Hey Pandas, Have You Ever Written A Story Before?

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Somewhere in the world, right now, a brave soul has opened a blank document, typed “Once upon a time,” and then immediately panicked because that’s a lot of pressure for four words. If that’s you: welcome. Grab a snack. We’re in this together.

“Hey Pandas” posts are basically the internet’s coziest campfirepeople toss in a prompt, and strangers share memories, confessions, and little slices of imagination. One recent Bored Panda prompt straight-up invited folks to “write a short story” (any genre, any length) and asked everyone to keep the space kind and safe while they share.

So… have you ever written a story before?
If your answer is “Yes, in third grade, and it involved a shark who was also a detective,” that counts.
If your answer is “No, but I’ve rehearsed 400 fake arguments in the shower,” that also counts (congrats, you already understand character motivation).

This guide is for the Pandas who want to try storytellingwhether you’re posting a micro-fiction in a comment thread, drafting a short story, or finally giving your daydreams a lease in written form. We’ll keep it practical, funny, and very friendly to beginners, while still going deep enough that you’ll feel like you leveled up by the end.

What “Counts” as a Story (Spoiler: More Than You Think)

A story isn’t “pretty writing.” It’s a connected sequence of events that creates meaningreal or fictional, tiny or epic. Many writing guides boil stories down to a handful of core building blocks like setting, plot, conflict, characters, and theme.

Here’s the simplest definition that actually helps while drafting:
A character wants something, something gets in the way, and the character changes (or refuses to).
That’s it. That’s the engine.

Even a 100-word story can do that. Even a joke can do that. Even a “my cat did a weird thing” anecdote can do thatif it has a pivot: a surprise, a realization, a consequence.

Start With a Want, Not a Weather Report

New writers often begin with atmosphere (“The rain fell sadly…”). That’s not wrong, but it’s like opening a movie with a beautifully filmed door… that nobody ever walks through.

Instead, start with want. What does your main character want in the first sceneright now? Conflict is what kicks off action, and it usually shows up right after we meet the main character (or at least right after we learn what they care about).

Quick “want” examples you can steal (legally)

• She wants to return a library book without being judged by the librarian who is basically a human lie detector.
• He wants to apologize, but the apology is stuck behind pride, fear, and a group chat that’s already seen too much.
• They want to win the pie contest… and the judge is their ex.
• A kid wants to keep a tiny dragon hidden in their backpack until the last bell.

Notice how these wants immediately imply obstacles. You don’t have to invent “plot” firstplot often grows naturally out of a desire colliding with reality.

Plot Without the Pain: Two Friendly Story Shapes

Plot structure can sound intimidating, like you need a corkboard, red string, and a suspicious amount of espresso. You don’t. Structures are just maps. Use them to avoid wandering in circles.

1) The classic arc (beginning → middle → end)

Introduce the normal world, introduce the problem, escalate, hit a turning point, and resolve. Many craft resources describe this as an arc with a climax and a resolution (sometimes called the denouement), and they emphasize that the ending shows how the protagonist changed because of what happened.

2) The “Because of that…” chain

If your draft feels like “and then… and then… and then…,” try linking scenes with “because of that.” It forces cause-and-effect, and it nudges your protagonist toward choices (instead of being dragged around by events like a shopping cart with one cursed wheel).

Mini example:

She lies about being able to swim. Because of that, she gets invited on a boat. Because of that, she panics when the engine dies. Because of that, she confesses. Because of that, someone else admits they can’t read a map. Now we have a story about honesty, not boating.

Characters That Feel Alive (Even If They’re Literally a Ghost)

The fastest way to make a character feel real is to show them doing somethingespecially something that reveals how they handle pressure. Writing centers often remind students that we understand characters through action, and that believable plot depends on believable character choices.

Three character tools you can use today

1. Give them a contradiction. A fearless firefighter who can’t make phone calls. A confident CEO who sleeps with the lights on. Contradictions create texture.
2. Give them a private rule. “Never owe anyone.” “Always return shopping carts.” “Never cry in public.” Then threaten the rule.
3. Give them stakes that matter to them. Not “save the world” unless they actually care about the world today. Start personal. Go bigger later.

Also: you don’t need a cast of twelve. For a short story, one or two vivid people can carry the whole thing.

Setting That Pulls Its Weight

Setting isn’t wallpaper. It can create conflict, raise stakes, and force choices. Craft writers often talk about using setting to pressure charactersweather, architecture, social rules, geography, time, and even a room’s vibe can become an obstacle or a trapdoor.

Make your setting do at least one job

• Trap: Elevator stuck between floors.
• Tempt: A thrift store with a “free box” that contains something clearly not free.
• Test: A family dinner where everyone pretends everything is fine (narrator voice: it is not).
• Time-bomb: The last train leaves in six minutes.

When setting affects what characters can do, the story tightens automatically.

Point of View: Choose Your Camera Angle

Point of view is the perspective you use to tell the storyfirst person (“I”), third person (“she/he/they”), and variations of how close the narration gets to a character’s thoughts. Writing guides commonly describe POV as a key decision because it shapes what the reader can know and how intimate the experience feels.

Fast POV cheat-sheet

• First person: Emotional, immediate, great for voice. Also great for unreliable narrators (delightfully messy humans).
• Close third: Flexible, intimate, popular in modern fiction. Feels like a camera over one shoulder.
• Omniscient: Big, sweeping, harder to do well, but gorgeous when it works.

Pick the POV that best delivers the experience you want the reader to have. If your story’s secret sauce is the narrator’s attitude, first person is a strong contender.

“Show, Don’t Tell” (Without Turning Your Story Into a Scented Candle Catalog)

“Show, don’t tell” basically means: don’t just hand the reader informationgive them an experience. Vivid details, specific actions, sensory cues, and concrete images help readers feel what’s happening instead of being told what to think.

Tell vs. Show (tiny example)

Tell: Marcus was nervous.

Show: Marcus checked his phone again, then again, then rotated it like the answer might be hiding behind the screen.

The trick is balance. You don’t have to “show” everything. Sometimes you summarize to move the story forward. Use showing for moments that matterreveals, turning points, emotional beats.

Dialogue That Sounds Human

Great dialogue does two things at once: it sounds like people, and it moves the story. A classic revision move is to read dialogue out loud; if it sounds like a lecture, it probably needs trimming or more tension. And if your characters talk for three pages about a movie that doesn’t affect the plot, your reader may quietly slip out the back door.

Three dialogue upgrades that work fast

1. Give each speaker a goal. One wants the truth. One wants to avoid it. Boom: tension.
2. Let people dodge. Real humans rarely answer directly when it’s uncomfortable (and stories thrive on discomfort).
3. Cut the “hello”s. Start late in the conversation, leave early. Your reader will catch up.

Draft Like a Gremlin, Revise Like a Surgeon

Drafting and revising are different jobs. Drafting is for making the thing exist. Revising is for making the thing work.

Many writing coaches encourage “messy” first draftsbecause over-controlling too early can flatten your voice and kill discovery. Give yourself permission to write the version that’s alive, even if it’s lopsided. Then fix it later.

A practical revision pass (no corkboard required)

• Pass 1: Clarity. Who wants what? What’s in the way? What changed by the end?
• Pass 2: Cause-and-effect. Replace “and then” with “because of that” wherever you can.
• Pass 3: Scene heat. Raise stakes, add pressure, sharpen choices.
• Pass 4: Line-level polish. Strong verbs, fewer filler words, read it out loud.

Bonus: get a beta reader (a kind one). Fresh eyes catch the parts your brain autocorrects.

If You’re Stuck: 12 No-Shame Story Starters

Use these as Bored Panda–style prompts, writing sprints, or “comment-thread microfiction.” Pick one and write for 15 minutes without stopping.

1. A person receives a voicemail… from their own number.
2. The town’s statue changes positions every night.
3. Two strangers realize they’ve been telling the same story from opposite sides.
4. A kid finds a “lost and found” box labeled: Returned Memories.
5. A baker’s bread predicts the weather (badly).
6. A job interview goes perfectly until the interviewer asks, “Do you remember me?”
7. A roommate pact: no secrets. Day three: disaster.
8. A text arrives: “Don’t open the door.” The doorbell rings.
9. A magician loses the ability to lie.
10. A small kindness causes a huge, unintended ripple.
11. A character must win something… without using the one skill they rely on.
12. The last sentence of your story is: “That’s when the dog started talking.”

Sharing Your Story Online (Without Getting Emotionally Clotheslined)

Posting a story in a community thread can be wildly motivating. You’re not just writing into the void; you’re writing toward people. That’s why prompts like “Hey Pandas, share your best short stories” work: the stakes are low, the audience is real, and the vibe is meant to stay supportive.

Three ways to make online sharing feel safer

• Set a boundary before you post. Are you looking for praise, gentle feedback, or just accountability? Decide first.
• Start small. Try 100–300 words. Finish something. Completion builds confidence.
• Protect your momentum. If one comment stings, don’t “quit writing.” Quit reading comments for a day.

And remember: a short story is allowed to be a draft. A lot of writers don’t get “good” by waiting to feel readythey get good by finishing, revising, and finishing again.

Conclusion: Yes, You Can Write a Story (Even If You’ve Never “Written a Story”)

If you’ve ever told a friend about the weirdest thing that happened at the grocery store, you already understand pacing, suspense, and comedic timing. If you’ve ever replayed an argument and thought of a better comeback two hours later, you already understand character desire and missed opportunities. Congratulations: you are extremely qualified to start.

Start with a want. Add an obstacle. Make your setting do something. Choose a POV that fits. Write a messy draft. Revise for cause-and-effect. Then toss it into the worldmaybe in a “Hey Pandas” threadso your story can do what stories do best: connect humans who’ve never met.

of Experiences Related to “Hey Pandas, Have You Ever Written A Story Before?”

If you ask a room of people, “Have you ever written a story before?” you’ll usually get three types of answersand they all come with their own secret emotion. The first answer is the proud one: “Yes, all the time.” This person has drafts, folders, maybe even a color-coded system that makes other adults whisper, “Is that… competence?” Their experience is often less magical than outsiders assume. They’ve learned that inspiration is great, but routines are better. Some days the words show up like loyal pets. Other days the words hide under the couch and refuse eye contact. The difference is that regular writers still sit down and write anyway, even if it’s ugly at first.

The second answer is the apologetic one: “I used to.” This is the person who wrote as a kidwild, fearless stories with zero concern for plot holesthen grew up and started paying rent, and suddenly every sentence felt like it needed a performance review. Their experience is common: adulthood convinces us that creativity must be justified. But the funny thing is, it doesn’t take much to restart. Often it’s a prompt, a challenge, or a friendly community post that lowers the stakes. A “Hey Pandas” thread works because it invites play. Nobody’s asking you to be perfect; they’re asking you to show up. The first story back is rarely brilliant. But it’s often a relieflike remembering you can still run, even if you’re out of breath.

The third answer is the nervous laugh: “No… not really.” These are the Pandas who have stories in their heads but haven’t put them on the page, usually because the blank screen feels like a spotlight. Their early experience, once they start, is almost always the same: the first paragraph is slow. They reread the first sentence ten times. They wonder if their idea is “dumb.” Thenif they keep goingsomething clicks. A character makes a choice. A detail surprises them. They accidentally write a line that feels true. That moment is the hook, not just for the reader, but for the writer. It’s when writing stops being a test and becomes an experience.

Sharing stories online adds another layer to the experience: the tiny bravery of letting strangers see your imagination. Some writers describe their first post as oddly exhilarating, like stepping onto an open-mic stage without leaving your house. Others feel exposed and refresh the page too many times. Both reactions are normal. The healthiest pattern is to treat community sharing like a writing gym, not a verdict. You post to practice finishing. You post to connect. You post because you want to become the kind of person who writes storiesand the fastest way to become that person is to do the thing, then do it again. In the end, the most “real” writing experience isn’t a lightning bolt of talent. It’s the quiet satisfaction of typing “The End,” leaning back, and realizing: you made something that didn’t exist before.

Sources Consulted (Names Only)

Guidance and concepts in this article were synthesized from widely used U.S.-based writing resources and craft publications, including:

• Purdue OWL (Purdue University)
• Writer’s Digest
• Poets & Writers
• Grammarly
• MasterClass
• UNC Chapel Hill Writing Center
• Jane Friedman’s writing advice site
• The New York Public Library (writing programs)
• Bored Panda community writing prompts
• Additional U.S.-focused writing-craft outlets and educator resources