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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Write a story about the all-out war among the PTA moms to snatch up the last Spider-Man costume in the costume shop.
Write about a time when you tried something unfamiliar.
Write a story based on your very first memory.
As the sun set, the desert wasteland glowed an eerie red.
Write a story based on an experience from your childhood... but set it in a different time period. (Yes, the future counts!)
Write a story in the form of a diary that journals every day in the month leading up to Christmas.
One person has been on the waiting list to check out a library book for months. The other person has the long-overdue book. The two coincidentally meet one day at the library.
"Do you have a minute?" asks the stranger who was reading beside you on a park bench.
Your family's run out of coal to heat your home in December. To procure coal for your family, you have to figure out how to get onto Santa's naughty list... quickly.
You caught the girl in classroom 3B stealing your favorite eraser, which means war.
Spin a scary story that could be told around a bonfire at night.
A reindeer is loose! What can you, a mere elf on the lowest rung of Santa's helpers, do?
Everyday, you sit at your window to watch a neighbor play a musical instrument. You can't hear the music, but you're transfixed by the musician's expression.
You left cookies on the table on the day before Christmas. When you wake up the next day, the cookies are gone, and in their place is a note. What does it say?
Set your story at the playground!
A group of students hold a high-stakes competition to see who can carve the best jack-o-lantern. The class clown is appointed the judge.
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