412+ ‘Fiction’ Writing Prompts
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Eyes of an Editor
Imagine you are an editor at a publishing house and base your story on a submission that absolutely blew you…
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Vanished Without a Trace
Create a scenario where a well-known public figure disappears under mysterious circumstances.
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Hidden Letters
Write about a character that discovers a hidden letter in an old trunk, revealing a family secret.
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Alien Animal Discovery
Imagine discovering an animal on another planet. How would you describe this alien animal?
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Frozen Eternity
Imagine a world where the entire Earth has become a frozen wasteland. How would life adapt and survive?
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The Last Two Minutes
Write a flash fiction story that takes place in the last two minutes before a major event.
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Twilight Momentum
Write a piece of flash fiction where the most important event occurs right before the story begins.
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Emotion Emission
Pen a narrative that subtly expresses a strong emotional journey without ever naming the emotion in question.
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The Secret Life of School Supplies
Write a flash fiction story from the perspective of a piece of school equipment such as a blackboard, microscope or…
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Hollowed Halls
Set a flash fiction story in a seemingly desolate space, where the atmosphere and objects within the space tell a…
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Whispers of the Past
Write a story where each line reveals a different decade in the character’s life.
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River of Consciousness
Write a flash fiction piece in the stream of consciousness mode, focusing on the thoughts and reactions of your protagonist…
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Vanishing Point
Write a flash fiction exploring the concept of someone or something vanishing without a trace.
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Hidden Protagonist
Craft a flash fiction focusing on a secondary character, only to reveal in the final lines that they were the…
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The Sudden Hero
Write a flash fiction story about a seemingly ordinary character who is thrust into an extraordinary situation and must quickly…
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Mystery-Unraveled Puzzle
Your challenge is to write a flash fiction story that begins with a mystery and abruptly ends with a solution…
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Exchange of a Lifetime
Create a high-stakes negotiation in a flash fiction format, letting tension, pacing, and resolution play out on a quick turn.
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Flashback Microcosm
Write a piece of flash fiction that takes your readers from a moment of startling revelation back through key memories…
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Veins of History
Write about a vampire who has lived through some of human history’s pivotal moments.
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Mythical Creatures Come Alive
Imagine having a pet unicorn or a dragon. Write about a typical day spent with your mythical pet.
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Mysterious Doppelganger
Invent a character who encounters their exact double. How do they react? What happens next?
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Wild West Adventure
Create a thrilling adventure set in the Wild West. Incorporate cowboys, sheriffs, horse chases, and a mysterious treasure.
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Earth Day Awakening
Write about a fictional character who gains an unexpected appreciation for the environment on Earth Day.
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Journey to The Unknown
Imagine a situation in which your character suddenly has to leave their home planet and settle on an unknown one.
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Ghost in the Machine
You’re an artificial intelligence tasked with understanding humans. Write about your observations.
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Fathers in Fiction
Write a short story where a father is the main character. Celebrate qualities you admire in him.
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A Letter from Future Self
Write a letter to your present self from your future self, telling about all the awesome things you have accomplished.
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Travel in Time
Imagine a science experiment gone wrong and you’ve been transported to the past. Share your adventures there and how you…
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Giants Causeway Wonderment
Write a myth or legend inspired by the unusual rock formations at the Giant’s Causeway.
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A Branded Heirloom
Choose an object that has been passed down through generations in your family. Write a story based on the history…
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Discovering Ancestors
Craft a story about a distant ancestor whom you never met. Imagine the life they lived and how it impacts…
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Magical Mishap
Write a story about a magic potion gone wrong, and the hilarious, disastrous, or surprising outcomes.
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Mystical Lands
Create a new magical world with its own rules and creatures, and describe a day in the life of an…
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Letter from the Front Line
Pretend you are a soldier during a major war, and write a letter home to your family.
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Traveling Through Time
Write a diary entry of a young adventurer who has just discovered a time machine.
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The Hilarious Heist
Write a story about a robbery that doesn’t go plain sailing due to a series of comedic failures.
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Shadowy Forecasts
Draft an alternate reality where Groundhog Day predictions are absolute and accurate.
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Midnight in Paris
Imagine a literary scholar who is unexpectedly pulled into a world of spies while researching in Paris.
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Evasive Love
Write a flash fiction about a character who actively avoids acknowledging their feelings of love.
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Overwhelming Joy
Write a flash fiction about a character experiencing an unexpected moment of pure joy.
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Conflict & Resolution
Write a story in which the main character faces conflict with a perceptually ‘insignificant’ aspect of their routine life, and…
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Narrative Voice
Narrate a typical day in your life from the perspective of a fictional “you” living 100 years in the future.
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Setting The Stage
Describe a city you’ve never visited but instead, construct its image entirely from your imagination.
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Survivor’s Guilt
Write about a character who is the only one to survive an attack in a zombie apocalypse.
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The Easter Bunny’s Diary
Imagine you are the Easter Bunny and write a diary entry about your busiest day – Easter Sunday.
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Sci-fi Easter Escapade
Create a futuristic Easter egg hunt set on a different planet with alien species also participating in the hunt.
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Historical Easter Hunt
Write a historical fiction story where Easter egg hunting was used as a disguise for a more critical and dangerous…
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Festival Foodie Fiction
Write a fictional story revolving around Latkes or Sufganiyot, traditional Hanukkah foods.
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Chronicle of a Future Civilization
Write about Earth’s future where technological advancements morphed civilization into a world unrecognizable from our own.
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Advanced Dystopian Technology
Imagine a world where technology has advanced beyond humanity’s control, leading to a dystopian future.
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The Distant Lighthouse
Create a story about a lighthouse keeper, who, during a fierce storm, spots a ship on a collision course with…
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An Imaginary Journey
Imagine you’re a space explorer, describe what you might encounter on your extraordinary journey.
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Life As An Astronaut
You’re an astronaut traveling through galaxies. Write a diary entry detailing your daily life, the wonders of space, and your…
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The Time Machine Invention
You have invented a time machine. Write about where you would go, what you would do, and who you would…
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Unexpected Aliens
Imagine coming home from school one day to discover that your family has adopted an alien. Describe this extraterrestrial family…
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The April Revolution: Historical Fiction
April marks the month of numerous historical events, including the 1960 April Revolution in South Korea. Write a fictional story…
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Cyber Viking
Envision the world where cybernetically enhanced vikings have become spacefaring conquerors.
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The Crime Without Motive
Create a mystery where a crime is committed, but there’s no apparent motive.
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Memory Twist
Write a crime fiction where an eyewitness’s memory of the crime makes a twist in the narrative.
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Unseen Shadows
Write a flash fiction about a theft that occurred in broad daylight and the criminal remains invisible.
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Murky Shadows
Write about a detective’s darkest investigation where the victim and the offender are not apparent.
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If Time Stopped
Imagine a moment where time stopped, what would you do and what would happen around you?
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Journey to an Unknown Planet
Embark on a creative adventure to an unknown planet, describe it visually and culturally.
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Parallel Universe City
In a parallel universe setting, re-create your own city or town to reflect the human emotions and principles you wish…
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Fictional Morality Check
Conjure up a fictional world and an accompanying moral dilemma within it. Write about the character grappling with this dilemma.
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Conversational Overlap
Craft a flash fiction piece where two characters are having separate conversations at the same time.
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The Relevation
Write a vignette where one simple, unexpectedly profound sentence changes the course of the conversation.
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Hidden Messages
Create a flash fiction story where the characters communicate crucial information but never state it explicitly.
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The Farewell
Compose a flash fiction piece where the plot centers on a farewell conversation between two characters.
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Masquerade of Despair
A themed masquerade party takes a terrifying turn when guests become their costumes.
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Character Complexity
Draft a story from mainstream fiction where the character develops over time, before condensing it into a flash fiction where…
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Expanded Vs. Pointed Description
Write a story using detailed and elaborate descriptions, and then shave it down into a flash fiction utilizing pointed, impactful…