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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Write a love story using dramatic irony.
Write a story about the friendship between an introvert and an extrovert
Write about a time that you were lost (metaphorically or literally).
Pick a color and write a story based on the feelings that that color evokes for you.
You're in an airport, watching people say goodbye before heading through security.
You participated in your office's Secret Santa, but no one will admit to buying your gift. Write a story about the search for the mysterious gifter.
Write about a law in your country that you would change.
"When i grow up, I want to..."
Write a story about time passing from the perspective of a young child who tends to plants every day.
Write a love poem inspired by a recently received text message.
For a week or so you've noticed a stray animal hanging around your home. One day you let it in.
Every pirate claims to be the scourge of the seven seas, but none claim the eighth.
A 50-year-old has started to do the daily Sudoku, scared that she is starting to lose her memory.
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.
Write a story based on your very first memory.
While looking through old photos you discover something that unequivocally settles an argument that ended a childhood friendship decades ago.
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