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39 Best Fiction Short Story Ideas
Showing 39 short story ideas curated by Reedsy.
You were reading a book quietly at a cafe when someone passed you a note.
A trusting person turns into a skeptic.
Write a story where your character is acting differently on the outside than they feel on the inside.
A logical person starts acting irrationally.
You were waiting at a crosswalk when someone you didn't recognize started waving from across the street.
"Say cheese!" You push the camera button, hear the click, and... that's when all hell broke loose.
You're at your computer feeling heavy writer's block. Suddenly words start appearing on the screen.
Write a story where your character faces a deep fear.
Write a story where your character finds out a rumor is circulating about them.
Pick a genre and then write about a long walk home after school.
It's your first day in a new city where you don't speak the language.
The last person on earth celebrates their own birthday.
A tree falls in the woods. You're around to hear it.
An elderly person finally takes the last picture on a film camera they've had for decades. Today they're going to print it.
For a week or so you've noticed a stray animal hanging around your home. One day you let it in.
A forgotten object is found in an attic during spring cleaning.
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