Who says you can't pull inspiration from music? If you're a fiction writer and you're ever at a loss for what to write about, then don't be afraid to spark your creative juices with this list.
Personally, I'm biased towards writing short stories that feature some sort fantastical conflict — zombie-esque apocalypses, superpowered oppressors, sentient stuffed animals and the like. That's the lens that I choose to look at these prompts through, and I also imagine them being the first line of a story. However, feel free to interpret these dialogue prompts however you wish, and put them wherever you want in your work.
2. "Stand beside or step aside. We're on the front line." — "Frontline," Pillar
This line sets the scene for some sort of large-scale conflict, one that the main characters are a part of. The stakes, however, are completely up to you. Who are the warring sides? Who is the speaker talking to, and are they reluctant to join the fight? Is this the final showdown, or a minor skirmish?
4. "I don't know if I'll make it... but watch how good I'll fake it." — "Tonight, Tonight," Hot Chelle Rae
This sounds like the word of the happy-go-lucky character forced to be somber because of the story's circumstances. Used to hiding their troubles with a smile, they part from their friends with one last attempt at a joke before adventuring off into the unknown. Or at least. That's my interpretation.
6. "If I could kill you, I would, but it's frowned upon in all 50 states." — "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing," Set It Off
Alternatively: "I smell the blood of a petty little coward," from a different point in the song.
It seems a bit obvious that there is no love lost between this speaker and whoever they're addressing. What happened between them? What's their history, and why don't they like each other? Could the addressee, perhaps, not even have been aware of the depth of the speaker's animosity until this statement? Is the speaker the type to murder people out of spite, or was this an empty threat?
8. "Is there any good left in me?" — "Good Man," Devour the Day
I can see this line being a great opening for a character study, or some sort of introspective passage. Perhaps the speaker is haunted by ghosts of a past they can't escape. Perhaps they've been forced over the line they thought they'd never cross, and they're now questioning everything about their morals and what they believe in. This line definitely has the potential for a lot of self-blame and doubt. Who is the speaker talking to? A beloved mentor? The grave of the one they couldn't save? A pet?
10. "We're never leaving this place alive." — "Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back," My Chemical Romance
The somber final rousing line of one that's all too aware of their doom. This line could be a good segway into a sacrifice of some sort, especially considering the name of the song. What's happening? Is this some sort of war-torn environment? A booby-trapped house of horrors? A spy mission gone terribly wrong? A group of survivors cornered by zombies? Let your imagination decide.
