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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Write about a time that you taught something to somebody.
A romance told through a series of texts.
She was dying. She was your mother. And you remember the day your engineers first turned her on...
You are a space kitty, traveling from planet to planet. You write a letter home and this is what it says.
Write a story about the day you are magically teleported into your favorite board game.
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?
You're the principal for the day! Write a story about what you would do with these newfound responsibilities.
You have a writer's block breakthrough at the worst possible time.
Every pirate claims to be the scourge of the seven seas, but none claim the eighth.
You've just made the discovery of secret playground deep in the woods... and only you know of its existence.
Two elderly people in a retirement home are a secret pair of detectives that have solved some of the biggest crimes and mysteries through anonymous tips.
Write a story about a pair of siblings who open up a lemonade stand during summer vacation, and the rivalry that flares up when their neighbors decide to start a Kool-Aid stand at the same time.
You stumble across an abandoned house in the woods.
Write a story about a character picking a lunch table on their first day at a new school.
It's show and tell day! Write a story about what you most want to bring to show to your class.
Write a story that retells a famous fairy tale, but in a modern-day high school setting.
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