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DIRECTORY
539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Write a short story inspired by your favorite song.
It's March 31st, the busiest day of the year at the joke shop you own.
Write a story in which it becomes night forever. The sun has gone.
Turn one of your grandparent's old stories into fiction.
Write about a time you were given responsibility.
Set your story at the playground!
A long-standing feud erupts during a funeral or wedding.
You are a server at a restaurant, having the busiest shift of your life.
I thought he seemed a perfectly normal human being, until he started speaking.
By the time this party is finished, three people's lives will be changed forever.
It's Valentine's Day and when you open your locker, a note falls out. What does it read?
Pick a color and write a story based on the feelings that that color evokes for you.
A student has to fight against societal expectations in order to fulfill a lifelong dream.
A story that takes place in the Wild West, but the world is frigid, covered with snow and ice instead of sand.
Write about a time that you were lost (metaphorically or literally).
Write a story about a young couple getting into their first argument over what costume their pet should wear on Halloween.
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