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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Ten years later, you see the person who bullied you in middle school in the middle of 7-11.
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."
It is the year 3000. The sun starts to flicker.
Describe your greatest fear, and how you have or have not overcome it yet.
A door in the locker room leads to a magical fantasy world.
Write a story where your character faces a deep fear.
You are an astronaut spending your last few hours on Earth before a journey into space.
Each year, the Springers host the town's most epic Halloween costume party. You're determined to win the grand prize this year, except that this year the theme is "Willy Wonka."
In front of you lie two doors. One contains your worst nightmare. The other, your greatest dream.
A 50-year-old has started to do the daily Sudoku, scared that she is starting to lose her memory.
It's the first day of school, and you're finding it hard to make friends when someone unexpected steps up.
Write a story about a character who must confront their past.
A couple gets in a fight after one finds out that the other has secretly wasted $50,000 on lottery tickets over the past 15 years.
Write about a time you broke a promise. What did it feel like? Why did you break it?
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.
Re-write Romeo and Juliet as a short story... but make it horror.
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