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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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You just found a key in your pocket that wasn't there when you last checked.

Kids

You bump into someone while walking to the bus. They feel the bump, but can't seem to see or hear you.

Horror

A woman drops her wallet on the street, and it falls open. You pick it up and are about to return it to her when you notice a strange picture inside.

Dramatic

You've just moved into a new house. You wake up one night to the sound of Siri responding to a query. You turned off your phone before you went to sleep.

Horror

You come across an ATM that gives you the exact amount of money you need to survive for the day, how you spend it is your choice. Today you are given $10 million.

Fiction

An elderly person finally takes the last picture on a film camera they've had for decades. Today they're going to print it.

Fiction

Two colleagues with poor communication skills have to collaborate for the first time on a project.

Conflict

Write a story about a terrible, unfixable hair cut.

Teens

Write a story from the perspective of a snowman who has just come to life. Plot twist: he's missing eyes.

Christmas

An advertising firm lands a huge contract to make Easter the yearÍs most popular holiday.

Holiday

Write a story about a character who doesn't know how to share.

Kids

Write a descriptive story about a household using only one of the five senses: sight, smell, hearing, touch, or taste.

Teens

Write a story where your character is acting differently on the outside than they feel on the inside.

Fiction

539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026

You just found a key in your pocket that wasn't there when you last checked.

You bump into someone while walking to the bus. They feel the bump, but can't seem to see or hear you.

Write a story that takes place over the course of a house party.

Write a story that takes place entirely in the dark.

You stumble across an abandoned house in the woods.

A woman drops her wallet on the street, and it falls open. You pick it up and are about to return it to her when you notice a strange picture inside.

You've just moved into a new house. You wake up one night to the sound of Siri responding to a query. You turned off your phone before you went to sleep.

You come across an ATM that gives you the exact amount of money you need to survive for the day, how you spend it is your choice. Today you are given $10 million.

An elderly person finally takes the last picture on a film camera they've had for decades. Today they're going to print it.

Two colleagues with poor communication skills have to collaborate for the first time on a project.

Write a story about a terrible, unfixable hair cut.

Write a story from the perspective of a snowman who has just come to life. Plot twist: he's missing eyes.

An advertising firm lands a huge contract to make Easter the yearÍs most popular holiday.

Write a story about a character who doesn't know how to share.

Write a descriptive story about a household using only one of the five senses: sight, smell, hearing, touch, or taste.

Write a story where your character is acting differently on the outside than they feel on the inside.

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