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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
You start hearing sounds, but when you ask your friend about it, they look at you with a confused expression.
"BOO!" you yell, grabbing the shoulders of a person you think is your friend from behind. They turn around and it's a total stranger.
You are an astronaut spending your last few hours on Earth before a journey into space.
Write a children's book about a young child who gets transported into a magical world inside of a snow globe.
Write a retelling of a fairy tale — from the perspective of a child.
Your date finds an engagement ring inside a slice of cake they ordered for dessert. You weren't planning to propose.
Money really does grow on trees and is heavily regulated by governments.
Pick one of your Instagram photos. Write about the story behind it.
Someone who has lived a thousand years takes up a job teaching high school history.
A character doesn't know how to break up with their partner, and keeps putting it off until the very moment that the partner bends down on one knee and proposes.
Write a dual perspective story, with each alternating perspective based on one of these two words: "bitter" and "sweet."
You're the world's best photographer. Your secret? You can freeze time.
Write about a time when you were hurt by someone unexpected.
Each year, the Springers host the town's most epic Halloween costume party. You're determined to win the grand prize this year, except that this year the theme is "Willy Wonka."
You find a treasure map.
You've just made the discovery of secret playground deep in the woods... and only you know of its existence.
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