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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Someone steps out of your television set… and you were watching a horror movie.
There's an urban legend about a taxi cab that doesn't take you where you want to go, but where you need to go. One night, you step into this cab.
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.
You were put in charge of getting your great-grandmother a gift this year by your family — but she's old enough that she's already seen, heard, and experienced everything under the sun. What do you get her?
Write a story about trust. Include a pair of siblings in it.
Set your story at a busy airport during Christmas week.
Write a story about pumpkin picking… in the middle of a storm.
You accidentally break something at a dinner party and go to ever-increasing lengths to cover it up.
It's your last time trick-or-treating. What's your costume? How do you spend the evening?
Describe your greatest fear, and how you have or have not overcome it yet.
You're the principal for the day! Write a story about what you would do with these newfound responsibilities.
You are the Grinch who hates Halloween, and your mission this year is to replace every single Ferroro Rocher with brussel sprouts.
Write a story about a test that your character has to overcome. The test can be metaphorical or figurative.
You live in a future where music in any form is considered repugnant. You find an old music box.
Describe your definition of a good life.
A reindeer is loose! What can you, a mere elf on the lowest rung of Santa's helpers, do?
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