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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Write about a time that you found out something surprising about somebody else.
Write a story about Christmas from the perspective of someone who hates Christmas.
A friendly pranking rivalry between two colleagues in an office starts to get serious.
A story that takes place in the Wild West, but the world is frigid, covered with snow and ice instead of sand.
A young child discovers a passion for baking. Write about the crazy kitchen adventures that they embark upon with their allergic-to-gluten family, one that culminates in a national baking competition.
A plane takes off with 81 passengers. It lands with 82.
Write a story with these words: "teddy bear," "black," "blood."
A habitually fearful person turns brave.
You are an astronaut spending your last few hours on Earth before a journey into space.
You're on a boat that should have reached undiscovered land days ago. Your compass tells you you're on the right path but there is no land in sight.
Write a story centered on the theme of persistence when it comes to exams.
Write about a time that you taught something to somebody.
You've just moved into a new house. You wake up one night to the sound of Siri responding to a query. You turned off your phone before you went to sleep.
A person wakes up in bed, drenched in salty ocean water.
You start hearing sounds, but when you ask your friend about it, they look at you with a confused expression.
"Worst. Spring. Break. EVER."
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