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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 takes place where poets and writers are the biggest celebrities.
A character on their deathbed tells their family about their regrets.
You're on an island in the middle of the ocean. One day you find a bottle washed up on the shore with a piece of paper in it.
You're the principal for the day! Write a story about what you would do with these newfound responsibilities.
"Hi. It's me."
Write a story about someone trying to hide a pet from their parents.
Write a story about an ongoing rivalry between a vampire and a werewolf for supremacy over Halloween.
Write a children's book that's set entirely in space.
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.
You find a well-kept, spotless leather bound book in the middle of a vast desert.
On your commute to work, you expect to see the sun rise as usual. This time, two suns rise.
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 child was stolen, and a straw doll left in their place.
You enter a room where someone is having a phone call. They don't see you and you overhear a big secret that you clearly weren't meant to.
You just made a new friend who lives in France… but wait. You don't know French.
Write about the last nightmare you had.
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