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Are you ready to write but don’t know what to write about? Prepare to kick your writing into gear by browsing through our list of 200+ short story ideas. New prompts are added each week, and you can search by genre. But don’t let our categories stop you from putting your own spin on a writing prompt: if you find a short story idea tagged as sci-fi, but you think it would make a great romance plot, run with it! For tips on how to come up with your own story ideas, scroll to the bottom of the page.

539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026

Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.

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Page 26

Sweet Sixteenth? More like Salty Sixteenth!

Teens

You are home alone watching TV. A character dials a number on their phone. Your phone rings.

Dramatic

Set your story entirely under mistletoe.

Christmas

You are a secret agent. Your mission? To steal the cookie jar back from your older sister.

Kids

Write a story about a series of unfortunate events that takes place over the span of a field trip.

Middle School

A character must confront their fear of commitment if they want to save their failing relationship.

Conflict

Write a story that's entirely set in the cafeteria.

Middle School

Someone told you a secret that you shouldn't know about a friend. What do you do with this information? Write a story about it.

Kids

"I love you," you said. Before you could hear a response, your phone died.

Dramatic

Write a story about a character who moves from a small town to a big city for the first time.

High School

After the brief pause that follows your mother's angry question of "Who did this?", all of you look at the cat.

Kids

You were mowing your lawn when someone walked by your yard and burst into tears.

Funny

You're donating blood as normal in October when you notice that the nurse taking care of you is... strangely... pale? And seems to have oddly-shaped teeth... that almost look like fangs...?

Halloween

539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026

Sweet Sixteenth? More like Salty Sixteenth!

You are home alone watching TV. A character dials a number on their phone. Your phone rings.

Set your story entirely under mistletoe.

You are a secret agent. Your mission? To steal the cookie jar back from your older sister.

Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not?

Write about Christmas from the perspective of the local cat.

Write a story in which it becomes night forever. The sun has gone.

Write a story about a series of unfortunate events that takes place over the span of a field trip.

A character must confront their fear of commitment if they want to save their failing relationship.

Write a story that's entirely set in the cafeteria.

Someone told you a secret that you shouldn't know about a friend. What do you do with this information? Write a story about it.

"I love you," you said. Before you could hear a response, your phone died.

Write a story about a character who moves from a small town to a big city for the first time.

After the brief pause that follows your mother's angry question of "Who did this?", all of you look at the cat.

You were mowing your lawn when someone walked by your yard and burst into tears.

You're donating blood as normal in October when you notice that the nurse taking care of you is... strangely... pale? And seems to have oddly-shaped teeth... that almost look like fangs...?

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