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53 Best Funny Short Story Ideas

Showing 53 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.

You're a janitor at a large school. People wouldn't believe the things you've heard.

Your new cell phone number used to be the number of a very popular personal therapist.

You have a writer's block breakthrough at the worst possible time.

Write a story with an open ending.

"BOO!" you yell, grabbing the shoulders of a person you think is your friend from behind. They turn around and it's a total stranger.

While transferring between international flights at an airport, you befriend a strange person while passing through security.

You're a bartender at a neighborhood pub. A regular comes in and says, "Do I have a story for you!"

An office worker's favorite coffee mug has gone missing, and the obsessive search for the mug throughout the workplace turns into a dire and ridiculous odyssey.

After searching for your lost cat for months, it saunters into your house one day. It looks rather plump.

It's March 31st, the busiest day of the year at the joke shop you own.

You find your grandparent's old chessboard in the attic. Absentmindedly, you move a piece. The next day, an opposing piece has been moved.

You woke up and all seemed normal. Little did you know that before you'd even had a chance to get out of bed, you would become the subject of a prank.

You are a space kitty, traveling from planet to planet. You write a letter home and this is what it says.

Emotional baggage must now be checked in at the airport.

"I'd like to buy a plane ticket to your furthest destination today," you told the airline employee.

You buy your son a teddy bear. Every night, the bear protects your son from the monsters in the dark.

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