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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Write a story about a character who is under intense pressure to succeed at something.
Write a story where your character faces a deep fear.
Write a story with the worlds: "calculation," "corn," and "mayor."
A ghoul, a ghost, and a mummy walk into a bar. What happens next?
Santa Claus had one too many pork chops during the pre-Christmas feast, and now he's stuck in the chimney — and there are footsteps approaching!
Time travel is widely available. However, you can't interact with the past, you can only observe it. On a trip to the past one day, you bump into someone.
A character becomes addicted to the slots in Las Vegas.
"Do you have a minute?" asks the stranger who was reading beside you on a park bench.
A character starts remembering things that never happened.
Write a story about a meet-cute between competing Christmas tree shops in town.
A romance told through a series of texts.
An advertising firm lands a huge contract to make Easter the yearÍs most popular holiday.
A forgotten object is found in an attic during spring cleaning.
A plane that's been missing for years suddenly lands at a major airport.
A character must confront their fear of commitment if they want to save their failing relationship.
Write about a time you failed.
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