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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026

Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.

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Page 24

A child walks into the forest and learns about all of the animals that live in there.

Children's Book

There is a fountain that truly does grant wishes to those who throw coins in it.

Dramatic

Write a story with the worlds: "calculation," "corn," and "mayor."

High School

You wish upon what looks like a star but is actually a satellite. Your wish has been recorded, catalogued, and an agent is now assigned the task of granting your wish.

Science Fiction

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.

Dramatic

Write about a wish that you once made.

Narrative

An office worker's favorite coffee mug has gone missing, and the obsessive search for the mug throughout the workplace turns into a dire and ridiculous odyssey.

Funny

Think about a moment in your life that elicited very strong emotions. Write about a character going through a different experience that leads to the same emotions.

Narrative

You visited a psychic for romantic advice. Instead, they tell you that your spouse has a secret.

Conflict

Write a story about a ghost hunter who doesn't believe in ghosts -- until he gets stuck in a haunted mansion overnight.

Dark

A woman drops her wallet on the street, and it falls open. You pick it up and are about to return it to her when you notice a strange picture inside.

Dramatic

A group of kids get an invite to a costume party in the neighborhood… but when they arrive, the monsters aren't costumes. They're real.

Halloween

539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026

A child walks into the forest and learns about all of the animals that live in there.

There is a fountain that truly does grant wishes to those who throw coins in it.

Write a story with the worlds: "calculation," "corn," and "mayor."

You wish upon what looks like a star but is actually a satellite. Your wish has been recorded, catalogued, and an agent is now assigned the task of granting your wish.

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.

Write about a wish that you once made.

An office worker's favorite coffee mug has gone missing, and the obsessive search for the mug throughout the workplace turns into a dire and ridiculous odyssey.

Think about a moment in your life that elicited very strong emotions. Write about a character going through a different experience that leads to the same emotions.

You visited a psychic for romantic advice. Instead, they tell you that your spouse has a secret.

Write a story about a ghost hunter who doesn't believe in ghosts -- until he gets stuck in a haunted mansion overnight.

An introvert sits down next to an extrovert in the classroom. What happens?

Overheard in Chemistry class: "Well, that wasn't supposed to happen."

The world's most important chess game is about to start.

Write about Christmas from the perspective of the local cat.

A woman drops her wallet on the street, and it falls open. You pick it up and are about to return it to her when you notice a strange picture inside.

A group of kids get an invite to a costume party in the neighborhood… but when they arrive, the monsters aren't costumes. They're real.

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