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Best Short Story Writing Prompts

Join our ongoing contests and win up to $1,500. Flex those creative muscles with these writing prompts.

Showing 273 prompts reset

This week's contest:
Win $250

Two's a Crowd with Kirsiah Depp

215 contest entries /
94 stories

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View contest
Closes at 23:59 - Jun 05 EST

Write a story about two characters who surprisingly end up spending a holiday or event together.

– 49 stories

Write a story that starts and ends in the same place.

– 74 stories

Write a story set in a world of darkness where light is suddenly discovered.

– 40 stories

Write a story where a character relives the same event over and over again.

– 31 stories

Set your story during the coldest day of the year.

– 50 stories

Write a story from the POV of a non-human character.

– 95 stories

A family argument gets out of hand. Neither side will budge, requiring a mediator with unusual methods.

– 47 stories

Write a story with the word “wicked” in the title.

– 62 stories

Write from the POV of a fairy tale character sharing their side of the story.

– 107 stories

Write a story that includes the line “Better late than never.”

– 37 stories

Write a story from the point of view of a witch, spirit, or corpse.

– 121 stories

Write a story where a creature turns up in an unexpected way.

– 85 stories

Write a story that includes the line “Fate is resourceful.”

– 72 stories

Your character is invited to a secret meeting. Who invited them, and what do they encounter?

– 38 stories

Write a story in the form of diary/journal entries about a secret or confession.

– 67 stories

Write a story in which the narrator or a character says "Did you hear that?"

– 79 stories

Write a story from the point of view of a ghost, vampire, or werewolf.

– 131 stories

Write a story with the aim of scaring your reader.

– 109 stories

Two strangers discover they have a hidden connection that alters their understanding of each other and themselves.

– 66 stories

A chance encounter brings together two old friends who have changed in surprising or strange ways.

– 45 stories

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