use them in a story if you feel inspired by them or keep them in a creative writing folder to use in the future.