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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026

Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.

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Page 16

Each year, the Springers host the town's most epic Halloween costume party. You're determined to win the grand prize this year, except that this year the theme is "Willy Wonka."

Halloween

Set your story entirely under mistletoe.

Christmas

There's an urban legend about a taxi cab that doesn't take you where you want to go, but where you need to go. One night, you step into this cab.

Dramatic

Set your story on a hayride. Bonus points if a headless horseman makes an appearance.

Halloween

Set your story at a noisy school assembly, where two characters are trying to hold an important and private conversation.

Kids

Write a story that draws from a moment in your life where you wish you'd made a different choice. Have your protagonist make that choice, and then see what happens.

Narrative

The world's wealthiest person has recently been put in prison for life. They offer half their fortune to any person, organization, or country that will free them.

Mystery / Thriller

You bump into someone while walking to the bus. They feel the bump, but can't seem to see or hear you.

Horror

Every week, you post an ad in the newspaper asking for a time traveller to contact you. One day you get a response, dated year 2200.

Fantasy

Set your story at the playground!

Kids

Write about a power hungry wizard summoning an eldritch creature from a blood-stained spellbook.

Dark

539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026

Each year, the Springers host the town's most epic Halloween costume party. You're determined to win the grand prize this year, except that this year the theme is "Willy Wonka."

Set your story entirely under mistletoe.

There's an urban legend about a taxi cab that doesn't take you where you want to go, but where you need to go. One night, you step into this cab.

Set your story on a hayride. Bonus points if a headless horseman makes an appearance.

Set your story at a noisy school assembly, where two characters are trying to hold an important and private conversation.

Write a story that draws from a moment in your life where you wish you'd made a different choice. Have your protagonist make that choice, and then see what happens.

Re-write Romeo and Juliet as a short story... but make it horror.

Write a children's book about diversity.

Write a story about the friendship between two different species of animals.

Spin a scary story that could be told around a bonfire at night.

You are a server at a restaurant, having the busiest shift of your life.

The world's wealthiest person has recently been put in prison for life. They offer half their fortune to any person, organization, or country that will free them.

You bump into someone while walking to the bus. They feel the bump, but can't seem to see or hear you.

Every week, you post an ad in the newspaper asking for a time traveller to contact you. One day you get a response, dated year 2200.

Set your story at the playground!

Write about a power hungry wizard summoning an eldritch creature from a blood-stained spellbook.

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