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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
The Earth does not rotate. One side always faces the sun and is in continual daylight. The other side is in eternal night. Cultures on both sides develop around this.
A trusting person turns into a skeptic.
A bittersweet farewell: bitter for one person, sweet for the other.
A story that takes place in the Wild West, but the world is frigid, covered with snow and ice instead of sand.
Write about the dream that you've held onto for the longest.
Write a story in the form of letters. Plot twist: it's revealed that the character who wrote them died from unnatural causes years ago.
It was just a regular day at the office. Then the power went out.
Write a story about friendship that uses holiday traditions from different cultures.
Write a story that ends by coming full circle.
Everyday, you sit at your window to watch a neighbor play a musical instrument. You can't hear the music, but you're transfixed by the musician's expression.
A man sidles up to a woman in a bar. Little does he know she's an undercover cop following him.
You open a fortune cookie at a Chinese restaurant. Inside is a handwritten note.
Describe your greatest fear, and how you have or have not overcome it yet.
You are in charge of organizing a lunch for four famous historical figures. Who do you invite? Why?
For years, four characters have met for a monthly card game. Write a story in which one character realizes that another is cheating.
You've just made the discovery of secret playground deep in the woods... and only you know of its existence.
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