100 short story ideas

100 Top Short Story Ideas

10 General Short Story Ideas

  1. Tell the story of a scar, whether a physical scar or emotional one. To be a writer, said Stephen King, “The only requirement is the ability to remember every scar.”
  2. A group of children discover a dead body. Good writers don’t turn away from death, whic11h is, after all, the universal human experience. Instead, they look it directly into its dark face and describe what they see on the page.
  3. A young prodigy becomes orphaned. Orphans are uniquely vulnerable, and as such, they have the most potential for growth.
  4. A middle-aged woman discovers a ghost. What do Edgar Allen Poe, Ron Weasley, King Saul from the Bible, Odysseus, and Ebeneezer Scrooge have in common? They all encountered ghosts!
  5. A woman who is deeply in love is crushed when her fiancé breaks up with her. “In life every ending is just a new beginning,” says Dakota Fanning’s character in Uptown Girls. 
  6. A talented young man’s deepest fear is holding his life back. Your character’s biggest fear is your story’s secret weapon. Don’t run from it, write about it.
  7. A poor young boy or girl comes into an unexpected fortune. Not all fortunes are good. Sometimes discovering a fortune will destroy your life.
  8. A shy, young woman unexpectedly bumps into her soulmate (literally bumps into him). In film, this is called the “meet cute,” when the hero bumps into the heroine in the hallway, knocking her books to the floor, and forcing them into conversation.
  9. A long journey is interrupted by a disaster. Who hasn’t been longing to get to a destination only to be delayed by something unexpected? This is the plot of Gravity, The Odyssey, and even Lord of the Rings.
  10. A young couple run into the path of a psychopath. Monsters, whether people who do monstrous things or scaly beasts or a monster of a natural disaster, reveal what’s really inside a person. Let your character fall into the path of a monster and see how they handle themselves.1

More Short Story Ideas Based on Genre

10 Thriller Story Ideas. A thriller is any story that “thrills” the reader—i.e., gets adrenaline pumping, the heart racing, and the emotions peaked. Thrillers come in all shapes and forms, dipping freely into other genres. In other words, expect the unexpected! Click for the short story ideas.
20 Mystery Story Ideas. Enjoy a good whodunit? Then you’ll love these. My favorite: “Ever heard the phrase, ‘It is not who fired the shot but who paid for the bullet?’ This is a philosophy Tomoe Gozen lives by. Brave and clever, Tomoe follows clues until she learns who ordered the murder: Emperor Antoku himself. But why would the emperor of Japan want to kill a lowly soldier?” Click for the short story ideas.
20 Romance Story Ideas. Hint: When it comes to romance, a sense of humor is always a good idea. Have fun! Here’s one of my favorites from this list: “She’s a cop. He’s the owner of a jewelry store. A sudden rash of break-ins brings her to his store over and over and over again, until it becomes obvious that he might be tripping the alarm on purpose—just to see her. That’s illegal—but she’s kind of falling for him, too. Write the moment she realizes she has to do something about this crazy illicit courtship.” Click for the short story ideas.
20 Sci-Fi Story Ideas. From the minimum-wage-earning, ancient-artifact-hunting time traveller to the space-exploring, sentient dinosaurs, these sci-fi story ideas will get you set loose your inner nerd. Click for the short story ideas.
20 Fantasy Story Ideas. Bored teenaged wizards throwing a graduation celebration. Uncomfortable wedding preparation between magic wielding family members and those more on the Muggle side of things. A fairy prince who decides to abandon his responsibilities to become a street musician. Just try to not have fun writing (or even just reading!) these fantasy stories ideas. Click for the short story ideas.
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