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DIRECTORY
39 Best Fiction Short Story Ideas
Showing 39 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
You were reading a book quietly at a cafe when someone passed you a note.
Write a story where your character faces a deep fear.
You witness a total solar eclipse.
A tree falls in the woods. You're around to hear it.
Write a story where your character gets close to obtaining their greatest desire.
You were waiting at a crosswalk when someone you didn't recognize started waving from across the street.
Write a story where your character is acting differently on the outside than they feel on the inside.
You wake up the day after an epic party. You're not where you expected to be.
Write about the origin of the saying "April showers bring May flowers."
"Say cheese!" You push the camera button, hear the click, and... that's when all hell broke loose.
Pick a genre and then write about a long walk home after school.
You're moments late to everything. You watch busses pull away as you run behind them, you miss the first 5 minutes of every movie, and you have never caught a green light. One day, you arrive on time.
Write a story that takes place where poets and writers are the biggest celebrities.
An anxious and unsure person becomes extremely decisive.
A story that takes place in the Wild West, but the world is frigid, covered with snow and ice instead of sand.
You're a busker in Central Park on a spring day.
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