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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
You accidentally break something at a dinner party and go to ever-increasing lengths to cover it up.
You have to let go of something you treasure.
Write a story about a character who sees the ocean for the first time.
Write a story about a test that your character has to overcome. The test can be metaphorical or figurative.
It's your last time trick-or-treating. What's your costume? How do you spend the evening?
It is the year 3000. The sun starts to flicker.
Write a story that takes place where poets and writers are the biggest celebrities.
You are born with the ability to stop time. One day, you see something else moving when you have already stopped time.
Using only the setting of birthday parties, write a story about growing up.
A bittersweet farewell: bitter for one person, sweet for the other.
The pumpkin flickered while you carved it… but there was no candle in it.
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...
A group of students hold a high-stakes competition to see who can carve the best jack-o-lantern. The class clown is appointed the judge.
"Whatever you do, DO NOT touch this. Or else."
You wish upon what looks like a star but is actually a satellite. Your wish has been recorded, catalogued, and an agent is now assigned the task of granting your wish.
You've just moved into a new house. You wake up one night to the sound of Siri responding to a query. You turned off your phone before you went to sleep.
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