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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
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.
You are a student working on a team project. You and your group are accidentally locked in the school library overnight.
The one place where the sun rises in the west and sets in the east.
It's Valentine's Day and when you open your locker, a note falls out. What does it read?
An entrepreneur is suffering self-doubt from a string of failures, and this is their last chance.
You wake up the day after an epic party. You're not where you expected to be.
Write a story about trust. Include a pair of siblings in it.
Write a story inspired by a photo on Instagram.
You're a food critic eating the best meal of your life. You're at McDonalds.
You're sitting at your desk eating candy hearts. You start to realize the notes on the hearts are trying to give you a message.
Overheard at the track-and-field: "I! NEVER! WANT! TO! SEE! THAT! DOG! POKING! HIS! HEAD! IN! HERE! AGAIN!"
Write a story about a good witch and a bad witch who try to outdo each other on Halloween.
The Tooth Fairy finds something unexpected sitting beside the expected tooth under a child's pillow.
Write a story about a pair of siblings who open up a lemonade stand during summer vacation, and the rivalry that flares up when their neighbors decide to start a Kool-Aid stand at the same time.
Rewrite a famous romantic scene from the perspective of a bystander who has no idea what is going on.
The Earth does not rotate. One side always faces the sun and is in continual daylight. The other side is in eternal night. Cultures on both sides develop around this.
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