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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
"Savor this sunset, folks. It might be the last one we ever see."
Write a story about the passage of time based only upon a series of birthday wishes.
A logical person starts acting irrationally.
In the closet of your new home is a portal through space and time. You accidentally travel to Mars.
You are granted one wish. But you have to use the wish for someone else.
Only one swordsman emerges alive from a bloody battle. And without a single wound. How does he explain his survival?
A group of friends go pumpkin picking at a local farm and have a competition to see who can find the biggest pumpkin. Plot twist: the farm has a previous reputation for being haunted.
Write about a difficult decision you had to make, and how you ended up making it.
By the time this party is finished, three people's lives will be changed forever.
A trusting person turns into a skeptic.
Write a story about two costume shops who try to outdo each other with bigger and crazier costumes each Halloween.
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