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Are you ready to write but don’t know what to write about? Prepare to kick your writing into gear by browsing through our list of 200+ short story ideas. New prompts are added each week, and you can search by genre. But don’t let our categories stop you from putting your own spin on a writing prompt: if you find a short story idea tagged as sci-fi, but you think it would make a great romance plot, run with it! For tips on how to come up with your own story ideas, scroll to the bottom of the page.

539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026

Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.

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Page 11

A character has to choose between family and their desire for the truth.

Conflict

You pass by a person sitting with their face to the sun, the most content smile you've ever seen on their face.

Fiction

It's your first winter… and it's just started snowing!

Children's Book

In a quiet little coffee shop in a quiet little town, famous people from history stop by every so often for a drink.

Fantasy

Write a story about a character whose reflection no longer appears in the mirror. (It's up to you whether or not they're also a vampire.)

Middle School

Write a story that starts with the pick-up line, "I must be a snowflake because I’ve fallen for you."

Christmas

Write a story based on the last text you received.

Teens

A student has to fight against societal expectations in order to fulfill a lifelong dream.

Conflict

Describe your definition of a good life.

Narrative

A character doesn't know how to ask their parent to stop calling them 2+ times a day.

Conflict

Write a story about a high-stakes decoration competition between neighbors vyying for the title of Most Festive Home in their city (and the local newspaper feature that comes with it).

Christmas

On Easter Monday, if a certain rabbit emerges from the ground and sees its shadow, winter returns for 4 weeks.

Holiday

539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026

A character has to choose between family and their desire for the truth.

You pass by a person sitting with their face to the sun, the most content smile you've ever seen on their face.

It's your first winter… and it's just started snowing!

In a quiet little coffee shop in a quiet little town, famous people from history stop by every so often for a drink.

Write a story about a character whose reflection no longer appears in the mirror. (It's up to you whether or not they're also a vampire.)

Write a story that starts with the pick-up line, "I must be a snowflake because I’ve fallen for you."

Write a story based on the last text you received.

A student has to fight against societal expectations in order to fulfill a lifelong dream.

Describe your definition of a good life.

A character doesn't know how to ask their parent to stop calling them 2+ times a day.

Write a story about a high-stakes decoration competition between neighbors vyying for the title of Most Festive Home in their city (and the local newspaper feature that comes with it).

On Easter Monday, if a certain rabbit emerges from the ground and sees its shadow, winter returns for 4 weeks.

Write a story about your dream vacation.

Write about a wish that you once made.

Write a story about pumpkin picking… in the middle of a storm.

Write a story about a terrible, unfixable hair cut.

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