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DIRECTORY
539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
You accidentally break something at a dinner party and go to ever-increasing lengths to cover it up.
"I'd like to buy a plane ticket to your furthest destination today," you told the airline employee.
Something unusual is found in a winter coat pocket.
The voice in your head is your only friend. The AI implant is your only ally. And she's just started to become sentient...
Your date finds an engagement ring inside a slice of cake they ordered for dessert. You weren't planning to propose.
It's Groundhog Day... and the day that keeps looping for you is the day of the most disastrous prom in the history of proms.
Write a children's book that's set entirely in space.
You have to let go of something you treasure.
Where do you see the future of technology heading? Write an essay explaining why.
Describe your definition of a good life.
A love story that starts and ends in 24 hours.
A pessimist becomes an optimist.
Write a story using only dialogue that illustrates what a normal day at your school looks like.
Spin a scary story that could be told around a bonfire at night.
It's your first spring… and you have allergies!
Write a story from the perspective of a snowman who has just come to life. Plot twist: he's missing eyes.
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