Suburbs

When the hectic life of the big city is making you CRAZY, isn’t it nice to head out to the ‘burbs for a BBQ block party?

The suburbs are a great place for a ton of stories

The suburbs surround the city, nestled just outside the industrial belt and the bustling ring road. Connected by networks of boulevards and light rail transit, commuters come and go like clockwork. Serene and peaceful to some, monotonous and dull to others, the ‘burbs are a great setting for story.

These comfortable, family-friendly suburbs can provide a reliable homebase for a great deal of soon-to-reveal-itself disaster, agony, and irony. You can tuck in some seething domestic anger behind closed doors or you can create the “perfect” family soon to face tragic narrative wreckage. The suburbs can mask anything from magic to alien power, from vampires nestled in basements to superheroes hiding their identities.

Writing Prompts for the Suburbs

There is a lot to hide behind the doors of a suburban home, so have fun unsettling the unsuspecting, cozy masses in the suburbs with some of the idea prompts below.

• A neighbor who is seldom seen in the day has lights on all night long. What are they up to in there?
• You move to a new suburb and everyone is really nice. In fact, they seem too nice. What are they hiding?
• A family has just moved into your suburban neighborhood and you’re invited to a housewarming party. While you’re there, you discover something unsettling in a partially unpacked moving box.
• You wake up one night at 3:33 AM and go investigate what’s making a noise in the basement. When you get down there, one of the basement walls has caved in and there is an empty space beyond. Do you dare venture in to the catacombs beneath the ‘burbs?
• You’ve grown up in the suburbs but your conservative background is being challenged by a burning desire to get out and explore the world. What enticing individual could you meet to take you away from here?
• You are awakened by the sound of sirens. They’re getting eerily closer. What emergency are they called to in your neighbourhood?
• Life has been predictable, but that’s about to change. Today, your partner has returned home wearing an odd expression. Something is wrong, but they’re hesitant to tell you. They are about to reveal something life changing.
• A peaceful afternoon is interrupted by the arrival of a salesperson at your front door. What are they selling door-to-door that will change things?
• In your backyard, you find a buried treasure. Is it a blessing… or a curse?
• The media shows up at your neighbour’s house — or yours. Someone has gone missing from the suburbs.
• One of your neighbours is banging on the door. You open it thinking there’s an emergency. They hand you a bag and ask you to hold on to it for you and then they bolt out of there. You can’t help but look into the bag. What’s in there? Cash or guns? Something else?

Suburb Environments

Within the greater suburban environment are some great focus settings for story ideas. With that in mind, take a look at the list here and see what jumps out at you as inspiration for a story.

• satellite community, gated village, the “Hills”, the “Hamptons”, the “Valley”, enclave, the wealthy side of the tracks, residential zone, uptown district,
• house, bungalow, two-story, split-level, duplex, condo, condominium, town house, row house, walk up apartment, ritzy home, walk-out, three-car garage,
• golf course, soccer field (footy pitch), baseball diamond, basketball court, outdoor rink, tennis court, football field,
• recreation centre, leisure center, swimming pool, spray park,
• park, meadow, parkway, dog park, green space, environmental reserve,
• school yard, private school, day care, day home, kindergarten, playschool,
• convenience store, grocer’s, liquor store, strip mall, movie rental place (80s & 90s),
• garage, gas station, mechanic, lube shop,
• professional centre with doctor’s office, dentist, lawyer, realtor, photographer, veterinarian, counselling service, shrink, chiropractor,
• spa, yoga studio, tai chi centre, wholistic treatment facility, reiki studio, fung shui consultant, barber, stylist,
• coffee shop, donut house, mom & pop restaurant, diner, tea house, neighbourhood pub,
• valley, ravine, vale, woods, copse of trees, community garden,
• cemetery, grave plot, memorial garden, sanctuary,
• church, temple, mosque, synagogue, altar, monument,
• restaurant, bar, boutique, cinema,
• man-made lake, pond, canal, creek, stream, spring, fountain,
• walking path, jogging trail, shale walks, boardwalk,
• corner store, bookstore, health supplements store, convenience store,
• music store, secondhand shop, pottery shop, picture framing studio,
• nearby highway, expressway, on-ramp, elevated train, subway stop

Stuff in the Suburbs

There are a lot of items in the suburbs that can be used as story prompts. So simply take anything from the list below and break it, lose it, enchant it, curse it, or twist it in some way and you’ve got yourself a great story starter.

• lawn mower, riding mower, weed whacker, leaf bags, leaf blower, hedge trimmer,
• barbeque, grill, smoker, kettle grill, hibachi,
• pets, wiener dogs, tom cats, birds, gerbils, ferrets, pit bull, golden retriever, tabby cat, a good mouser,
• vehicles: Porche, BMW, Audi, Mini Cooper, cute cars, expensive cars, custom cars, sedan, minivan,
• boat, big boat, bigger boat, fishing boat, ski boat, surf boat, canoe, kayak,
• trees, bushes, hedge, garden, vegetable patch, flower bed, planters, pots,
• balcony, deck, patio,
• gazebo, arbor, water feature, fountain, firepit,
• shed, shack, wood pile, garden shed, cage,
• gate, fence, wall, chain link, picket fence, brick wall, retaining wall,
• road, path, alley,
• bus, transit, train,
• powerline, cable,
• street sweeper, police cruiser, garbage truck,
• street lamps, road signs, street signs, lamp post, power pole,
• trampoline, backyard pool, sand box, tree fort, treehouse,
• backyard games like bocce, croquet, badminton, horseshoes,
• toys, riding toy, bicycles, wagon, hula hoops, playhouse, playset,
• realty sign, political signs,
• flag, mailbox, name plaque, house numbers,
• garage sale, church rummage sale,
• wi-fi, satellite, cable, cell service,
• clothesline,
• bird house, bird feeder, bird bath,

Suburban Characters

All kinds of people live in the suburbs so you can use any of the following to spark a story. From the kind and generous to the strange and whacky, see what inspires you from this list.

• suburbanite, home owner, householder, citizen, folks from uptown, uptowner,
• commuter, daily traveler, straphanger, passenger, rider,
• businessperson, white collar worker, office worker, merchant, investor, banker, lawyer, dentist, doctor
• competitive neighbours, the Joneses, neighbour with the best Christmas lights,
• cliques, groups, “in” crowd, old timers, newbies,
• security personnel, police, private police, officers on bicycles, patrolman, cop, officer,
• coffee barista, super friendly java counter worker, blasé coffee shop owner,
• disillusioned midlife resident trying to be a hip youngster,
• the girl next door, the new kid on the block, the quiet teen,
• cyclist, bike rider, jogger, guy doing tai chi in the park, dog walker,
• piano teacher, violin virtuoso, cellist, city orchestra member,
• professor, teacher, instructor, researcher,
• analyst, consultant,
• football coach, soccer mom, team manager, coach,
• organizer, block party planner,
• movers, lawn care company, gardeners, pest control, handyman, repair crew, utility monitor,
• neighbours that are: wise, kind, friendly, suspicious, loony,
• a couple that is always fighting and you can hear it through their walls and yours
• door-to-door sales, solicitor, fundraisers, religious zealots, bottle-drive kids, flyer delivery, paperboy,
• local convenience store family that lives above their store for generations
• pizza delivery, taxi driver, mail carrier,
• potential buyers, house shoppers,
• serial killer, predator,
• abuser, alcoholic, addict, someone in denial,

Suburban Events

Lots of activity takes place in the suburbs. Because of this, you have tons of opportunity to mess with your characters, so check out some of the ideas below and use one as the basis to throw a wrench into their lives:

• kids soccer match, charity football game, school baseball game, adult softball tournament
• bake sale, charity fundraiser, bottle drive, neighbourhood garage sale, block party, wiener roast, family day,
• book club, church group, support meeting has some unwelcome tension,
• community league meeting, annual hall party,
• wedding, funeral, birthday party, family gathering, or “welcome home” party is made uncomfortable by a particular guest,
• poker night, bowling night, horseshoes gets too serious,
• pub crawl, bachelorette party, or wine tasting gets “too honest” and a fight breaks out,
• community clean up event, recycling event,
• garden tour, house tour,
• kids play date,
• daily run, walk, jog, bike ride,
• park sun tanning, frisbee toss, throwing a ball around,
• repo-man shows up, private investigator is parked outside, cops keep cruising by,
• abduction, crime, domestic dispute, fight between neighbours,
• annoying birds keep pooping on the deck, wild animals roaming about, something keeps tearing into the garbage bags,
• alien surveillance, UFO sightings,
• hauntings, ghost hunters called in, séance taking place,