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.
Someone has been stealing from other kids' pools of candy on Halloween. This means war.
Re-write Romeo and Juliet as a short story... but make it horror.
It's the first day of summer camp, and one of this year's new campers is the child of a major celebrity. Write a story about the first week from the head camp counselor's perspective.
You wake up one day and find that you can suddenly talk to animals.
Adapt your favorite fairy tale to take place in your home town.
A friendly pranking rivalry between two colleagues in an office starts to get serious.
You're one of Santa Claus's elves, and wishes on childrens' wishlists from around the world this Christmas have gone through the roof. Literally. Now you need to somehow find a repairman to fix Santa's roof before Santa finds out.
August 30, 1946: The date of the one and only time travel convention. You attend every year.
A sleepover goes off the rails when a group of friends accidentally summons a being from another dimension.
Time travel is widely available. However, you can't interact with the past, you can only observe it. On a trip to the past one day, you bump into someone.
While looking through old photos you discover something that unequivocally settles an argument that ended a childhood friendship decades ago.
A team of scientists have successfully teleported an apple. It reappears with a bite taken out of it.
Write a story that takes place over the course of a house party.
A character starts remembering things that never happened.
A ghoul, a ghost, and a mummy walk into a bar. What happens next?
You're on a train when someone sits across from you and begins to cry.
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 🙌
