here are some ways to generate your own creative story ideas
finding your own names is a great idea. you can get all sorts of ideas from just names alone. start keeping a name list. go to baby names sites or look at imdb at your fave movies or tv shows. look not just at cast member names but the names of the crew as well. (also look at last names.) you can always look up a names meaning. keep a list of names you like and names you don't like. look up mythological names. names from other countries, look at your family names, get your yearbook out and look at names of people you went to school with. get out the phonebook and look at names there. like i said before you never know when or where inspiration will strike.
writers read, read, and read some more, read more books, read more magazines, read the graffiti on the walls. reading will also help you to develop your writing voice. read in the genres you like and then read outside of your genre. also make sure to read lots of non fiction. this will help when you have to reseach.
practice your writing in the following ways
find online writing prompts and follow them
read an article online about whatever floats your boat. then rewrite the article YOUR way.
keep a dream journal. every time you wake up from a dream or a nightmare write it down immediately. over time you will be able to remember more details. plus you never know when or where inspiration will strike
keep a daily journal. every day before you go to sleep write down in your journal everything that you did, that you experienced, that you thought about, that you saw. just everything. this will help you practice your writing, it will give you a chance to try out new vocabulary, and increase your observation skills. observe people more when you are out and about. when you see someone try to think what their story is. where they were before they crossed your path, where they are going next. again you never know when or where inspiration will strike.
when you have an argument or something write it down from your perspective. then take some time and write it from the other persons perspective. if more then two people were there try writing from each persons perspective
make a list of your favorite words. use a thesaurus to find similar words. learn new vocabulary. when practice writing try out the new words. try them out in conversations with people as well.
pick up a book and open to a random page. read the top sentence. then use that sentence to start writing. just continue on from that one sentence. you can do this with a book, magazine, newspaper, heck you could even turn on the radio or tv and use the first thing you hear.
look at other countries on a globe or a map. maybe think of places you would like to go or places you have already been if you were lucky enough to travel. look at place names. if you find something you are interested in go to the library and find out about it. yes you can use the internet but also try the library. the librarians have degrees and can help you locate more information and sometimes faster then you can find it yourself. read up on history that interests you. local legends, mythology or anything.
listen to music. if you need new music or a new genre try lastfm. they have great suggestions. listen to movie soundtracks or video game music or whatever. you never know what will inspire you.
go back to a newspaper and look at the classified section, the help wanted, lost and found, or even headlines. make a story from that. maybe the obituaries as well. like with the obits, maybe someone who looks a lot like the person who died shows up at the funeral. make a story out of that. or someone shows up who claims to be a long lost cousin or daughter or whatever. how about a classified someone says they found a dog or cat and the owner comes to claim said pet. week later the pet is found by same person again. they keep meeting. why does the pet keep going back. someone is renting a house. a person driving by stops to investigate because since they were a child they kept having dreams about this house. Why?
go to any room in your house or apartment. close your eyes and spin around three times. then stop and open your eyes.. the first three things you see write a story about that.
rip some paper into some strips. make some piles or put them into bowls or hats. in each section write down different things. for example in one pile write down some verbs in another pile write down some nouns. write down some common fears. the possibilities are endless. then pick one paper from each pile and write your story.
do not forget to play the what if game. what would happen if..........
go to listverse and look at some of their lists. you could get inspired there.
look up some pictures for inspiration. look at sunrises or sunsets or forests or boats or cats or whatever you like.
start doing research on something. if you always wondered how they make something look it up. if you like a certain time period then start researching it. there are so many ways to get inspired from that
go sit in a dark room or closet and see what your mind comes up with
go listen to a thunderstorm or waves on a beach. ( you can find both on youtube.com) see what comes to mind.
find another creative way to get inspired. for example i know one author i love likes to dress dolls in the fashions of the time period she is writing about. i know someone who draws her characters, i know someone who makes wire people and animals. i know someone who takes photos to help inspire him, i know someone who knits while making a plot. i know someone who cooks to get inspiration. i know someone who paints. someone who does diy. there are no limits find something you like to do
also keep some paper and a pen or a recording device with you at all times cause you never know when inspiration will strike and you will want to have a way to remember.