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DIRECTORY
539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
The one place where the sun rises in the west and sets in the east.
While dozing by the fire in your winter cabin, you hear a knock at the door. Blizzard conditions have closed all surrounding roads, and the nearest neighbor is miles away.
It's show and tell day! Write a story about what you most want to bring to show to your class.
"I'd like to buy a plane ticket to your furthest destination today," you told the airline employee.
A writer becomes trapped inside their own book.
Write a story about coming out. The ending is a happy one.
Write a story based on the last text you received.
Write a story about a haircut that doesn't go exactly the way that a character wanted it to.
You're cleaning the attic when you find something terribly old, terribly fragile, and terribly powerful...
As a joke, you use your cell phone to dial your own number. Someone picks up.
In front of you lie two doors. One contains your worst nightmare. The other, your greatest dream.
Santa Claus is backed up with orders recently, and you're in charge of writing the official letter of apology to all of the children around the world informing them that their presents may arrive a week late this year.
Instead of trying to get a man on the moon, every nation raced to be the first at the very bottom of the ocean.
Write a story about a catastrophic attempt to use grandma's famous pumpkin pie recipe for the annual Halloween feast.
Write a story about the all-out war among the PTA moms to snatch up the last Spider-Man costume in the costume shop.
Write about a time that you taught something to somebody.
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