This was our first year posting daily short story prompts for International Short Story Month, and we thought it was such a fun addition to our tenth anniversary month’s festivities. You’ll find all 31 of our short story writing prompts below for your convenience. Our hope is that you’ll return to this page the next time you’re in need of inspiration!
We originally posted these prompts on Instagram. Follow us there for more daily writerly content!
- The last person the royals would expect discovers the terrible secret behind the kingdom’s riches.
- Memories, dreams, and ideas can be bought and sold. Your character is desperate for money.
- Write a story that takes place over the course of three months.
- A soldier is assigned a mission that goes against a moral code.
- Little did your character know that the dinner party invitation would change everything.
- Your protagonist is a child wandering alone.
- A struggling entrepreneur is trapped in a cycle of constant disappointment, until …
- It’s midnight on New Year’s Eve. Your character kisses a complete stranger.Write what happens next.
- The illness is spreading, and there isn’t much time.
- A character claims to be from the future and will not shut up about it.
- Write a story about a character who doesn’t believe the spouse is dead.
- Your character received the final paycheck—and there are a lot more zeroes than expected.
- What is a message in a bottle doing a hundred miles from the beach?
- Your character’s appearance belies a gentle nature.
- Write a story where revealing the truth won’t set your honest-to-a-fault protagonist free.
- A con artist makes an offer that can’t be refused.
- Who’s the blond?
- Write a story about a proposal and a proposition.
- The loyal and devoted best friend is your protagonist.
- We’re taking this show on the road!
- Take inspiration from something that happened to you, the writer, at some point today.
- A new admirer jeopardizes a relationship.
- In this story, the truth comes out in whispered conversations.
- They only ever call it “the house.” There’s no need to specify.
- Write a story about a hidden cache of legal documents that reveal a dark secret.
- Your character has finally returned home, but receives a shock when …
- How’s this for a deal?
- I used to be told my temper would get me into trouble.
- Despite the warnings, your character decides to befriend the recluse next door.
- Write a story divided into seven parts, each titled after a day of the week.
- Write about fortune.
