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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
"I love you," you said. Before you could hear a response, your phone died.
"Today is the last day," you decide, staring up at the 67-story building that has owned your life for the last 10 years.
You catch a falling star and put it in your pocket.
Write a story about a character who doesn't know how to share.
You've done the unthinkable in the 21st century: found undiscovered land.
Write a story about the local PETA branch starting a campaign supporting black cats on Halloween day.
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 on an island in the middle of the ocean. One day you find a bottle washed up on the shore with a piece of paper in it.
Pick one of your Instagram photos. Write about the story behind it.
While looking through old photos you discover something that unequivocally settles an argument that ended a childhood friendship decades ago.
You wake up with no memory of the previous night. On your nightstand, your cell phone is lighting up with texts.
A character has to choose between family and their desire for the truth.
Write a story that begin and ends around an awkward Christmas dinner table.
Write about a white Christmas in California.
Write a story about a group of five friends who set out at night for trick or treating… and when they return, they're only four.
Write about a time that you broke the rules.
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