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DIRECTORY
539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Set your story at a sunny day in the park.
You're a busker in Central Park on a spring day.
"Do you have a minute?" asks the stranger who was reading beside you on a park bench.
It is the year 3000. The sun starts to flicker.
Two people share an oddly bittersweet moment as they stop to watch a beautiful sunset... at noon.
Overheard in Chemistry class: "Well, that wasn't supposed to happen."
Write about a white Christmas in California.
Write a story about an ongoing rivalry between a vampire and a werewolf for supremacy over Halloween.
Write a story about a character who can only tell lies.
Write a story that retells a famous fairy tale, but in a modern-day high school setting.
Write a children's book about diversity.
On Easter Monday, if a certain rabbit emerges from the ground and sees its shadow, winter returns for 4 weeks.
Two super competitive colleagues meet at the office's monthly Bingo night.
You're one of Santa Claus's elves, and wishes on childrens' wishlists from around the world this Christmas have gone through the roof. Literally. Now you need to somehow find a repairman to fix Santa's roof before Santa finds out.
The last person on earth celebrates their own birthday.
"Whatever you do, DO NOT touch this. Or else."
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