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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Write a story where your character is acting differently on the outside than they feel on the inside.
Santa Claus had one too many pork chops during the pre-Christmas feast, and now he's stuck in the chimney — and there are footsteps approaching!
You find your grandparent's old chessboard in the attic. Absentmindedly, you move a piece. The next day, an opposing piece has been moved.
You're moments late to everything. You watch busses pull away as you run behind them, you miss the first 5 minutes of every movie, and you have never caught a green light. One day, you arrive on time.
Write a book with anthromorpohized characters.
Many action movies involve the hero jumping into a vehicle and demanding the driver to "follow that car!" Write from the perspective of the driver.
This was the moment you'd been waiting for. Gleefully, you raised your camera to take a picture and then... the battery died.
Write a story about acceptance that involves a new exchange student.
Write a story based on an experience from your childhood... but set it in a different time period. (Yes, the future counts!)
You woke up and all seemed normal. Little did you know that before you'd even had a chance to get out of bed, you would become the subject of a prank.
You wake up one day and find that you can suddenly talk to animals.
In a quiet little coffee shop in a quiet little town, famous people from history stop by every so often for a drink.
Write a story about the small kindnesses that you see every day.
A pair of best friends realize they're two corners of a love triangle — they both have feelings for the same person.
You're haunted by a ghost. That's not the problem. The problem is that this ghost is really, really, really chatty.
Pick a color and write a story based on the feelings that that color evokes for you.
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