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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Write a story about the local scarecrow coming to life and going on a revenge mission against all of those people who had dressed it badly in previous years.
Write a story that includes these three words: "clown," "purple," and "apple."
Write a love story using dramatic irony.
Write a story that retells a famous fairy tale, but in a modern-day high school setting.
You witness a total solar eclipse.
Write a story about a catastrophic attempt to use grandma's famous pumpkin pie recipe for the annual Halloween feast.
Due to collision of powerful spells, two wizards are sealed into a tree during a fearsome battle. That tree is now your coffee table.
Write a story about a world in which Mondays don't exist.
The last person on earth celebrates their own birthday.
You were waiting at a crosswalk when someone you didn't recognize started waving from across the street.
Sweet Sixteenth? More like Salty Sixteenth!
Write about a family with secrets that get stuck in a corn maze overnight. One by one, all of the secrets come out in the course of the night.
Write a story where your character gets close to obtaining their greatest desire.
You went to sleep in a bed, but you woke up on the cold dark floor the forest.
A group of villains go on a team-building retreat.
You wake up to the sound of a voice. Nervous, you look around the room until your eyes land on your pet. You swear you just heard it sleep-talking.
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