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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Because of a freak science experiment, you just had a body swap — with the principal of your high school! What do you do with your newfound role?
Write about a time that you were challenged in a belief that you had.
The world's most important chess game is about to start.
It's the year 2099, and everyone has a smartwatch that can tell them what age they die.
You're scrolling through the pictures on your phone. You notice a new one: it's of you sleeping.
There's someone standing on the corner of the street you live on. It's the fifth time they've been there this week.
A character starts remembering things that never happened.
An advertising firm lands a huge contract to make Easter the yearÍs most popular holiday.
Emotional baggage must now be checked in at the airport.
You got on the wrong bus and ended up in a remote town where things seemed a little odd.
A pair of best friends realize they're two corners of a love triangle — they both have feelings for the same person.
This was the moment you'd been waiting for. Gleefully, you raised your camera to take a picture and then... the battery died.
Re-tell Jane Eyre as a short story... but set it in the far future.
Someone just knocked on the door late at night, but you weren't expecting anyone. When you open the door... no one's there.
A child finds out by accident that Santa Claus… isn't real! Write about the fallout that occurs afterward.
Write a story about the unlikely friendship that starts up between a young character and the eccentric old lady next door.
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