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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Your mother sits you and your brother down, and says, "Kids, I'm gonna tell you an incredible story the story of how I met your father."
You work at an airport and notice the same person waiting in "arrivals" every week. Each time, they leave alone. One day you muster the courage to ask who they are waiting for.
Write a story about a character who must confront their past.
Write a story about the small kindnesses that you see every day.
Write a short story in the form of a text message exchange between two best friends during history class.
A writer becomes trapped inside their own book.
A romance told through a series of texts.
Write a story based on an experience from your childhood... but have that experience happen to a person or group of people who are nothing like you or your family.
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.
Write a story about the passage of time based only upon a series of birthday wishes.
Write a story about the friendship between two different species of animals.
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