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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Describe your greatest fear, and how you have or have not overcome it yet.
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.
Write a story about a character who must confront their past.
Write a story about the day you are magically teleported into your favorite board game.
Write a love story using dramatic irony.
Write about a time when you were hurt by someone unexpected.
A reindeer is loose! What can you, a mere elf on the lowest rung of Santa's helpers, do?
Write a story using only dialogue that illustrates what a normal day at your school looks like.
The monster from your nightmare is standing next to you when you wake up.
Many action movies involve the hero jumping into a vehicle and demanding the driver to "follow that car!" Write from the perspective of the driver.
Due to collision of powerful spells, two wizards are sealed into a tree during a fearsome battle. That tree is now your coffee table.
Write a story where someone says, "If only I could have met you ten years later, maybe… this all could have turned out differently."
Write a story about a meet-cute between competing Christmas tree shops in town.
It's a Thursday evening, and Greg Richerson is flashing his sports cars again.
On your commute to work, you expect to see the sun rise as usual. This time, two suns rise.
One person has been on the waiting list to check out a library book for months. The other person has the long-overdue book. The two coincidentally meet one day at the library.
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