NFFD 2026 Prompt #24: Last Crossing

Prompt #24: Last Crossing 

Welcome to The Write-In!  This year, we're celebrating the 2026 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology theme of Bridges. Throughout National Flash Fiction Day, we'll be posting one prompt every hours from 00:00 until midnight (BST), for a total of 25 prompts in all.  You have until 23:59 BST on Sunday to submit your responses for possible publication here at the Write-In over the course of the next week.

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We've reached midnight here in the UK, and the last of this year's Write-In prompts.

Write a microfiction of no more than 50 words about an ending that is also a beginning. 

The title does not count toward the word count.

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If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 24: Last Crossing.

You can submit responses until 23:59 BST on Sunday, 14 June 2026 for a chance to be published here at The Write-In.

You can claim the badge for this prompt by visiting our badges page.

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Photograph by Oziel Gómez via pexels.

NFFD 2026 Prompt #23: Bridge Over Troubled Waters

 

Prompt #23: Bridge Over Troubled Waters

Welcome to The Write-In!  This year, we're celebrating the 2026 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology theme of Bridges. Throughout National Flash Fiction Day, we'll be posting one prompt every hours from 00:00 until midnight (BST), for a total of 25 prompts in all.  You have until 23:59 BST on Sunday to submit your responses for possible publication here at the Write-In over the course of the next week.

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Anyone who has ever read for a journal, contest or write-in knows that often the queue contains a lot of darkness.  As we're moving toward the end of the day, we'd love to see some light in our inbox.

For this prompt, write a joyful flash with a genuinely happy ending. What counts as happy is entirely up to you, but it should feel earned.  

If you're struggling, we encourage you to persevere; this is a challenging ask.  It can be much harder to write joy than misery, but we know you can do it!   

We'll be back at midnight with the final prompt for 2026.... 

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If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 23: Bridge Over Troubled Waters

You can submit responses until 23:59 BST on Sunday, 14 June 2026 for a chance to be published here at The Write-In.

You can claim the badge for this prompt by visiting our badges page.

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Photograph by Olivier Piquer via Unsplash.

NFFD 2026 Prompt #22: Lost and Found

Prompt #22: Lost and Found 

Welcome to The Write-In!  This year, we're celebrating the 2026 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology theme of Bridges. Throughout National Flash Fiction Day, we'll be posting one prompt every hours from 00:00 until midnight (BST), for a total of 25 prompts in all.  You have until 23:59 BST on Sunday to submit your responses for possible publication here at the Write-In over the course of the next week.

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Write a flash in the form of a 'Lost and Found' poster or public advertisement for something intangible (like a lost afternoon, a missed opportunity, or a sudden realization) dropped near a river.

To make this extra challenging, avoid themes involving dementia or general memory loss.  A loss of memory about something very specific and usual (words involving the letter 'r', the colour blue or the existence of insects, say) is fair game!

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If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 22: Lost and Found.

You can submit responses until 23:59 BST on Sunday, 14 June 2026 for a chance to be published here at The Write-In.

You can claim the badge for this prompt by visiting our badges page.

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Photograph by Hawai'i Digital Newspaper Program UH Mānoa via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).

NFFD 2026 Prompt #21: Future Mudlarking

Prompt #21: Future Mudlarking

Welcome to The Write-In!  This year, we're celebrating the 2026 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology theme of Bridges. Throughout National Flash Fiction Day, we'll be posting one prompt every hours from 00:00 until midnight (BST), for a total of 25 prompts in all.  You have until 23:59 BST on Sunday to submit your responses for possible publication here at the Write-In over the course of the next week.

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Write a flash from the point of view of someone in the future who has found an object from our present day. Let them misunderstand it beautifully.

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If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 21: Future Mudlarking.

You can submit responses until 23:59 BST on Sunday, 14 June 2026 for a chance to be published here at The Write-In.

You can claim the badge for this prompt by visiting our badges page.

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Photograph by Michael Dziedzic via Unsplash.

NFFD 2026 Prompt #20: The Span

 

Prompt #20: The Span

Welcome to The Write-In!  This year, we're celebrating the 2026 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology theme of Bridges. Throughout National Flash Fiction Day, we'll be posting one prompt every hours from 00:00 until midnight (BST), for a total of 25 prompts in all.  You have until 23:59 BST on Sunday to submit your responses for possible publication here at the Write-In over the course of the next week.

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A bridge spans the distance between two points crossing a gap. 

For this prompt, write the shortest possible flash that you can manage that spans all 26 letters of the alphabet:  you must use each letter of the alphabet at least once.  

Make sure to give your flash a title, and yes, letters used in the title count.  

You can double check your letters here: https://legacy.cryptool.org/en/cto/frequency-analysis (and don't forget to click the 'Sort alphabetically' option at the top right for convenience).

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If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 20: The Span

You can submit responses until 23:59 BST on Sunday, 14 June 2026 for a chance to be published here at The Write-In.

You can claim the badge for this prompt by visiting our badges page.

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Image by Mike van Schoonderwalt via pexels.

NFFD 2026 Prompt #19: Burning Bridges

 

 Prompt #19: Burning Bridges

Welcome to The Write-In!  This year, we're celebrating the 2026 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology theme of Bridges. Throughout National Flash Fiction Day, we'll be posting one prompt every hours from 00:00 until midnight (BST), for a total of 25 prompts in all.  You have until 23:59 BST on Sunday to submit your responses for possible publication here at the Write-In over the course of the next week.

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 Write a story about a character intentionally severing a tie with someone or something, but frame it as a positive, freeing, or necessary act rather than a tragedy. 

To make this extra challenging, avoid the themes of leaving a romantic relationship, an abusive relationship, or parents/relatives/partners who don't understand or approve of the narrator.  Also, avoid using the words 'goodbye', 'leave', 'fire', or 'finally'.

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If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 19: Burning Bridges

You can submit responses until 23:59 BST on Sunday, 14 June 2026 for a chance to be published here at The Write-In.

You can claim the badge for this prompt by visiting our badges page.

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Photograph by Jayden Lynch via Unsplash.

NFFD 2026 Prompt #18: Busy

Prompt #18: Busy

Welcome to The Write-In!  This year, we're celebrating the 2026 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology theme of Bridges. Throughout National Flash Fiction Day, we'll be posting one prompt every hours from 00:00 until midnight (BST), for a total of 25 prompts in all.  You have until 23:59 BST on Sunday to submit your responses for possible publication here at the Write-In over the course of the next week.

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Look at Joanna Campbell's painting, 'Busy'. This piece is filled with warm, chaotic energy, stark angles, and scattered silhouettes all moving in different directions. 

Write a flash fiction piece where at least three different characters cross paths in a bustling environment, but their internal goals are completely different. 

To make this extra challenging, we ask you to avoid crime, accidents, or tragedy. 

Bonus points if you can write a story where the intersecting chaos results in something serendipitous, humorous, or surprisingly joyful.

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If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 18: Busy

You can submit responses until 23:59 BST on Sunday, 14 June 2026 for a chance to be published here at The Write-In.

You can claim the badge for this prompt by visiting our badges page.

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Artwork by Joanna Campbell.

NFFD 2026 Prompt #17: Flooding

 

Prompt #17: Flooding

Welcome to The Write-In!  This year, we're celebrating the 2026 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology theme of Bridges. Throughout National Flash Fiction Day, we'll be posting one prompt every hours from 00:00 until midnight (BST), for a total of 25 prompts in all.  You have until 23:59 BST on Sunday to submit your responses for possible publication here at the Write-In over the course of the next week.

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Today, NFFD's sister project FlashFlood is publishing one story every five to ten minutes. Find a story you admire and choose five interesting words from it: strong nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.  (Articles, conjunctions, and common verbs don't count, so avoid things like 'an', 'the', 'with', 'and', 'is', 'said' and lean into things that are super specific or evocative.)

Write a flash of no more than 150 words using all five words on a subject that is different from the source story.

The title does not count toward the word count. Please note in your submission which FlashFlood story you drew from (and a link would be greatly appreciated), as well as your list of words.  You may use a story from this year's Flood or previous years.

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If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 17: Flooding.

You can submit responses until 23:59 BST on Sunday, 14 June 2026 for a chance to be published here at The Write-In.

You can claim the badge for this prompt by visiting our badges page.

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Photograph by Owen.outdoors via pexels.

NFFD 2026 Prompt #16: Bridge Closed

 

Prompt #16: Bridge Closed

Welcome to The Write-In!  This year, we're celebrating the 2026 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology theme of Bridges. Throughout National Flash Fiction Day, we'll be posting one prompt every hours from 00:00 until midnight (BST), for a total of 25 prompts in all.  You have until 23:59 BST on Sunday to submit your responses for possible publication here at the Write-In over the course of the next week.

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Write a story in the form of signs, warnings, notices, announcements, or instructions. The reader should be able to work out what happened from what is being forbidden, redirected, repaired, or apologised for.  

Aim to make the 'what happened' something unusual and specific.  

Bonus points if you can insert some levity and/or humour.  

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If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 16: Bridge Closed.

You can submit responses until 23:59 BST on Sunday, 14 June 2026 for a chance to be published here at The Write-In.

You can claim the badge for this prompt by visiting our badges page.

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Photograph of Chambers Bridge (Woolwich Township, Ontario) by C Hensley via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).

NFFD 2026 Prompt #15: Fifteen

 

Prompt #15: Fifteen

Welcome to The Write-In!  This year, we're celebrating the 2026 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology theme of Bridges. Throughout National Flash Fiction Day, we'll be posting one prompt every hours from 00:00 until midnight (BST), for a total of 25 prompts in all.  You have until 23:59 BST on Sunday to submit your responses for possible publication here at the Write-In over the course of the next week.

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It's the fifteenth hour of the fifteenth National Flash Fiction Day, so to mark the occasion, we challenge you to write a story in exactly 15 words. 

Add a title.  Your title does not count towards the 15 words. 

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If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 15: Fifteen

You can submit responses until 23:59 BST on Sunday, 14 June 2026 for a chance to be published here at The Write-In.

You can claim the badge for this prompt by visiting our badges page.

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Photograph by Waldemar Brandt via Unsplash.