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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
A logical person starts acting irrationally.
Five competitive students are invited to board game night. Only one can win.
Re-write Romeo and Juliet as a short story... but make it horror.
Write about a time that you found out something surprising about somebody else.
A character who loves reading finds out that their library has just been forbidden from carrying banned books.
"I love you," you said. Before you could hear a response, your phone died.
The money is good. But the lies have built up. This empire of yours has been built on a secret, a stolen technology, and the guilt has reached its peak. You have to come out with the truth
Someone told you a secret that you shouldn't know about a friend. What do you do with this information? Write a story about it.
Two strangers have an interesting encounter on a park bench during a snowy, winter evening.
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...?
Write a story about a character who doesn't know how to share.
You are a server at a restaurant, having the busiest shift of your life.
An anxious and unsure person becomes extremely decisive.
Every pirate claims to be the scourge of the seven seas, but none claim the eighth.
Who would you choose as the TIME Person Of The Year? Why?
You've done the unthinkable in the 21st century: found undiscovered land.
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