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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
A group of kids get an invite to a costume party in the neighborhood… but when they arrive, the monsters aren't costumes. They're real.
The one place where the sun rises in the west and sets in the east.
Write a story about the local scarecrow coming to life and going on a revenge mission against all of those people who had dressed it badly in previous years.
It's Valentine's Day and when you open your locker, a note falls out. What does it read?
Write a story that's entirely set in the cafeteria.
You are traveling when you are informed by an airport official that your passport isn't valid, and the country you claim to be from doesn't exist.
Someone told you a secret that you shouldn't know about a friend. What do you do with this information? Write a story about it.
You are a Nobel Prize Winner, on your way to the awards ceremony. Suddenly, you are transported back in time.
You've just lost something important. Write a story about finding it — or learning to cope with its loss.
Write a story about a world in which spirit animals exist. What kind of animal is your spirit animal? Why?
Write about the way the sunset looks from the perspective of two characters. One is sad, the other is happy.
Write a story about a character who can only tell the truth.
Overheard in P.E.: "It's not that I wanted to hit you in the head with the ball, it's that I thought you were a spider."
Only one swordsman emerges alive from a bloody battle. And without a single wound. How does he explain his survival?
Write a story about the local PETA branch starting a campaign supporting black cats on Halloween day.
Write a story where your character gets close to obtaining their greatest desire.
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