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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Write a story that draws from a moment in your life where you wish you'd made a different choice. Have your protagonist make that choice, and then see what happens.
Write a story about a rival studio that is desperately trying to create a song to outsell Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You."
Write about a time that you were lost (metaphorically or literally).
You saw something that you weren't supposed to see. Telling the truth could fix a horrible situation for one of the colleagues involved — but it would get you fired.
Write about a time that you encountered an obstacle, and how you overcame it.
A pessimist becomes an optimist.
On Easter Monday, if a certain rabbit emerges from the ground and sees its shadow, winter returns for 4 weeks.
Write a story about a character who's just moved into town.
Rewrite a famous romantic scene from the perspective of a bystander who has no idea what is going on.
Write a story about friendship that uses holiday traditions from different cultures.
Overheard in Chemistry class: "Well, that wasn't supposed to happen."
Write a dark story in which everything that someone Tweets comes true.
An advertising firm lands a huge contract to make Easter the yearÍs most popular holiday.
A character who loves reading finds out that their library has just been forbidden from carrying banned books.
Write a story about a character who moves from a small town to a big city for the first time.
One person's trash is another's treasure.
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