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DIRECTORY
539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Write a story that draws from a moment in your life where you wish you'd made a different choice. Have your protagonist make that choice, and then see what happens.
Write a dark story in which everything that someone Tweets comes true.
A love story that starts and ends in 24 hours.
While on a leisurely stroll through the forest, you find strange footprints. Do you follow them?
Write a story about the local PETA branch starting a campaign supporting black cats on Halloween day.
You're donating blood as normal in October when you notice that the nurse taking care of you is... strangely... pale? And seems to have oddly-shaped teeth... that almost look like fangs...?
An elderly married couple toast each other over a pint on St. Patrick's Day.
"Worst. Spring. Break. EVER."
Write a story about pumpkin picking… in the middle of a storm.
Write about the first time you learned to do something.
You discover a secret family member you never knew existed.
Write a book with anthromorpohized characters.
A person wakes up in bed, drenched in salty ocean water.
You saw something that you weren't supposed to see. Telling the truth could fix a horrible situation for one of the colleagues involved — but it would get you fired.
Write a children's book about a young child who gets transported into a magical world inside of a snow globe.
A child walks into the forest and learns about all of the animals that live in there.
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