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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026

Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.

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Write a story about someone trying to hide a pet from their parents.

Kids

Write a story about the unlikely friendship that starts up between a young character and the eccentric old lady next door.

Children's Book

Write a story that takes place where poets and writers are the biggest celebrities.

Fiction

Put yourself in your teacher's shoes for a moment, and write a story about a day at school from their perspective.

High School

You're on a sleepover with your best friend, when your best friend starts to act strangely.

Dark

It's the first day of summer camp, and one of this year's new campers is the child of a major celebrity. Write a story about the first week from the head camp counselor's perspective.

Teens

Write a book with anthromorpohized characters.

Children's Book

Write a story about acceptance that involves a new exchange student.

High School

A group of friends go pumpkin picking at a local farm and have a competition to see who can find the biggest pumpkin. Plot twist: the farm has a previous reputation for being haunted.

Halloween

You are a student working on a team project. You and your group are accidentally locked in the school library overnight.

Funny

A child walks into the forest and learns about all of the animals that live in there.

Children's Book

Set your story on a hayride. Bonus points if a headless horseman makes an appearance.

Halloween

You wake up from a coma that no one expected you to recover from.

Dramatic

539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026

Write a story about someone trying to hide a pet from their parents.

Write a story about the unlikely friendship that starts up between a young character and the eccentric old lady next door.

You are going home for Christmas for the first time in twenty-five years.

Re-tell Jane Eyre as a short story... but set it in the far future.

You canÍt believe what you just read on the scroll. You have to tell someone.

Write a story that takes place where poets and writers are the biggest celebrities.

Put yourself in your teacher's shoes for a moment, and write a story about a day at school from their perspective.

You're on a sleepover with your best friend, when your best friend starts to act strangely.

It's the first day of summer camp, and one of this year's new campers is the child of a major celebrity. Write a story about the first week from the head camp counselor's perspective.

Write a book with anthromorpohized characters.

Write a story about acceptance that involves a new exchange student.

A group of friends go pumpkin picking at a local farm and have a competition to see who can find the biggest pumpkin. Plot twist: the farm has a previous reputation for being haunted.

You are a student working on a team project. You and your group are accidentally locked in the school library overnight.

A child walks into the forest and learns about all of the animals that live in there.

Set your story on a hayride. Bonus points if a headless horseman makes an appearance.

You wake up from a coma that no one expected you to recover from.

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