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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Money really does grow on trees and is heavily regulated by governments.
A drama club is horrified upon reading a review of their performance in their high school newspaper.
You're driving down a lonely road when you see a machine-looking object jet across the night sky.
It is discovered that Earth actually IS flat.
"Today is the last day," you decide, staring up at the 67-story building that has owned your life for the last 10 years.
"The grass is always greener on the other side." You were prepared to find out.
Write about a time that you taught something to somebody.
You buy your son a teddy bear. Every night, the bear protects your son from the monsters in the dark.
Due to collision of powerful spells, two wizards are sealed into a tree during a fearsome battle. That tree is now your coffee table.
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.
Write a story in the form of letters. Plot twist: it's revealed that the character who wrote them died from unnatural causes years ago.
Write a story about the gifts that two people buy for each other over a period of ten years, and how that shows the change in their relationship over time.
You're going through family photos when you start to notice the same person candidly in the background of every single location.
You went to sleep in a bed, but you woke up on the cold dark floor the forest.
What is the memory that you remember the most? Why?
You've been turned into a ghost! Now the fun part begins. Who do you pick to haunt, and why?
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