25 Writing Prompts for Short Stories

Hi friends! In today's blog, I thought I'd do something a bit different and give you 25 writing prompts for short stories (or long stories). Disclaimer - some of these ideas have been enhanced by AI.

Please enjoy :)

1. In a world where dreams manifest into reality, a person discovers their ability to control their dreams and decides to reshape their life.

2. Two young girls find a mysterious key that unlocks a door in the basement into a whole new world.

3. In a society where emotions are traded as commodities, a black market emerges where individuals can steal or purchase emotions illegally.

4. A group of friends stumble upon an abandoned amusement park in the middle of the forest, only to discover it's inhabited by ghosts seeking closure.

5. A scientist invents a machine that allows people to experience memories as if they were reliving them, but the technology starts to have unforeseen consequences.

6. Two girls wander into the woods never to be seen again. What happened?

7. An elderly woman receives a letter from her childhood sweetheart, prompting her to revisit the small town where they grew up together.

8. A person wakes up in a world where everyone has disappeared, except for mysterious messages left behind by an unknown entity.

9. A photographer discovers they have the ability to capture glimpses of the future in their photographs, but soon realises that some futures are better left unseen.

10. A person wakes up in a parallel universe and has to figure out how to get home before it's too late.

11. A detective investigates a series of murders that seem to mimic the plots of famous novels, leading them to suspect a literary-inspired killer.

12. A psychologist is tasked with evaluating a patient who claims to be from the future, leading to a journey of self-discovery for both of them.

13. Start your story with a character who is staring at a photograph they don't remember taking but it's from their camera roll.

14. A lighthouse keeper befriends a stranded mermaid, but their friendship is tested when a storm threatens to tear them apart.

15. A writer discovers that the characters from their unfinished stories have come to life, and must find a way to control their creations before they wreak havoc on the real world.

16. A person discovers they have the ability to communicate with plants, and soon becomes entangled in a botanical conspiracy that threatens the balance of nature.

17. A language enthusiast discovers a forgotten dialect spoken only by a small community living in the remote mountains and becomes determined to preserve it from extinction.

18. A competitive baking competition takes a dark turn when contestants start disappearing one by one, leaving behind cryptic clues in the form of elaborate cakes.

19. Your story starts at 3am, you receive an alert on your phone that reads "STAY INSIDE: DO NOT LEAVE YOUR HOUSE. LOCK ALL YOUR DOORS, SECURE PETS". What do you do?

20. In a future where memories can be implanted and manipulated, a detective must solve a murder case where the victim's memories have been tampered with to conceal the truth.

21. A town is cursed to relive the same day over and over again, but only one person retains their memories each time the day resets.

22. An underground society exists where people live in a world of perpetual darkness, relying solely on echolocation to navigate their surroundings.

23. A group of urban explorers ventures into an abandoned mining town in the Australian Outback, only to find themselves haunted by the ghosts of the town's past inhabitants, who are determined to seek justice for their untimely demise.

24. Amidst the devastation of a raging bushfire, a family must band together to navigate the treacherous landscape of the Australian bush as they fight to survive against the encroaching flames and dwindling resources.

25. Two small towns in rural New Zealand have been bitter rugby rivals for decades, but when a freak storm leaves them isolated and in need of help, they must set aside their differences to survive. As they work together to rebuild their communities, they discover that friendship and teamwork are more important than winning a game.

Feel free to share your stories with me if you write any! Full credit will always be given to the author if published on the blog.

Happy writing! Much love,

Ash xx

PS if you'd like me to write a story based on one of these prompts, let me know which number in the comments below!