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DIRECTORY
539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
A comedian bombs every time every time they get up on stage.
The one place where the sun rises in the west and sets in the east.
You've just made the discovery of secret playground deep in the woods... and only you know of its existence.
You find a treasure map.
Describe your weekend using only dialogue to write the story.
Write a story where someone says, "If only I could have met you ten years later, maybe… this all could have turned out differently."
Write a story that takes place where poets and writers are the biggest celebrities.
You were sitting on a park bench, enjoying the sun, when a stranger sat next to you and started typing on an old fashioned typewriter.
There's someone standing on the corner of the street you live on. It's the fifth time they've been there this week.
You eavesdrop on a hushed conversation taking place in the hallway. What's being said is not nice about someone you know.
Write a story about a search for a Santa suit.
A wand-maker goes to the forest ready to work, only to find a group of environmentalists camped out in front of their favorite hemlock tree.
"I love you," you said. Before you could hear a response, your phone died.
Turn one of your grandparent's old stories into fiction.
You open a fortune cookie at a Chinese restaurant. Inside is a handwritten note.
Someone who has lived a thousand years takes up a job teaching high school history.
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