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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
"By the time I wake up in the morning, I want them dead."
You're kneeling in the dirt, working on your garden when your attention is drawn up by a person saying, "Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt, but..."
Write about someone discovering something important from their childhood hidden in the back of a closet.
"Do you have a minute?" asks the stranger who was reading beside you on a park bench.
One day, the world wakes up to find the Easter Island heads facing the opposite direction.
You're the world's best photographer. Your secret? You can freeze time.
Set your story at the bleachers of the track and field.
A logical person starts acting irrationally.
Emotional baggage must now be checked in at the airport.
Fairy godmothers exist, and yours just introduced herself to you on your 15th birthday.
You find a well-kept, spotless leather bound book in the middle of a vast desert.
It was just a regular day at the office. Then the power went out.
"He's been dead for ten years," said the little old lady, looking at you with concern.
All of your birthday presents this year look normal, except for one sitting in the corner that has a strange yellow glow emitting from it...
Write a story about trust. Include a pair of siblings in it.
You are an expert spy for the British government, trained to perfection. Your only weakness is that your background music alerts enemies to your presence.
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