Menu
Write your book in Reedsy Studio. Try the beloved writing app for free today.
Win up to $250 in our weekly writing contest
Submit your short story on Reedsy Prompts.
DIRECTORY
539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
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!
The Earth does not rotate. One side always faces the sun and is in continual daylight. The other side is in eternal night. Cultures on both sides develop around this.
As a joke, you use your cell phone to dial your own number. Someone picks up.
"I didn't believe in Christmas until now." What might have happened to cause this character to say this?
You work the night shift at a 24 hour laundromat. The job seems normal until someone crawls out of one of the washers and tells you that after dark, every machine leads to a different world.
Two friends are meeting at a high school reunion. They have not seen each other in ten years.
Two strangers have an interesting encounter on a park bench during a snowy, winter evening.
You caught the girl in classroom 3B stealing your favorite eraser, which means war.
Set your story at a disastrous gift exchange.
A romance told through a series of texts.
A man sidles up to a woman in a bar. Little does he know she's an undercover cop following him.
It's show and tell day! Write a story about what you most want to bring to show to your class.
The monster from your nightmare is standing next to you when you wake up.
Write a story about an ongoing rivalry between a vampire and a werewolf for supremacy over Halloween.
This was the moment you'd been waiting for. Gleefully, you raised your camera to take a picture and then... the battery died.
You discover a secret family member you never knew existed.
Find the perfect editor for your next book
Over 1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.
Save your shortlist
Enter your email address to save your shortlist so that you don't lose it!
By continuing, you will also receive Reedsy's weekly publishing tips and access to our free webinars.
Check your email
We've sent over your shortlist. Thank you for using Reedsy's Short Story Ideas Directory 🙌
