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.
Write a story using the Halloween colors somewhere in the piece: orange, black, purple, and green.
You are a student working on a team project. You and your group are accidentally locked in the school library overnight.
A cell phone is found inside a sealed Egyptian tomb.
Emotional baggage must now be checked in at the airport.
Write a story about a rival studio that is desperately trying to create a song to outsell Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You."
You've been put in charge of pulling off the most daring, the most spectacular senior prank that the school's ever seen.
An elderly married couple toast each other over a pint on St. Patrick's Day.
Write a story about a young girl with a passion for science who invents a time machine and travels to the future, where she must save the world from an imminent catastrophe that only she knows about.
Write a story that inverts a popular YA trope. You get to pick the trope.
Something unusual is found in a winter coat pocket.
You buy your son a teddy bear. Every night, the bear protects your son from the monsters in the dark.
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 🙌
