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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
"Hi. It's me."
Write a story about a character who moves from a small town to a big city for the first time.
The voice in your head is your only friend. The AI implant is your only ally. And she's just started to become sentient...
You have wondered how to bring down Jane Lotsacash for years. Now, the key to her demise rests on your desk...
You hear a scream and it's coming from inside your own home.
A pessimist becomes an optimist.
Write a story about a festive neighborhood battle between one family who loves Halloween and another family who loves Christmas.
Write about your goals at ages 5, 10, 15, and 20.
Stuff has been mysteriously disappearing from your home for weeks, but you live alone.
You find your grandparent's old chessboard in the attic. Absentmindedly, you move a piece. The next day, an opposing piece has been moved.
While looking through old photos you discover something that unequivocally settles an argument that ended a childhood friendship decades ago.
While on a leisurely stroll through the forest, you find strange footprints. Do you follow them?
An entrepreneur is suffering self-doubt from a string of failures, and this is their last chance.
A character has to choose between family and their desire for the truth.
It's dodgeball day in P.E., and in a desperate attempt not to be picked last again for the teams, you...
What is the memory that you remember the most? Why?
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