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.
You are a curmudgeonly old man whose name is Writer S. Block. You just spotted your next victim.
What is the memory that you remember the most? Why?
It's the year 5000 and humanity's first expansions into space, colonization of the solar system, etc., have faded into myths, much like the journeys of Odysseus. Write about these fabled legends.
Write a story about a catastrophic attempt to use grandma's famous pumpkin pie recipe for the annual Halloween feast.
Some fishy things have been going on at school. Write about a group of friends who establish their own detective agency to get down to the bottom of it, once and for all.
Write a love story using dramatic irony.
A group of kids get an invite to a costume party in the neighborhood… but when they arrive, the monsters aren't costumes. They're real.
A child finds out by accident that Santa Claus… isn't real! Write about the fallout that occurs afterward.
It's your first winter… and it's just started snowing!
Your academic rival at school has joined the Art Club, so now you must also join the Art Club. Problem is, you're pretty sure that you're colorblind.
"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.
Sweet Sixteenth? More like Salty Sixteenth!
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 are the Grinch who hates Halloween, and your mission this year is to replace every single Ferroro Rocher with brussel sprouts.
You're in an airport, watching people say goodbye before heading through security.
A character becomes addicted to the slots in Las Vegas.
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 🙌
