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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
You start hearing sounds, but when you ask your friend about it, they look at you with a confused expression.
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.
You're a bartender at a neighborhood pub. A regular comes in and says, "Do I have a story for you!"
You come across a cheaply printed book of magic tricks. You try one out and discover the book is truly magic, and teaches you how to break fundamental laws of physics.
Write a story about a character who doesn't know how to share.
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 discover a secret family member you never knew existed.
You meet someone who's different from you. Write a story about how you become friends.
Write about the origin of the saying "April showers bring May flowers."
Write about what you want to be in the future, whether that's in terms of personality, goals, or career.
You find your grandparent's old chessboard in the attic. Absentmindedly, you move a piece. The next day, an opposing piece has been moved.
You have to let go of something you treasure.
In the closet of your new home is a portal through space and time. You accidentally travel to Mars.
Set your story on a hayride. Bonus points if a headless horseman makes an appearance.
You find a well-kept, spotless leather bound book in the middle of a vast desert.
In a quiet little coffee shop in a quiet little town, famous people from history stop by every so often for a drink.
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