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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
In front of you lie two doors. One contains your worst nightmare. The other, your greatest dream.
A forgotten object is found in an attic during spring cleaning.
It's a Thursday evening, and Greg Richerson is flashing his sports cars again.
You volunteer to be the first human to test time travel, only going an hour forward in time. But when you leave the travel pod, all other humans are gone.
A superhero comes and rescues your class from certain doom. Which superhero just swooped in to save the day? Write a story about how you set out to make friends with them next.
Set your story at the bleachers of the track and field.
Write a story about a family who goes pumpkin picking, only to discover that at some point their prize pumpkins have been mysteriously switched with others from the patch. What happens next?
While on a leisurely stroll through the forest, you find strange footprints. Do you follow them?
You're a bartender at a neighborhood pub. A regular comes in and says, "Do I have a story for you!"
Set your story at a disastrous gift exchange.
Write a story based on an experience from your childhood... but set it in a different time period. (Yes, the future counts!)
"Hi. It's me."
For years, four characters have met for a monthly card game. Write a story in which one character realizes that another is cheating.
Your friend is visiting your home for the first time. You go to the kitchen to grab coffee and when you return, your friend tells you they just met your sister. You're an only child and you live alone.
Write about a time that you found out something surprising about somebody else.
Write a story in which it becomes night forever. The sun has gone.
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