Setting Applescript variable to list from text file

I'm new to Applescript and the world of coding in general. I'm trying small scripts to get my feet wet and have some fun.

I want to make a random prompt generator. I know how to set the variable to a list but what I have in mind is much bigger than a few choices. I was wondering how to get the information from a text file. In said file I have over 200 prompts to choose from. I want to make a script that selects a random one from among these and displays them in a dialog box. I'm having trouble setting the initial variable to the contents of the file as a list. The follow up (random selection) I think I have a pretty good grasp on. I hope this is clear and thank you for looking.