250+ Category: Short Story Prompts
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Gift of the Magi Redux
Write a story that is a modern day retelling of the ‘Gift of the Magi’ story. Make the setting contemporary and the characters relatable to today’s readers.
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Land of Mistle-Twist
Imagine a world where holiday rules and customs are completely opposite to the ones in our world. Write a story from the perspective of a character who travels from our world to this alternative holiday world.
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Holiday Traditions Upended
Compose a story about a family’s holiday tradition that gets disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances, but unexpectedly lead to a new and better tradition being born.
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Miracle on a Silent Night
Write a short story about a small town that hasn’t had a good holiday in years, but is suddenly visited by a stranger promising to restore their holiday spirit.
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Holiday Magic
Write a short story where the protagonist, a skeptic, begins to see genuine magic happening around him during the holiday season.
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Unexpected Gifts
Write about an instance where you unexpectedly received something that had a profound impact on you.
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A Special Meal
Write about a meal that is particularly memorable because of the place, the people, or the event that transpired.
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Shattered Reflection
Write a psychological thriller where a protagonist with multiple personalities is both the detective and the prime suspect.
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A Thousand Threads
Construct a saga where several characters from different backgrounds converge by the end.
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Puppeteer’s Dilemma
Write a narrative wherein the protagonist is an orchestrator of a complex scheme, dealing with unforeseen consequences of their actions.
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Unravelling Mystery
Draft a detective story where multiple subplots intersect and influence the main narrative.
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Temporal Dialogues
Write a conversation between two people in the same place but different time periods.
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Era of Impact
Write about a major historical event taking place in your hometown, with you as an eye witness.
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Reality Altered
Imagine waking up in the same place but a different time, how will your normal routine be affected?
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Fictitious City
Create a city that exists in a different dimension and time. Describe a day in the life of a resident.
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Historic Encounter
Imagine a day in your life swapped with a day in the life of someone from another era. Detail the hurdles and highlights of this day.
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Dialogue Deception
Create a scenario where two characters understand a dialogue differently, leading to a significant misunderstanding.
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Internal Discourse and Transformation
Write a short story where the main character’s internal dialogue leads to a personal transformation.
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Character Revelation Through Speech
Construct a short narrative where one character’s personality traits are unveiled only through their words.
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Active Dialogue Driving Plot
Write a story where the plot is driven forward primarily through dialogue.
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Gothic Murmurs
Create a gothic narrative centered in an abandoned house that whispers secrets only at midnight.
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Twilight Reunion
Pen a tale about a long-awaited meeting between two individuals during a particularly breathtaking sunset.
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Dystopian Haze
Envision a dystopian world enveloped in a constant smog and write a story based in this setting.
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The March of Time
Craft a narrative centered around a pocket watch that ticks louder as something ominous approaches.
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The Misinterpreted Prompt
Detail a situation whereby a writer misinterprets a prompt, leading to surprising consequences.
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Prompt Whisperer
Write a day in the life of a ‘Prompt Whisperer’, a person with the unique ability to find the perfect prompt for every writer.
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The Prompt Rebellion
Create a short story based on a fictitious scenario where a group of writing prompts gain life and rebel against writers.
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The Prompt Consultant
Take the role of a consultant who advises writers on turning prompts into stories.
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Comedic Hero
Develop a story about an unlikely hero who manages to save the day in a way that leaves everyone laughing.
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Satirical Twists
Write a story featuring a character who provides humorous commentary on societal norms or political situations.
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Laughter in Adversity
Create a short story about a character who uses humor as a tool to navigate a challenging situation.
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Joyful Mix-Up
Write about an encounter where a mix-up or misunderstanding leads to a humorously unexpected outcome.
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Territory & Fear
Develop a short story around a group of animals dealing with a common threat to their territory.
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Eclipse of Emotion
Conjure a world where emotions are considered dangerous and suppressed by a strict regime.
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Fading Footprints
Pen a narrative set in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity is struggling to reassemble.
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Eerie Echoes of Tomorrow
Conjure up a dystopian future where technology has advanced beyond human control.
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Crumbling Citadel
Imagine a society ruled by an oppressive authoritarian regime that is beginning to lose its grip on power.
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Creature Camaraderie
Pen down a tale of an unlikely friendship between a misunderstood supernatural entity and a misfit human.
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Mirrored Dimensions
Compose a story about a haunted mirror that serves as a gateway to another realm.
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Phantom Romance
Pen down a tale of a tragic love story between a human and a spirit, where they both try to overcome the boundaries of life and death.
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Ghostly Confidant
Write a short story about a reluctant medium who confides in a wisecracking ghost.
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Deflected Prophecy
Write about a character who is predicted to bring about a great change or tragedy, only to fundamentally avert the prophecy.
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Just Zeros
Write about a character who inherits a fortune, only to lose interest in it, realizing their love for minimalism.
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The Missing Magic
Write about a world where magic is a mundane, everyday part of life and a character who realises they’d rather live without it.
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Monotonous Life
Write about a character longing for adventure and excitement, but when the opportunity arrives, they find they preferred their quiet life.
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Unexpected Victory
Write about a highly anticipated competition where the underdog triumphs, but the victory feels hollow.
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Forgotten Correspondences
Imagine an abandoned house where letters never sent were kept stored away. Your main character accidentally stumbles upon them.
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The Last Will and Testament
A dying woman leaves behind letters in place of a traditional will, addressing each of her prized possessions to specific individuals with an attached explanation.
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Ghost Words
Construct an epistolary short story where letters from the past mysteriously appear in the present.
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Epistolary Confessions
In a story told solely through letters, expose the unraveling and redemption of a relationship between two people or families.
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Unanswered Letters
Set in a time before modern technology, your protagonist discovers a box of unopened letters. Write an epistolary story exploring the contents and the impact it has on the protagonist and their world.
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Selfie Society
Write a satirical story highlighting the obsession with selfies and the impact on society.
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In the Bubble
Create a tale about a utopian city that is actually far from perfect when viewed closely.
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Species Swap
Write a story where the roles of animals and humans are switched, and animals are running everything.
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Ignoble Nobles
Create a satirical story set in a medieval kingdom where all the nobles are inept and the real power rests with the servants.
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Sign of the Times
Write a short satirical story based on a current social or political issue that you feel strongly about.
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Persephone’s Spring
Develop a story based on the myth of Persephone, symbolizing the succession of winter and spring.
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Legends Turned Real
Write a story in which a well-known legend of your choice is revealed to be true in the present day.
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Apple of Discord
Craft a story revolving around an object of desire that causes conflict, inspired by the golden apple in Greek mythology.
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Mythic Reimagining
Choose a mythological creature from any culture and write a modern day story involving it.
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Lost in Words
Recount an experience where you found solace in books or literature during a tough time.
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First Day Jitters
Pen down the anxieties, excitement, or nervousness experienced during a significant ‘first’ in your life.
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Discovering the Unknown Neighbor
Write a story about a mysterious neighbor you never interacted with.
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The Art Of Revision
Pick a scene from your first short story and revise it based on your current writing skills.
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Chronicle of Artistic Growth
Compare your first ever short story to your most recently written short story.
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Unforgotten Characters
Resurrect the characters from your first short story by writing a sequel to it.
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Childhood Author’s Quill
If you could, how would you rewrite or alter the first short story you remember writing?
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Fantastical News Headlines
Write a news report on an event from a myth, fairy tale, or well-known story as though it happened today.
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Diary of the Misunderstood
Pen a diary entry from the point of view of a popular antagonist reimagining them as a misunderstood hero.
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Intertwining Realities
Write a piece that blends a contemporary setting with elements of a famous novel or play.
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Decoding Fabled History
Rewrite a well-known historical event, but introduce a fantastical or science fiction element.
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Animal Cycle
View the world through the eyes of an animal, detailing their experiences from sunrise to sunset.
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Epistolary Exchange
Set up a correspondence between two characters who are far apart, whether geographically or metaphorically.
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Parallels in Time
Compose a narrative that shifts between two different eras, exploring a common theme.
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Two Sides of the Law
Craft a short story where you alternate between two points of view: the detective investigating a crime and the suspect being investigated for the same crime.
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Shifted Identity
Immerse yourself in the mindset of a character with a completely different background and life experiences from your own.
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Atoning for Misdeeds
Create a narrative about a character who’s seeking ways to make amends for a past action that caused emotional pain to someone they care for.
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The Taboo Love Affair
Write a story about a forbidden love affair that must be navigated with extreme discretion.
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Closing Doors
Write about a character who must decide whether to close a significant chapter of their life to start afresh elsewhere.
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Fatal Secret
Tell a tale revolving around a character who is forced to expose a life-altering secret that can potentially shatter the lives of those closest to them.
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Dramatic Reunion
Write a story about two characters who were once inseparable but have been estranged for years, suddenly reuniting under unforeseen circumstances.
