80+ ‘Flash fiction’ Writing Prompts
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Flashback in a Flash
Write a flash fiction story where the most important event happens in a flashback.
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Object of Significance
Use a unique or unusual object as the central focus of a flash fiction story.
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Paradox of the Past
Create a flash fiction story about a character who learns a shocking secret from their past.
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Flash Forward
Imagine a future event involving one, two, or three characters only and describe it in a single moment.
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Elevator Suspense
Write a flash fiction piece about three individuals who get stuck in an elevator, each hiding secrets that start to unravel.
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Castle and the Captive
Write a flash fiction piece where a castle is a metaphor for a character’s mental imprisonment.
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Echoes of the Heart
Craft a flash fiction piece where music serves as a metaphor for a character’s deeply buried emotions.
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The Clockwork Character
Write a piece of flash fiction where a mechanical clockwork mechanism is a metaphor for a character’s regimented and controlled life.
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Garden of Life
Write a flash fiction story where a flower garden stands as a metaphor for a character’s growth and evolution.
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The Language of Seasons
Use a particular season of the year as a metaphor for a significant life phase in a flash fiction piece.
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Flash Fiction Future
Pen a prediction about the role and form of flash fiction in the literature of the future.
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Hidden Depths in Brevity
Author a Flash Fiction tale that appears simple on the surface, but harbors a deeper, hidden meaning.
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Flash Fiction in Waiting Rooms
Imagine scenarios in which people utilize flash fiction in everyday life situations like in waiting rooms.
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Intimacy of Ideas
Tell the story of a complex character within the limited word count of flash fiction.
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The Origin of the Flash
Write a fictional historical account of how flash fiction was first conceived.
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A Whisper of Frost
Write a flash fiction piece centered around a harsh winter’s morning where the frost almost appears alive.
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Word Limit Wonders
Write a story that explores a complex theme or issue within a strict word limit of 100 words.
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Essence of an Era
Choose a historical event or period you find engaging. Write a flash fiction piece that captures its essence within just a few hundred words.
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A Thousand Words
Write a piece based on a photograph or painting, capturing the essence of the subject, the emotions they evoke, and their potential backstory.
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Crystal Clear Conclusions
Craft a hyper-short story that leaves no room for interpretation at the end.
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Snap of Change
Write a flash fiction piece about a pivotal moment that drastically changes a character’s worldview.
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Future Life Recollection
Write a story from the perspective of an elderly person reflecting on a life yet to happen.
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Rapid Fire
Write a story where the pace is highly accelerated, essential events happening within mere moments.
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The Missing Cousin
Write a flash fiction piece revolving around a sudden disappearance of the main character’s cousin.
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Cracking the Code
Draft a flash fiction piece in which the protagonist must solve a cryptic message or puzzle in order to avert disaster.
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News from the Future
You receive a newspaper from the future. Write a flash fiction about how you react to the headlines.
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The Shadows We Carry
Extract a character from your shadow and write a flash fiction where it interacts with you.
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The Silent Object Speaks
Choose an inanimate object in your room, and write a flash fiction story from its perspective.
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The End is the Beginning
Write a flash fiction story that ends on the same note or line as it started.
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Balancing Act
Critique a piece of flash fiction, balancing positive aspects and areas of improvement.
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Brief Butterfly Effect
Tell a story that traces the impact of a minor event on a character’s life in 150 words.
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Success is Subjective
Draft a story about an author whose flash fiction piece was rejected by multiple publishers but reluctantly gains popularity after publishing it on a humble blog.
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The Packaged Deal
Tell a tale of an author struggling to find a publishing house for their controversial piece of flash fiction.
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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 away.
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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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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 textbook.
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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 story of their own.
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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 rather than the events happening.
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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 protagonist all along.
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Unexpected Transformation
Write a flash fiction about a seemingly mundane event that culminates in an unexpected and shocking transformation.
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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 rise to the challenge.
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Parallel Universe Quickstep
Write a flash fiction piece where your protagonist lives in a parallel world, experiencing vastly different realities within a scant timeframe.
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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 no one saw coming.
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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 of your protagonist’s life.
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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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Ocean’s Whisper
You’re the only human who can talk and understand the language of the ocean. Write a flash fiction around your dialogue with the sea.
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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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Flash Fiction Speed Trial
Using the generator, allocate 20 minutes to write a complete flash fiction story based on the given prompt.
