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539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026

Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.

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Page 9

You live in a future where music in any form is considered repugnant. You find an old music box.

Dramatic

It's Wednesday evening and you're off to the weekly meeting of your writer's block support group.

Funny

In front of you lie two doors. One contains your worst nightmare. The other, your greatest dream.

Teens

Write a story about the gifts that two people buy for each other over a period of ten years, and how that shows the change in their relationship over time.

Christmas

During a group project, the class clown is stalling on doing their share of the work.

Conflict

It's the year 2099, and everyone has a smartwatch that can tell them what age they die.

High School

Overheard in P.E.: "It's not that I wanted to hit you in the head with the ball, it's that I thought you were a spider."

Middle School

A man sidles up to a woman in a bar. Little does he know she's an undercover cop following him.

Mystery / Thriller

Set your story at a sunny day in the park.

Teens

You're sitting at your desk eating candy hearts. You start to realize the notes on the hearts are trying to give you a message.

Love

Write a dual perspective story, with each alternating perspective based on one of these two words: "bitter" and "sweet."

Teens

You get lost in the woods during a hike. It's starting to get dark, when you see the glow of a campfire nearby.

Mystery / Thriller

You've just made the discovery of secret playground deep in the woods... and only you know of its existence.

Kids

You're on a sleepover with your best friend, when your best friend starts to act strangely.

Dark

As the sun set, the desert wasteland glowed an eerie red.

Dramatic

Pick one of your Instagram photos. Write about the story behind it.

Narrative

539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026

You live in a future where music in any form is considered repugnant. You find an old music box.

It's Wednesday evening and you're off to the weekly meeting of your writer's block support group.

In front of you lie two doors. One contains your worst nightmare. The other, your greatest dream.

Write a story about the gifts that two people buy for each other over a period of ten years, and how that shows the change in their relationship over time.

During a group project, the class clown is stalling on doing their share of the work.

It's the year 2099, and everyone has a smartwatch that can tell them what age they die.

Overheard in P.E.: "It's not that I wanted to hit you in the head with the ball, it's that I thought you were a spider."

A man sidles up to a woman in a bar. Little does he know she's an undercover cop following him.

Set your story at a sunny day in the park.

You're sitting at your desk eating candy hearts. You start to realize the notes on the hearts are trying to give you a message.

Write a dual perspective story, with each alternating perspective based on one of these two words: "bitter" and "sweet."

You get lost in the woods during a hike. It's starting to get dark, when you see the glow of a campfire nearby.

You've just made the discovery of secret playground deep in the woods... and only you know of its existence.

You're on a sleepover with your best friend, when your best friend starts to act strangely.

As the sun set, the desert wasteland glowed an eerie red.

Pick one of your Instagram photos. Write about the story behind it.

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