Here are 32 flash fiction prompts for very short stories, from six-word stories to 50-word dribbles and 100-word drabbles. Flash fiction rewards one idea, one moment and a final line that changes everything, and Edgar Allan Poe's rule fits it perfectly: decide your ending first so every word builds a single effect.
Flash fiction is where writers go to get sharper. When you only have a hundred words, every adjective has to fight for its place and every sentence has to move the story. It's also brilliant for busy people, because you can draft one on the bus and finish it at lunch. The prompts below are grouped by length, from the famous six-word story to longer flash pieces, with a set of twist prompts for practising the final turn.
Flash fiction formats and lengths
Flash fiction has roots in fables and parables, and in the 1920s it was known as the short-short story. Some varieties are defined by word count, and Poe's argument from The Philosophy of Composition, that a story should be read in a single sitting and planned from its ending, is the ideal mindset for writing them.
| Format | Length | What fits |
|---|---|---|
| Six-word story | Six words | A whole life or a single shock |
| Dribble or minisaga | 50 words | One scene and one turn |
| Drabble or microfiction | 100 words | A tiny story with a beginning, middle and twist |
| Longer flash | Read in a single sitting, as Poe advised | One character, one moment, one effect |
The detail beginners miss: flash isn't a shortened short story. It usually starts in the middle of the action and ends just after the turning point, leaving the reader to fill in the rest.
Six-word story prompts
Six words, a whole story. Every word counts.
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Write a six-word story about a wedding that didn't happen.
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Write a six-word story about the last day of summer.
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Write a six-word story about a robot's first feeling.
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Write a six-word story about moving house.
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Write a six-word story about a phone call at midnight.
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Write a six-word story about a second chance.
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Write a six-word story about an empty swing.
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Write a six-word story about a lost letter.
50-word dribble prompts
Exactly fifty words. Count them, then cut and add until it lands.
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Write a 50-word story set entirely in a lift that's stuck.
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Write a 50-word story about the last person on Earth hearing a knock.
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Write a 50-word story told through a shopping list.
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Write a 50-word story about a child's first lie.
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Write a 50-word story where the narrator is a key.
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Write a 50-word story about a goodbye at a train station.
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Write a 50-word story that begins and ends with the same sentence.
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Write a 50-word story about a garden at night.
100-word drabble prompts
Exactly a hundred words. Room for one small arc.
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Write a 100-word story about a fortune teller who gets one prediction wrong.
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Write a 100-word story about a grandmother's secret recipe.
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Write a 100-word story in which a ghost tries to say sorry.
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Write a 100-word story told as a series of voicemails.
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Write a 100-word story about the first snow in a city that's never had it.
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Write a 100-word story where the weather reflects the main character's mood.
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Write a 100-word story about finding a note in a coat pocket.
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Write a 100-word story about a lighthouse keeper's final night.
Twist ending prompts
Practise the final turn. Plan the last line first, then write backwards.
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Write a story where the last line reveals the narrator isn't human.
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Write a story where the hero turns out to be the villain.
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Write a story where the final word changes the meaning of the first sentence.
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Write a story that seems to be about a breakup but is about something else entirely.
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Write a story where the twist is that nothing bad happens at all.
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Write a story where the last line reveals the setting is somewhere unexpected.
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Write a story where the reader realises the narrator is lying.
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Write a story where a small kindness turns out to be the whole point.
Editing a drabble down to a hundred words
Most first drafts of a drabble come out at around a hundred and forty words. That's good news, because cutting is where flash gets its power. Start with the obvious: delete 'very', 'really', 'just' and 'suddenly'. Then look for sentences that explain what the reader has already understood. Swap weak verb and adverb pairs for one strong verb, so 'walked slowly' becomes 'shuffled'. Finally, check your opening: if the first line is warming up, cut it and start from the second. When you hit exactly a hundred, read it aloud. You'll usually find it's better than the longer version in every way.
How to get better flash fiction
- Plan the ending first, as Poe advised, and cut everything that doesn't lead there.
- Start in the middle. There's no room for a warm-up.
- Use the title. In flash, the title can carry setting or context so the story doesn't have to.
- Count precisely for dribbles and drabbles. The constraint is the fun.
- Read the last line aloud. If it doesn't land, everything before it needs work.
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My advice for flash fiction
Write one six-word story a day for a week to train your instinct for precision, then try a drabble at the weekend. Keep a file of last lines; a strong ending is the hardest part to find, and once you've got it, the rest of a flash piece often writes itself.
Frequently asked questions
What is flash fiction?
Very short fiction, often under a thousand words, with named formats such as the six-word story, the 50-word dribble and the 100-word drabble.
How long is a drabble?
A drabble, also called microfiction, is 100 words. A dribble, or minisaga, is 50 words.
How do you write flash fiction?
Start in the middle of the action, focus on one moment, plan the ending first and cut every word that doesn't serve it.
What is a six-word story?
A complete story told in exactly six words, one of the best-known forms of flash fiction.
Is flash fiction good practice for longer writing?
Yes. Writing to a tight word count teaches you to cut, choose stronger words and land an ending, skills that make longer stories and even emails sharper.
Where did flash fiction come from?
It has roots in fables and parables, and in the 1920s it was called the short-short story.
