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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Write a story where your character faces a deep fear.
You're digging in your garden when you unearth something that makes you stagger from shock.
A comedian bombs every time every time they get up on stage.
You are on a solo camping trip in the woods. After a deep night's sleep, you awake to the voice of someone saying, "Rise and shine!"
You're a janitor at a large school. People wouldn't believe the things you've heard.
Petals fall to the ground as someone picks apart a flower and says, "they love me, they love me not."
Set your story entirely under mistletoe.
Write a story about a search for a Santa suit.
"I didn't believe in Christmas until now." What might have happened to cause this character to say this?
You accidentally break something at a dinner party and go to ever-increasing lengths to cover it up.
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.
Set your story at a graveyard overnight.
You eavesdrop on a hushed conversation taking place in the hallway. What's being said is not nice about someone you know.
Your Tesla has stopped in the wilderness. The last thing you remember before the panic set in was someone hacking into the car's computer, steering you far away from the safety of the city. In the darkness, a light moves towards you
As you ride your motorcycle off into the sunset, you see something unexpected on the horizon.
Write a story about a character learning a new sport.
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