A short story a day for a month is back for January 2026. Below is the list of the prompts for the month, as created by the chat on TheLadyWrites’ Live Stream.
We are going to take this back to basics this year. A lot happened last year and we we over reach, we often fall. This year we are going to be a lot easier on the structure.
The goal is – Write a short story each day using one of the included prompts and target 3000 words. If you want to go lower, go for it. If you want to aim higher each day, run with that too! We can’t wait to see what comes from this month of fun, writing, and adventure.
31 Stories in 31 Days Prompt Jan 2026
Prompt 1
Use 7 words in the story – cacophony, birds, echo, tunnel, rice, word, bubble
Prompt 2
Use 7 words in the story – race, heat, intensity, ice shards, cats, joy, different
Prompt 3
Use 7 words in the story – color, essence, bestie, brazen, teach, ship, cypher
Prompt 4
Use 7 words in the story – flabbergasted, bamboozled, stupefied, fast, dance, rose
Prompt 5
Use 7 words in the story – boom, chaos, stray, trigger, truck, fly, vamos
Prompt 6
Use 7 words in the story – catastrophic, drum, next, news, while, nah, kids
Prompt 7
Use 7 words in the story – terrible, shame, agrees, immortal, fall out, watcher
Prompt 8
Use 7 words in the story – sinner, hourglass, overload, black out, feel better, timezone, big
Prompt 9
Use 7 words in the story – hero, twenty three, sticks, figure, anything, off, well
Prompt 10
Use 7 words – working, center stage, fierce, standing ovation, steal the show, bricks
Prompt 11
Use 7 words – me, three, save, show, lights, prize, ready
Prompt 12
Use 7 words – copycat, imitate, ticket, dance track, glitch, wild
Prompt 13
Use 7 words – remember, rise, war, climb, summit, edge, chase
Prompt 14
Use 7 words – make, push, back, fight, beneath, giants, worth
Prompt 15
Use 7 words – mob, alive, league, ignite, queen, decaf
Prompt 16
Use 7 words – rush, down, crown, round, ready, trouble, eyes on me
Prompt 17
Use 7 words – push your luck, pop, try it, awaken, today, night, dream
Prompt 18
Use 7 words – peace, stand, thread, fear, help, knocking, restless
Prompt 19
Use 7 words – destiny, fight at your door, turn the tide, wake, blackness, fade
Prompt 20
Use 7 words – share, picture, fall, take us, water, slow, blood stains
Prompt 21
Use 7 words – hold on, drifting, hieroglyphics, other side, ace, arrow
Prompt 22
Use 7 words – much longer, pull, holding, melding, roam, short
Prompt 23
Use 7 words – white, kaboom, lit the fuse, game, hold heads high, beat drums, final
Prompt 24
Use 7 words – champions, strike, voices, joining, madness, save, stars
Prompt 25
Use 7 words – storm, reflection, flower, nice, tater, alive, monster
Prompt 26
Use 7 words – jewelry, stop, pride, tide, true believer, connection
Prompt 27
Use 7 words – empire, phoenix, ceiling, jump, crown, bury, demons
Prompt 28
Use 7 words – tear down, fly, die, wings, stuck, screaming, part
Prompt 29
Use 7 words – hope, relentless, bones, smoke, devil, pick yourself up, calling
Prompt 30
Use 7 words – greatness, written, eternity, price, scars, lost, avenge defeat, suffer
Prompt 31
Use 7 words – reaching, artichoke, snot, hunker, kaleidoscope, myriad, ornery