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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Write a story about living a lie. You get to choose the lie.
You participated in your office's Secret Santa, but no one will admit to buying your gift. Write a story about the search for the mysterious gifter.
Describe a change that you think you've gone through.
You've been turned into a ghost! Now the fun part begins. Who do you pick to haunt, and why?
Write a short story inspired by your favorite song.
You're going through family photos when you start to notice the same person candidly in the background of every single location.
An elderly married couple toast each other over a pint on St. Patrick's Day.
All of your birthday presents this year look normal, except for one sitting in the corner that has a strange yellow glow emitting from it...
You just discovered that you can teleport into one Hallmark Christmas rom-com of your choosing. Which movie do you choose, and what happens differently in the movie because of your arrival?
Write a love story using dramatic irony.
A character's best friend is leaving town forever, and they haven't told them that they love them yet.
There's an urban legend about a taxi cab that doesn't take you where you want to go, but where you need to go. One night, you step into this cab.
A group of high school students go on an educational field trip to a graveyard to learn about the history of the area. But when a storm starts up and they get trapped, they have to figure out how to survive the night.
Write a story that ends with a shocking plot twist.
You are a space kitty, traveling from planet to planet. You write a letter home and this is what it says.
Who would you choose as the TIME Person Of The Year? Why?
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