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DIRECTORY
539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
A group of friends go pumpkin picking at a local farm and have a competition to see who can find the biggest pumpkin. Plot twist: the farm has a previous reputation for being haunted.
You've been asked to watch the class pet over a long weekend. It gets loose on its first night at your house.
Write about the way the sunset looks from the perspective of two characters. One is sad, the other is happy.
Write about a story where Mondays are deleted from the universe.
You've been turned into a ghost! Now the fun part begins. Who do you pick to haunt, and why?
Pick one of your Instagram photos. Write about the story behind it.
While on a leisurely stroll through the forest, you find strange footprints. Do you follow them?
An evil king has seized control of the land. The world's only hope? An even eviller witch who has the powers to stop him.
Write a story using the Halloween colors somewhere in the piece: orange, black, purple, and green.
You are a space kitty, traveling from planet to planet. You write a letter home and this is what it says.
Only one swordsman emerges alive from a bloody battle. And without a single wound. How does he explain his survival?
Write a story about a group of five friends who set out at night for trick or treating… and when they return, they're only four.
Write about Christmas from the perspective of the local cat.
You're home alone for the first time ever. Write a story about how the day unfolds.
A door in the locker room leads to a magical fantasy world.
You bump into someone while walking to the bus. They feel the bump, but can't seem to see or hear you.
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