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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026

Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.

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An office worker's favorite coffee mug has gone missing, and the obsessive search for the mug throughout the workplace turns into a dire and ridiculous odyssey.

Funny

You're sitting in a coffee shop watching someone type on their computer. They type the words, "It begins raining outside", and it instantly starts raining.

Fiction

Write a story where your character gets close to obtaining their greatest desire.

Fiction

You saw something that you weren't supposed to see. Telling the truth could fix a horrible situation for one of the colleagues involved — but it would get you fired.

Conflict

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

Write about a time you broke a promise. What did it feel like? Why did you break it?

Narrative

You just got the new dog that you've wanted for such a long time, but you're finding that it's a lot more responsibility than you expected.

Children's Book

Write about a time you failed.

Narrative

You're on a boat that should have reached undiscovered land days ago. Your compass tells you you're on the right path but there is no land in sight.

Dramatic

The monster from your nightmare is standing next to you when you wake up.

Dark

It is discovered that Earth actually IS flat.

Science Fiction

Describe yourself to a stranger.

Narrative

539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026

An office worker's favorite coffee mug has gone missing, and the obsessive search for the mug throughout the workplace turns into a dire and ridiculous odyssey.

You're sitting in a coffee shop watching someone type on their computer. They type the words, "It begins raining outside", and it instantly starts raining.

Write a story where your character gets close to obtaining their greatest desire.

You saw something that you weren't supposed to see. Telling the truth could fix a horrible situation for one of the colleagues involved — but it would get you fired.

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.

You wake up the day after an epic party. You're not where you expected to be.

Write about a white Christmas in California.

Write about a time that you taught something to somebody.

Set your story at the bleachers of the track and field.

Write about a time you broke a promise. What did it feel like? Why did you break it?

You just got the new dog that you've wanted for such a long time, but you're finding that it's a lot more responsibility than you expected.

Write about a time you failed.

You're on a boat that should have reached undiscovered land days ago. Your compass tells you you're on the right path but there is no land in sight.

The monster from your nightmare is standing next to you when you wake up.

It is discovered that Earth actually IS flat.

Describe yourself to a stranger.

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