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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Write about your favorite hobby.
A plane takes off with 81 passengers. It lands with 82.
Write a story about an elementary school student who has to overcome their fear of public speaking in order to win a speech contest.
"Say cheese!" You push the camera button, hear the click, and... that's when all hell broke loose.
You find your grandparent's old chessboard in the attic. Absentmindedly, you move a piece. The next day, an opposing piece has been moved.
It's your first winter… and it's just started snowing!
You're on a train when someone sits across from you and begins to cry.
You participated in your office's Secret Santa, but no one will admit to buying your gift. Write a story about the search for the mysterious gifter.
It's your first day in a new city where you don't speak the language.
A group of villains go on a team-building retreat.
You meet someone who's different from you. Write a story about how you become friends.
Write a story about a festive neighborhood battle between one family who loves Halloween and another family who loves Christmas.
You are born with the ability to stop time. One day, you see something else moving when you have already stopped time.
Write about a time that you encountered an obstacle, and how you overcame it.
Every day, you visit the same moment from your past.
Overheard in P.E.: "It's not that I wanted to hit you in the head with the ball, it's that I thought you were a spider."
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