Writing prompts for short stories and other fiction

Before you can start a short story, you need an idea. Sometimes it’s difficult to know exactly where to start. That’s where my writing prompts for short stories and other fiction come in.

I love coming up with ideas. But I don’t have the time or the motivation (or the focus, thanks, ADHD!) to actually write all of it myself. So why not share my ideas with other writers?

Think of writer’s block: is it actually an inability to write, or is it a problem caused by a lack of motivation and ideas? One of the most common recommendations for any writer struggling to write is to just write. Writing prompts and short stories are perfect exercises for overcoming writer’s block, because it gets your creative mind flowing and pulls you away from that novel you’re struggling to continue.

This post includes a masterlist of writing prompts. — Keep reading for a masterlist of all my writing prompts!

How to use writing prompts for a short story

On my blog, you’ll find all kinds of writing prompts themed around certain times of the year, genres I specialise in, tropes, character types, and more. You can use these however you want; how you interpret a prompt is completely unique to you!

Unlike many writing prompt generators and posts, I offer a bit of a unique twist on writing prompts. In each post, you’ll find:

character prompts, with 3 possible character descriptions to build from
word prompts, with 6 seemingly-random but on-theme words to use in your short story or just to get you thinking
setting prompts, with 3 settings to pick from or combine together
trope prompts, with 3 tropes linked to a relevant TV Tropes page for further reading and inspiration
plotlines, with 6 potential plots I’ve thought up for you to use or draw inspiration from
a sensory prompt, something that evokes something sensory, like a sound, taste, texture, or sight

That’s 22 prompts per blog post to get those words flowing! You might latch onto just one prompt, combine multiple, or even challenge yourself to do more.

Some writing prompts also include even more inspiration, such as character ideas.

Do whatever you like with the prompts: write a new short story, write a whole novella, incorporate it into the plot of your novel, or anything else.

Want to share how my writing prompts have helped your short stories?

You can let me know how my writing prompts have helped you, and I’d especially love to hear if I’ve helped you enter a competition, publish some short fiction, or inspired a new idea. I’d also love to read what I’ve inspired, whether you would like my proofreading services or not, if you post your stories online.

Acknowledgement or credit is always nice, even if it’s simply linking to my website from yours or a shoutout on social media! You can also use the hashtag #HNossProofreads.

You can find the full collection of my writing prompts using my Writing Prompts category or keep reading to find a masterlist of every blog I’ve posted, organised by genre. The main genres I create prompts for include fantasy, horror, romance, and queer/LGBTQ+, but you’ll find all kinds of sub-genres too.

Writing prompts masterlist

Below is my masterlist of writing prompts for short stories and other fiction, such as flash fiction, novellas, or vignettes.

Miscellaneous

More writing prompts for short stories can be found below, with no genre intended.

Castle story ideas
NaNoWriMo creative writing prompts
Short fiction prompts for Halloween
Where to find creative writing prompts from photos

Character-focused writing prompts

44 deep questions to ask your characters
Writing prompts for neurodivergent characters

Where else can you find writing prompts for short stories?

Outside of my own prompts, my favourite places to look for writing prompts are:

Reedsy’s weekly writing prompts
Photos from websites like Unsplash, ArtStation, and more
Pinterest – add images to your boards for writing inspo!
Writing competitions and magazines – even if you don’t submit them

Please consider supporting me on Ko-fi if you found this post helpful or inspiring!

Writing prompts for short stories and other fiction

How to use writing prompts for a short story

Want to share how my writing prompts have helped your short stories?

Writing prompts masterlist

Fantasy

Horror

Romance

Queer/LGBTQ+

Miscellaneous

Character-focused writing prompts

Where else can you find writing prompts for short stories?