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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
An elderly person finally takes the last picture on a film camera they've had for decades. Today they're going to print it.
You've been turned into a ghost! Now the fun part begins. Who do you pick to haunt, and why?
It was the most epic senior prank your high school had ever seen.
A trusting person turns into a skeptic.
Ten years later, you see the person who bullied you in middle school in the middle of 7-11.
Write a story about the day you are magically teleported into your favorite board game.
You're in charge of creating the new school lunch menu. What kind of menu would you make?
Write a story where your character is acting differently on the outside than they feel on the inside.
Write a story about coming out. The ending is a happy one.
Write a story about a ghost hunter who doesn't believe in ghosts -- until he gets stuck in a haunted mansion overnight.
You come across a cheaply printed book of magic tricks. You try one out and discover the book is truly magic, and teaches you how to break fundamental laws of physics.
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