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DIRECTORY
539 Best Short Story Ideas for Authors in 2026
Showing 539 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
Write a story about a character who's just moved into town.
Write a story using the Halloween colors somewhere in the piece: orange, black, purple, and green.
You're beginning to believe the person writing the daily crossword puzzle in your newspaper is trying to send you an encoded message.
Write a story about a search for a Santa suit.
Write a story about a haircut that doesn't go exactly the way that a character wanted it to.
Write a story about trust. Include a pair of siblings in it.
Re-tell Jane Eyre as a short story... but set it in the far future.
Someone has been stealing from other kids' pools of candy on Halloween. This means war.
You are a space kitty, traveling from planet to planet. You write a letter home and this is what it says.
You catch a falling star and put it in your pocket.
You are granted one wish. But you have to use the wish for someone else.
Using only the setting of birthday parties, write a story about growing up.
A group of friends go pumpkin picking at a local farm and have a competition to see who can find the biggest pumpkin. Plot twist: the farm has a previous reputation for being haunted.
Write a story about two characters competing to take the worst ever picture-day portrait.
A sleepover goes off the rails when a group of friends accidentally summons a being from another dimension.
Write a story about acceptance that involves a new exchange student.
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