The story does not have to be finished. Have students share, in small groups, the results. Ask groups to pick out the story they enjoyed the most and share it with the class. The author or another student can read it and the author can remain anonymous. Also, groups can opt out of sharing.
Most groups find a piece they like and the anonymous aspect takes away the pressure.
Let students pick out the words the next time you do this activity. It is interesting to hear the different stories that the students create based on the four words. You can vary the word number if you wish. We tried six words as a challenge.