Menu
Write your book in Reedsy Studio. Try the beloved writing app for free today.
Win up to $250 in our weekly writing contest
Submit your short story on Reedsy Prompts.
DIRECTORY
539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
She was dying. She was your mother. And you remember the day your engineers first turned her on...
You're spending the night in an old Victorian home-turned-hotel. You're just about to go into your room, when you hear a harp playing from inside it.
I thought he seemed a perfectly normal human being, until he started speaking.
Write a story that ends by coming full circle.
"He's been dead for ten years," said the little old lady, looking at you with concern.
Write a descriptive story about a household using only one of the five senses: sight, smell, hearing, touch, or taste.
You hear a commotion on the playground — and from the commotion, you can pick out a familiar voice. What happened?
You are an expert spy for the British government, trained to perfection. Your only weakness is that your background music alerts enemies to your presence.
Write about a time that you found out something surprising about somebody else.
Write a story about moving to an entirely new city where everything is new and unfamiliar.
You visited a psychic for romantic advice. Instead, they tell you that your spouse has a secret.
You are a student working on a team project. You and your group are accidentally locked in the school library overnight.
Because of a freak science experiment, you just had a body swap — with the principal of your high school! What do you do with your newfound role?
Write about a law in your country that you would change.
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.
Someone has been stealing from other kids' pools of candy on Halloween. This means war.
Find the perfect editor for your next book
Over 1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.
Save your shortlist
Enter your email address to save your shortlist so that you don't lose it!
By continuing, you will also receive Reedsy's weekly publishing tips and access to our free webinars.
Check your email
We've sent over your shortlist. Thank you for using Reedsy's Short Story Ideas Directory 🙌
