250+ Short Story Ideas for Kids

Staring at a blank page is every writer’s nightmare (or writer’s block)! To combat a blank page, here are 250 short story ideas to spark up your imagination. These short story prompts can make great daily writing exercises or can be used to write your next best-selling short story

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Unlike thousand-page novels, short stories (or flash fiction and one-shots) can be really difficult to write. Their general word limit of around 1,000 words or fewer means that you need a brilliant idea and story plot to keep your readers hooked from beginning to end. With this in mind, we have created an ultimate collection of short story ideas that will keep your readers engaged. Whether you’re writing a sci-fi book or a series of modern-day fairy tales, click the links in the table of contents below to find the perfect idea for your next story! 

Love writing stories? Take part in our weekly short story challenge. Each week you’ll be given a random short story prompt to write about. Can you complete the challenge in time?

Life Story

Reflecting back on your life experiences can be a great source of inspiration. Whether you’re thinking about a bad moment in your life or a funny one, here are 20 life story prompts to get you started:

  1. The worst day of your life just happened. Write about how things keep going wrong all day until the very end of the day it turns around.
  2. It’s your 12th birthday and your favourite uncle gives you a gift that really surprises you. 
  3. Think about how your self-image has changed over the past few years. Has your confidence grown or withered away? Use this as your inspiration for your next short story.
  4. Is your family wealthy or short on money? Money can be a strong motivator and a source of conflict for many people. How does money make you feel?
  5. Who raised you the most when growing up? What lessons did they teach you? How do they inspire you?
  6. What is the greatest lesson you learned so far in your life and how did you learn it?
  7. Write a short story inspired by a recent argument you had. 
  8. Think about a difficult decision you had to make recently. For example, did you have to choose between going to your best friend’s birthday party or visiting your dad in another country?
  9. Write about a recent achievement or goal you accomplished. 
  10. Think about an object that you had your whole life, like a piece of jewellery or a teddy bear. Write a short story centred around this object.
  11. Look through some old family photos and pick one at random. Use this photo as inspiration for your next story.
  12. Have you ever felt pressured to do something? Write about this peer pressure from the perspective of your future self in 5 years time. 
  13. Loneliness is a strong emotion. Write about a time when you felt alone and what did you do to cheer yourself up?
  14. Write a story dedicated to your best friend. Think about what you like most about them.
  15. Think about your greatest fear and write about overcoming it.
  16. Write about something that brings you great joy in your life.
  17. What hobby do you enjoy the most and how did you get into it?
  18. Write a story dedicated to the best teacher or mentor you ever had so far in your life. 
  19. Think about the funniest thing that happened in your life and use it as an inspiration for your next short story.
  20. Write a short story dedicated to your mother, father or someone else who looks after you.

Sci-Fi

Sci-fi (science-fiction) is one of the most popular genres of books out there. It can cover everything from aliens taking over a planet to futuristic robots losing control. Not to mention mad scientists and human mutation. Here are 20 sci-fi short story ideas to inspire you:

  1. A meteorite from deep outer space lands on Earth covered in strange alien bacteria. This bacteria grows and takes over the local plant life creating a swarm of aliens. 
  2. A space shuttle heading to the moon gets invaded by a team of space pirates. They then use this space shuttle to invade Earth disguised as humans.
  3. Write a short story about a mad scientist who has found a way to combine human DNA with animal DNA to create superhumans. 
  4. A computer hacker accidentally releases a deadly computer virus causing all machines to attack humans. 
  5. It’s the year 2135, every household has their own robot servant. After years of learning from human behaviour, the robot servants develop a mind of their own and start to attack humans. 
  6. A cure for a rare disease mutates humans into flesh-eating zombies.
  7. In a small town in Australia, a farmer discovers a strange chicken egg. It turns out to be an alien egg which fell from a UFO. 
  8. For centuries humans have evolved. From apes to modern-day men and women. This evolution has not stopped. In the year, 2200, some humans have special abilities or superpowers, such as mind-reading powers or the ability to fly. This has caused great destruction on Earth. 
  9. You are an astronaut studying life on the moon. Your Space ship breaks down there, leaving you stranded on the moon. How will you survive? 
  10. Your best friend died years ago and was replaced by a cyborg. And you only just found out recently. 
  11. Scientists invent a teleportation machine which allows people to travel all over the world within a few seconds. However, the machine goes bust and starts sending people into different dimensions. 
  12. Back in the 1960’s aliens abducted some people and planted some alien eggs inside them. Fast forward to the year 2020, you just discovered that your best friend is an alien and their parents were born aliens. 
  13. It’s the year 2070 and crime is at an all-time high. To combat crime, one town has completely replaced its police officers with robot officers. However, the robot police officers malfunction and start thinking that all humans are criminals.
  14. A physics professor at a top university creates a gadget that can turn back time. He starts using it for his own personal gain, such as winning the lottery. Then he realises that he has created multiple timelines, where multiple versions of himself have been created. 
  15. After being involved in a car accident, you wake up in a strange pod on an alien spaceship. The spaceship looks like it has crashed and there is no-one around.
  16. Write a short story from the perspective of an alien living on Mars. You can use the following sentence as inspiration, “Humans are real! We are not alone! Humans are real” Chanted the crowd. 
  17. Overpopulation has become a big problem in the future. To deal with the rising population, half of the world’s population is forced to live in space pods floating around space. Only when the population on Earth is controlled can these people return to Earth. 
  18. In the year 2080, the government banned all brightly coloured objects from all households and public locations to boost productivity. Now in the year 2181, you live in a greyscale world. People work all the time, there is no fun and no colour in their life. Until one day you discover something buried underground, a bright red t-shirt. 
  19. Everything will be automated in the future. Humans won’t even need to walk or get up. The robots can do that for them. In fact, humans don’t do anything, apart from just exist in the world. This gives aliens from a nearby planet, the perfect opportunity to invade and take over planet Earth.
  20. The gap between the rich and poor in the future means that the poor are forced to live in the sewers. While the rich live above ground, building more and more towers to show off their wealth. But now the poor have finally had enough of living in the sewer and want a taste of the rich life. 

For more science fiction ideas, check out this list of over 110 science fiction writing prompts. You might also be interested in our cosmic planet name generator and our amazing space writing prompts for more ideas and inspiration.

Adventure

Everyone loves a good old adventure book. A bunch of kids heading out to solve a mystery or a family holiday gone bad. All adventure books have one thing in common: They are all about travelling and going to new or faraway places. Here are some adventure prompts to get you started:

  1. While cleaning up your basement you find a mysterious key that can open up portals to new worlds. 
  2. During a family camping trip, you find a backpack containing a strange-looking map, compass and a solid gold snake ring. What do you do next?
  3. Your main character goes on a fishing trip. Instead of catching fishes, he pulls out a mysterious chest. What happens when they open this chest?
  4. During a rescue mission in the North Pole, you lose all your teammates in the extreme weather conditions and dangerous animals. You have to find a way to get home safely. 
  5. A family camping trip gets dangerous when a pack of wolves start circling your tents in the middle of the night. 
  6. While on a deep-sea fishing expedition, you find the remains of an old pirate ship. Along with the pirate ship, you find a locked treasure chest and open it to release the most dangerous ghost pirate of all time.   
  7. You wake up in the morning to discover that your pet German Shepard has run away. You search all over town until you finally find him in the forest near a pile of bones. 
  8. During a road trip across America, you notice a mysterious red truck following you. Who is it and what do they want?
  9. From the outside, the tree looked normal. But when you start climbing it, it seems to never end like a huge beanstalk. After a few hours of climbing the tree, you reach a mysterious destination above the clouds. What happens next?
  10. During a historic school trip to Machu Picchu, you find yourself in a dark cave. When you turn back around, you realise that you are lost. How will you get out of the cave and find the others?
  11. You and your best friend find a beautiful sports car parked outside your home. The keys are inside and the door has been left open. 
  12. Your main character is on the hunt to catch a rare fish, which can only be found at night in the middle of the ocean. However, during the fishing trip sharks start surrounding your boat stopping you from reaching the middle of the ocean.
  13. An expedition in the Amazon rainforest gets deadly when you and your team encounter a group of warriors protecting the rainforest from outsiders. 
  14. While on a family holiday at the beach, you find a message in a bottle. The message tells you to take a boat to a nearby island where you will find everything you desire. 
  15. You and your family have just moved into a new home. At night you hear a strange ringing sound coming from the attic. You follow the sound to discover a magical wardrobe into the attic, which takes you to a new world. 
  16. A hard-working lawyer decides to leave the city life behind to start a new life in the country. As he ventures off to the country he realises that country life is not as calm or as relaxing as he thought it would be.
  17. A group of hunters searching for an endangered wolf in the mountains get more than what they bargained for when they finally find the wolf’s den. 
  18. During a cruise ship holiday, the ship starts sinking. You end up stranded on an island, where you have to survive until someone rescues you.
  19. Write a short story from the perspective of a young stray cat looking for her mother who is a house cat. 
  20. You are going to visit your grandma. It’s a two-hour car drive to get and the traffic is extra busy today. While stuck in the traffic you have some funny, yet strange encounters with other drivers. 

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre that relies on the writer’s imagination. The more creative you are, the better your fantasy story will be. Try to think outside the box and create new worlds that no-one has ever thought of. Humans can have magical powers, animals can talk and monsters lurk around every corner. Here are 20 fun fantasy prompts to get your imagination going:

  1. Dragons are at war with humans. While foraging for food near the mountains you find a small ice dragon that helps hunt for food. Together you end the war between dragons and humans. 
  2. During a football game, the ball falls into the forest behind your school. When you go to find the ball, you discover small fairy-like creatures in the forest. No-one believes you when you try telling them, but you know the truth.
  3. A new magic shop has just opened in town. You decide to get your brother a magic play set for his birthday from this shop. Instead of just playful magic, the magic set turns your brother into a warlock capable of turning humans into frogs and more!
  4. During certain times of the day, a castle appears in the sky. Using your telescope, you discover the latest location of this secret castle and decide to pay it a visit.
  5. A vain high school girl gets sucked into a mirror, to discover that she has entered the dark world from her nightmares. 
  6. You were born with the gift of being able to cast any spell you like. After abusing your powers, a witch curses you by turning you into a powerless human being. 
  7. On your 12th birthday, you’ll be old enough to join any of the four clans: Steel Warriors, Earth Souls, The Healers or the Wise Ones. But a secret group living underground called the Dark Assassins want to recruit you. What will happen next? (If you like cats and warriors, take a look at the Imagine Forest Warrior Cat name generator.)
  8. You were a brave warrior and the Queen’s lead knight in battle. But one day both your legs were eaten by a ferocious beast. Now you have to prove yourself to the Queen that you are just as strong and as powerful as before. What will you do?
  9. In a world where anyone can do magic and mythical beasts are real. You belong to a family of powerful witches and are the youngest of five sisters. Each one of your sisters has the power to control the elements, such as wind, water, fire, earth. But being the youngest you have no clue on what you can control or even if you can control anything. 
  10. Your main character is a street thief and a shapeshifter. They can change into any human or animal. As the lowest ranking member of society, your main character is tired of being treated like dirt, so they decide to impersonate the king and take over the kingdom. 
  11. There’s an old ancient belief that the ocean is alive. When pirates pollute it with rubbish and hurt the sea creatures it makes the ocean angry. Write a short story from the perspective of the ocean.
  12. Your main character follows a street cat and ends up in a world where cats rule the planet and humans are their pets. 
  13. You find an old pen in a magic shop. Every time you write something down using that pen it becomes true. 
  14. For centuries it was thought that all dragons were dead. Until one night, the evilest and most legendary dragon of all rises from the Volcano. Write a short story from the perspective of this dragon.
  15. Not everything is rainbows and cotton candy on the planet of unicorns. Something deadly lurks underground. 
  16. Write a short story about a group of garden fairies being at war with the garden gnomes. 
  17. You are the best dark assassin in the kingdom. The king’s son has hired you to kill the king in secret. What do you do?
  18. Your main character is a poor farmer’s boy. One day his fortune turns around when he finds a magician’s spellbook deep in the forest.
  19. The main character of your story has just discovered that she is a mermaid and that there is a whole underwater kingdom for her to rule. 
  20. You accidentally create a potion which makes people invisible without them knowing. Soon the whole town becomes invisible. People start wondering why they can’t see anyone and why no-one can see them.

Check out our post on Fantasy Writing Prompts for more inspiration.

Horror

The horror genre is bound to shock and spook your readers. If you’re not scaring your readers, then you haven’t written a horror book. Go dark and go gory with these spooky horror prompts to scare your readers:

  1. You thought your best friend was dead, but not anymore!
  2. After eating a strange-looking vegetable, your pet bunny becomes a disgusting zombie bunny.
  3. After reading a cursed book, all your nightmares start becoming real. 
  4. You steal a rare ring belonging to a famous pirate from the museum. When you wear it on your finger it takes over your body and turns you into an evil pirate. 
  5. You find a spider in your bedroom and lock it inside a jar. When you wake-up the spider has become human-sized.
  6. It is late at night and you are on a camping trip with your classmates. Suddenly you hear a roaring sound, you get out of the tent to look. All you see is a shadow. As you start walking towards the shadow, you hear a scream. You start running, but this mysterious creature won’t stop chasing you until you trip over…
  7. For years you wanted to visit the old house down the street. Now you finally found the courage to knock on the door. The door is open, so you just walk in and find…
  8. Your best friend and you sneak into the school cafeteria after school to steal some food. But as soon as you open the door you hear the dinner ladies chanting some spell over something that looks like a smoking cauldron.
  9. Camp ghost stories are not always scary unless they start happening for real. 
  10. It’s Friday the 13th and all over town pets are acting weird. Your cat is acting more viscous than usually and then suddenly it jumps on you and starts attacking you.
  11. This Halloween you decide to go as a simple ghost. What you didn’t realise is that by wearing the costume, you actually became a ghost. And your best friend dressed up as a vampire, is now actually a vampire!
  12. You look in the mirror and see nothing – not even a reflection of yourself.
  13. Your little sister is always bugging you to play with her dolls, but you’re too old to play with dolls. Until one day you actually become a doll. Your parents think you ran away, but really you are in your sister’s bedroom on a shelf with all the other dolls. 
  14. It’s late at night and you hear a scream outside. You run over to the window and notice that one-by-one the lights inside the houses across the street are getting switched off. Your turn is coming soon. 
  15. You always believed that monster lived under your bed, but never really saw it. Until one night an arm grabs you from under the bed. 
  16. It’s Halloween night and you just finished carving a pumpkin with your parents. Later that night when you are alone in the house, the pumpkins start talking to you with the mouth you carved on them. 
  17. Every night the same whispers. Every night the same cries. Who could this be and what do they want?
  18. For your birthday, your parents buy you a black kitten. You never believed in superstition until you start to get bad luck every time the black kitten is around. 
  19. A strange boy joins your school. He never comes to school on sunny days, just on cloudy or rainy days. It turns out that he is a vampire and he wants to drink your blood.
  20. After visiting a magic shop and buying nothing, the owner of the shop curses you. Now everywhere you go, people keep laughing at you and you don’t know why. 

For more spooky prompts, take a look at our Halloween writing prompts post and our Halloween image prompts for inspiration.

Mystery

It’s fun playing along to solve a mystery. Just imagine the old “who done it” style books. Keep your readers hooked and sprinkle in some shocking news about the real criminals or victims. Here are 10 mystery prompts to help you write your own mystery story:

  1. There’s a sock thief on the loose. The thief goes into homes stealing one sock from each pair. Why is the thief doing this and who will stop them?
  2. All around town cats have been sneaking off to a secret location each night. Your job is to find out where they are going and what they are up to you.
  3. Known as the Floral Slayer, there is a serial killer on the loose. They are going around town destroying all flowers in public places, people’s gardens and front yards. Why are they doing this and who can stop them?
  4. Complete the following story starter: The music stops, everyone turns around and they see…
  5. “Master Jewel Thief Caught And Locked Up!” – That’s what the newspaper headline read on Saturday morning. It’s now Wednesday morning and another diamond robbery took place last night. 
  6. You come home from school to find scattered papers all over your living room floor and your family is missing.
  7. The main character of your story finds a letter from their long-lost dad who they haven’t seen in years. The letter has a secret message encoded in it telling your character to find a mysterious door in town. 
  8. One by one students from your class are going missing. It’s up to you to find out what happened to them. 
  9. Mysterious symbols are appearing all over town. It is up to your main character to decipher the code and find out the meaning of these symbols. 
  10. You get an unknown phone call from someone. The person tells you that someone will knock at your door very soon and that you should not open it. You hear a knock at the door – What do you do?

Want more mystery prompts? Check out this list of over 70 mystery writing prompts.

Fairy Tale

Generations and generations of children have read fairy tales. In today’s modern world it gets harder to come up with a unique idea for a fairy tale. So most writers just put a modern twist on a famous old fairy tale or folk tale. Here are 10 prompts to help you write a modern fairy tale:

  1. On her 13th birthday, Cassie was cursed to never speak again. She was such a loud, outgoing girl, now she’s almost invisible.
  2. A young Prince has locked himself in his castle to avoid eye contact with any human person. One look could turn them to stone. 
  3. Princess Kiara was the prettiest girl in the whole kingdom. Her beauty meant that she could get away with anything. Until one day a witch turns her into a rose – nothing but a beautiful delicate rose.
  4. After being locked up in prison for over 20 years, the big bad wolf is out for revenge. And he’s starting with the three little pigs. 
  5. Three brothers are fighting with each other to be the next king of their kingdom – who will win?
  6. Write a short story of a modern-day sleeping beauty. This time about a girl who was in a coma for over 10 years after a horrific car accident left her paralyzed. 
  7. What if Cinderella had no fairy godmother and one of her ugly stepsisters married Prince Charming? How else could Cinderella change her life for the better?
  8. Little Red Riding meets the wolf in the forest. Instead of being scared of him, they become close friends.
  9. In the story of Hansel and Gretal, write from the perspective of the witch that lives in the Gingerbread house. 
  10. A kind princess gets locked in a tower which once belonged to a powerful wizard. Instead of waiting for a prince or knight to save her, she creates her own spells to get out. Soon the spells start taking over and turn her into an evil witch.

For more fairy tale inspiration, read our post on retelling fairy tales and our list of fairy tale ideas. You might also want to check out our guide on how to write a fairytale.

Humour

Everyone loves a good laugh. Humour or comedy books are a great way to cheer up your readers and go wacky with your ideas. Don’t just think about normal, everyday things – Go wild with your imagination and ask yourself, “What if?”. Here are 20 funny writing prompts to get your funny bones going:

  1. Cats and dogs rule the world and humans are their pets.
  2. The world’s unluckiest boy has the worst day ever.
  3. Johnny has always prided himself on being the best athlete at his school. However, in reality, he is the worst athlete at school, maybe in the whole world.
  4. The world richest man loses all his money and is forced to work as a cleaner at a company he once owned.
  5. A five-star Michelin chef loses all their reputation after serving a meal with a hair in it to a famous celebrity. They are now forced to work at a fast-food diner serving burgers and fries to everyday people.
  6. Jason is scared of everything, including his own shadow! How will he ever cope in the outside world?
  7. A man obsessed with comic books starts thinking that he is actually a supervillain from one of his favourite comic books. And now he is plotting world domination. 
  8. To make some extra money on the side, a farmer decides to open a knock-off version of Disneyland.
  9. A woman with Chaetophobia (fear of hair) gets a job at a hair salon. 
  10. After watching an action movie, you and your friends start acting like gangsters around school. But you are actually the biggest nerds in school.
  11. A boy swaps bodies with his pet dog. 
  12. The world’s longest game of tic-tac-toe – For some reason, it just never seems to end.
  13. A clown with a fear of balloons has to attend a 6-year-old’s birthday party. 
  14. The daily lives of a family of cheeseburgers. 
  15. The son of a mad scientist who rides a snail to school every day.
  16. The worldwide clown championships are happening. This is where all the best clowns compete to win the golden nose awards for being the funniest clown. 
  17. A mouse believes that he can talk to cheese. The other mice think he’s crazy – but is he?
  18. You’re just 100 words away from finishing your essay, but your pencil keeps breaking. You try the computer and it crashes. Then you try a pen and there’s no ink!
  19. An alien buys planet Earth at an outer space planet auction for $100. He then pays Earth a visit and is disgusted by what he sees. 
  20. Your family gets kicked out of town for being the messiest people in town. Your lawn hasn’t been mowed in months. The garbage is over the front yard and let’s not get started with the inside of the house.

Monologue

Monologue or single character prompts are a great way to show your main character’s true personality and put the spotlight entirely on them. Monologue scenes or stories, just have one character normally talking in their head about their experiences or worries. Here are 20 monologue prompts to get you thinking deeper about your main character:

  1. Your character has a big confession to make to the world.
  2. Alone sitting at a dinner party fit for 20 people, the main character explains how they lost it all for nothing.
  3. On a bus ride to an important college interview, your character goes through many self-doubts.
  4. Sitting alone in the dark, Jesse feared the outside world. She just wants to be alone.
  5. A vegetarian shark explains how he feels like an outsider and doesn’t fit in anywhere. 
  6. Your main character is plotting the greatest revenge in history in their own mind. 
  7. You just faced the most embarrassing moment of your life. Hidden in your bedroom the negative thoughts are taking over. 
  8. A computer geek is reminiscing about all the ways he can take over the world and be the most powerful human alive. 
  9. Tabitha the house cat knows there’s a mouse hiding in the kitchen. Write a monologue scene of Tabitha dreaming about catching the mouse.
  10. Write a monologue scene from the point of view of one of the ugly step-sisters in Cinderella. The scene can be set right after Cinderella’s wedding.
  11. In a monologue format, describe the struggles of being a snail. Think about all the other insects like spiders and ants and how you as a snail compares to them.
  12. You are a world-famous celebrity who has been kidnapped by one of your biggest fans. Explain how you feel locked up in a basement somewhere.
  13. Talk about the struggles of being the most popular girl or boy in school. Think about the peer pressure you face daily.
  14. Everyone thinks that you’re this big, tough guy, but really you’re struggling on the inside. In a monologue talk about your struggles and the judgement, you face every day.
  15. Snakes are always getting a bad reputation for themselves. From the perspective of a rattlesnake, talk about how you feel when people and other animals run away from you or attack you.
  16. You were once the greatest criminal masterminds of all time and now you’re sitting in a retirement home, waiting for the nurse to feed you.
  17. Each snowflake is unique and delicate. With only a few seconds before you melt, write a short monologue from the perspective of a snowflake falling from the sky.
  18. The lights turn off, as your master goes to sleep. One dog sits by the bed of his master – What is he wondering about?
  19. Pick any inanimate object from your room right now. Now write a monologue from the perspective of this object. If this object was alive what would it think about? What is it’s daily struggles?
  20. In a world where monsters exist, write a monologue from the point of view of a vampire that no longer wants to hurt his victims. 

Friendship

Friendship the ultimate source of all love and pain. Friendship can dissolve overtime or it can grow stronger. Everyone has experienced some sort of friendship in their life, even if it was brief. Here are 10 prompts about friendship to inspire you:

  1. Jacob is a loner. He hates having to make friends until one day he meets Calvin.
  2. Socially awkward and really shy, Abigail envies Jessica who makes friends so easily. After a series of embarrassing events, Abigail and Jessica eventually become close friends. 
  3. Cats and mice can’t be friends. After all, cats love eating mice for dinner. Snowdrop the lonely house cat finds friendship in a dirty street mouse. 
  4. Everyone wants to be friends with Malcolm. Katie is just one in a thousand kids trying to get close to Malcolm. Is there a chance that Katie and Malcolm can even talk to each other, let alone be friends?
  5. After years of rejection, Sarah promised herself she would never try being friends with anyone ever again. Then she met Laura. An outgoing, party girl who loves to have fun.
  6. Bridget has been best friends with Charlie since elementary school. Everything changes when a new girl Chrissy becomes Charlie’s other best friend. 
  7. Two socially anxious teenagers meet at an after-school club. Both keep on forcing awkward conversations with each other and never actually say what’s truly inside their heads.
  8. Jake has always been comfortable with his own company and hanging out on his own. Until he experienced true friendship with his best mate. Now he wants to be friends with everyone he meets, but that’s not always possible. 
  9. One best friend was all Ellen ever wanted. All she ever cared about. Then she found out that her best friend, Katie was moving to another country. Can they keep their friendship going?
  10. For two whole years, you thought Catelyn was your best friend. So many secrets shared. So many moments shared. But she was just a fake friend – She was never there when you really needed her.

Check out this post for 56+ writing prompts about friendship.

Superhero

Superheros are really popular today. It’s not only the comic book geeks who love them now. Get on the bandwagon and write your own superhero story or you could even create your own comic series with these 20 prompts:

  1. You are the most famous superhero of all time. But what you don’t know is that your father is actually a supervillain which you’ll have to take down. 
  2. All the anger and rage you built up over the years has turned you into a superhuman with super strength. Will you use it for good or evil?
  3. Everything he touches turns to bananas that must be the worst superpower ever. When will it ever come in handy?
  4. A retired villain has to come out of retirement when he notices superheroes ruling his town. 
  5. After abusing her superpowers, Prof. Buzz loses all her electricity powers. She now needs them back to defeat an ultimate villain.
  6. A superhero and supervillain get taken as hostages by a group of citizens against superheroes. It is now up to an average police detective to save them both.  
  7. When the world is about to end, a superhero and supervillain must work together to save it.
  8. After the death of your uncle, you inherit his magical sword. When held in a fighting position, the sword turns you into a legendary superhero, called the crimson knight. 
  9. Everything James touched turned to darkness. His head is even filled with dark thoughts. Instead of letting the dark thoughts turn him into a villain, James uses his power of darkness for good. 
  10. All humans eventually get a superpower. However, David is the only kid at school with no superpowers at all. 
  11. How was the very first superhuman or human with superpowers created?
  12. A superhero is framed for killing someone and now is locked up in a special facility where he can’t use his superpowers. This leaves his hometown with no superhero to protect it and loads of evil villains start taking over. 
  13. Everyone looked up to Lava Knight until he accidentally hurt someone with his superpowers. Now all humans are protesting against superheroes. They demand that all superheroes are stripped off their superpowers.
  14. You become the very first superhuman in the whole world after discovering that you can move objects with just your mind. You decide to keep it a secret and only ever use it when you’re really desperate. But this all changes one day.
  15. Michael is murdered by his best friend. A few weeks after his funeral, Michael wakes up alive in a dark coffin. Using his newfound power he breaks through and seeks revenge.
  16. Sarah can move objects with her mind, but her power is super weak. Until she connects with a group of girls from another high school. Together their bond forms the greatest power that anyone has seen.
  17. David superpower is controlled by his mood. When he is angry, he turns to fire and when he is sad, he can shoot out water. The problem is David has no control over his emotions, so he has no control over his superpower.
  18. For years you have played the role of a good superhero. Always saving lives and watching the people you love disappear. Now you had enough, it’s time to be the bad guy, it’s time to play the villain. 
  19. A mastermind supervillain is tired of people always booing him and wishing him to disappear. He decides to become a good guy or a superhero and tries to get people to like him. 
  20. Having a superpower was cool until Mindy started losing control of her power. It was like the darkness was taking over her whole body. She is now a danger to everyone, including herself. 

Check out our post on superhero writing prompts for more inspiration!

Family

Blood is thicker than water and that’s what makes families so important. You can hate them or love them, in the end, it all works out. The source of many drama, conflict and joy, here are 20 family prompts to get you started on your short story:

  1. A brother and sister rivalry ends badly when they both end-up expelled from school.
  2. Your family is hiding a big, dark secret and they’ll do anything to keep it a secret from your other relatives.
  3. Your long, lost sister who you thought was dead knocks at your door.
  4. 194. Your main character has just had a baby. But they are worried about not being ready and if they can ever be a good enough parent.
  5. Jesse’s mother has brought a new man home. She wants Jesse to see this new man as her step-father, but Jesse isn’t ready to let go of her real, biological dad. 
  6. Your main character hasn’t seen their father in over 10 years. Suddenly out of the blue their father turns up asking for a place to stay.
  7. A family night dinner goes badly when an uninvited guest turns up to stir trouble. 
  8. Your main character just found out that the girl next door is her older sister and your father’s first family actually lives next door.
  9. James is convinced that his older brother Jacob hates. Everyday Jacob beats James up and embarrasses him at school. After a series of events, Jacob ends-up being the best brother, James could ever ask for.
  10. After years of getting all the attention from your parents. Your parents bring home a baby boy and now it seems like no-one even notices you anymore. It’s all about your baby brother now.
  11. Sarah is the youngest of 8 siblings. All her brothers and sisters are all good at something. While the only thing she is good at is being the baby or the victim. And now she has had enough of people always treating her like a baby.
  12. You are researching your family tree for a school project. You thought your family was small until you stumbled upon some old family photos All those aunts, uncles, cousins that you never saw your whole life. Why keep them a secret?
  13. After a huge argument, you learn your parents are getting a divorce. Your mom wants you to stay with her, while your dad wants you to come with him. What will you do?
  14. As an orphan child, Cassie always felt alone. Until she joined an art club and met her two best friends, Edwin and Miranda. Now she found a family that she never thought she’ll have. 
  15. It has always been you and you mom. Until one day your mom introduces you to a lady and tells you that they are getting married. 
  16. Every year your family goes on a family vacation. But this year, the annual family vacation has been cancelled.
  17. After going through some old stuff in the attic, you learn that your great grandfather was a war hero.
  18. It’s ‘Bring a Parent to School Day’. But your main character’s parents are so busy that they can’t make it, so they bring their much older brother to school instead.
  19. Your main character learns that their grandpa is a great explorer. For one last time, your main character and their grandpa go on one final adventure.
  20. There are many benefits to being a middle child. You don’t have the responsibility of being the eldest and you aren’t treated like a baby like the youngest. But still, you always feel misunderstood by your family and are always on the outside. 

Animals

From stories with morals (like Aesop’s fable) to light-hearted comedies, animals are great in books. give any animal you like a human voice and your readers are automatically hooked. Here are 20 short story ideas about animals to help you write your next furry story:

  1. A bear locked up in a cage is rescued by a wolf. Together they become the ultimate hunters.
  2. Goldie, the goldfish has been forced to share her fish tank with a tropical fish that think she’s the best-looking fish in the world.
  3. Smitty, the stray cat tries to get a job hunting mice in a posh restaurant. 
  4. A mouse is caught stealing cheese from the food cupboard by a cat that is scared of everything, including mice. 
  5. All pigeons learn to fly, but not Musky. He loves to walk the streets with the humans, so never cared about flying.
  6. A rare octopus with nice tentacles is made fun of. Until he realizes his unique talent.
  7. Robbie the robin thinks that he is the best singer in the world. But all the other birds think he sounds like a broken flute.
  8. Write a short story about a dog travelling across America to find his mother. 
  9. A huge eagle kidnaps a young rabbit and wants to keep him as a pet. But the rabbit is desperate to getaway.
  10. After 30 days straight walking in the desert all alone, a young camel still has no clue how to get back home.
  11. Pippa, Rodney and Brax are siblings. Together they must build a dam to stop the water from flooding the nearby village. But every time they start building, those annoying otters keep stealing their materials. 
  12. A group of forest animals must work together against their differences to protect the forest from being destroyed.
  13. Write a short story about a magpie with a stealing problem. No matter what this magpie does he/she just can’t help stealing shiny things.
  14. A house cat notices her owner walk into the kitchen holding a large box. The owner opens the box and out comes a small puppy. At first, the cat hates this new puppy, but soon she becomes protective of it.
  15. Jerome the chameleon hates people staring at him, so he always camouflages. One day he sees a human and wants her to adopt him. But she never sees him. From that moment, Jerome doesn’t want to hide away anymore.
  16. A group of young puppies are separated at birth. One of them becomes a circus performer. The other, a well-pampered house pet and the final one a stray dog.
  17. Penelope is a well-pampered poodle. One day her rich master passes away. She is forced to live in a shelter for dogs, along with other stray dogs.
  18. The Gorilla body-building competition is coming and this time you want to win. But you’re the weakest Gorilla of the pack.
  19. Write a short story about the life of being a husky dog working in Alaska to help pull equipment and people around in the snowy landscape. 
  20. An alpha wolf is kicked out of his pack for playing around with humans. Will he ever become alpha again?

Futuristic

The future can be an existing and scary place. You never know what will happen in 100 years from now. As writers, you can use your imagination to take your readers to a new Earth of the future. Will the planet be a dusty no-mans land or an earthy haven for all life-form in the universe. Here are 10 futuristic ideas to get you thinking about the future:

  1. It’s the year 2,075 and scientists have discovered a way to make humans immortal. But only the rich and important people are offered this treatment.
  2. Humans expected the world to have robots and flying cars by now. But instead of going forward, evolution starts reversing. Soon people will end up back in the caveman times barely being able to speak. 
  3. In the year 2,250 Earth has become a giant zoo where humans are locked up like animals. Allens from other planets come to see humans locked up behind bars and even pay to see them. 
  4. The poor were treated so badly that in the future they all become mutated monsters. And the rich hide away in their big mansions behind lasered security gates and force-field walls. One the power goes down and the poor enter the rich people’s land.
  5. Global warming causes the Earth’s atmosphere to change unexpectedly. Now all plants and trees are alive. They can walk and talk and what’s even worse is that they are preparing for a war against humans.
  6. Earth’s weather system has dramatically changed in the future. Now the weather forecast talks about balls of fire falling from the sky and tornadoes made of water flooding random towns.
  7. Earth was created as a prison for all badly behaved humans. And now that the prison sentence is over, everyone can finally go home to their real planet.
  8. After years of horrific weather conditions and natural disasters, humans have learned to adapt to the various environmental changes.
  9. In the future, there has been a serious drop in the human population. After viruses, war and human nature have killed the majority of Earth’s population. Now humans are considered an endangered species.
  10. With Earth nearly fully wiped out, a group of survivors discover the location of Area 51 (a secret government facility).

Historic

It is only by remembering the past, can humans fully grow and develop. Bad or good, the past of impacted so many lives and needs to be remembered. Go back in time to a year of your choice and imagine how it would be like to live there. To help you out, here are 10 historic short story ideas about the past:

  1. It’s the 1930s and you are making your first debut as a circus clown. However on the first night of the circus opening things end very badly.
  2. In the year 1512, the island of Seram was discovered in Indonesia by an explorer named, “António de Abreu” and his team. Write a story from the perspective of one of his team members. 
  3. The plague, known as the Black Death arrived in England in the year 1346. It killed over a quarter of the population. Imagine if you and your family were alive then, how would you cope?
  4. Write a short story about how the first wheeled vehicle was created and what it was used for.
  5. How was the first-ever newspaper or media company started? Your main character in this story is the first-ever reporter.
  6. 246. Tell the story from the perspective of a young African slave travelling on a ship from Spain to Haiti in the year 1502.
  7. Thomas Saint designed the first-ever sewing machine. Write a story from the perspective of Thomas and how he came up with the idea.
  8. It’s the year 1914 and your father has just set up a telephone in your home. Write a short story of how the telephone changed the lives of your family and friends. 
  9. Your main character is a spy in the year 1570. They have been hired to protect the queen from a secret league of assassins. 
  10. Your main character is one of the first female pirates in the year 1702. To be the captain of a ship she dressed up as a man. Write a short story about her adventures out at sea.

A good story idea is difficult to find. We hope that this list of 250 short story ideas inspires you to write the best short story ever written. You can pick one or combine multiple prompts together to create the ultimate idea for your next short story. Once you got your story all mapped out and planned, you can use our story creator to publish and share your story with our online community of writers.

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