125 Fantasy Writing Prompts to Start Your Next Fantasy Novel
Contents
Warlocks, werewolves, and wendigos . . . oh my! Fantasy novels are full of magical creatures and imaginative worlds. If you’re drawn to novels in the vein of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or even Game of Thrones, then you likely have a hankering for the fantasy genre. You’re not alone! Quite popular, fantasy novels are known for their imagination and characterized by intense worldbuilding and supernatural beings. Here, we’ll break down the fantasy genre, take a closer look at its subgenres, and share a list of 125 fantasy prompts to inspire your own writing.
What is fantasy fiction?
Fantasy novels are characterized by the inclusion of magic or supernatural elements. The characters in fantasy novels are often drawn in part or in whole from mythology or folklore. While some fantasy is set in our own world with a magical element, other fantasy novels feature entirely made up worlds and creatures. Fantasy novels are purely speculative, and are often not tied to reality or science.
Fantasy comes in many forms and includes many different and varied subgenres, including magical realism, dark fantasy, heroic fantasy, historical fantasy, low fantasy, mythic fantasy, high fantasy, and urban fantasy.
What makes a good fantasy novel?
The best fantasy novels are typically set in highly detailed and well crafted original worlds. Whether these worlds are a variation on our own or bear no resemblance whatsoever to the world we know, they tend to have two things in common: an element of magic and incredibly high stakes. At their core, more fantasy features a hero’s journey, with a richly woven protagonist and a powerful cast of supporting characters.
The truth is, in a fantasy novel, the setting is nearly as important as the characters themselves, almost acting like a character unto itself. Before beginning your fantasy novel, give some serious thought to the world you are creating. What happened before your story began and what will happen once it’s over. The history of a land is as important as its present, and in a completely made up world, you as the author need to know everything there is to know about that land—even if those words never make their way onto the page.
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Most common fantasy tropes
Fantasy novels tend to follow standard formulas, albeit enhanced by the new world in which they exist. Some of those tropes include:
- A dark lord
- A hero’s quest
- A magical school
- New races or creatures
- Familiar mythical figures such as vampires, werewolves, or fairies
- A mentor figure
- Dragons
- Trolls or ogres
- Good versus evil
- A “chosen one”
- A tavern or local meeting place where information is exchanged
- Portals that open from our world into the fantasy world
- A magical world or society existing alongside our world, but of which “non-magic” folk are unaware
- Death of a loved one
- The creation of a new language
- The acquisition of superpowers
Fantasy Story Writing Prompts
Not quite sure where to start with your new world? Take a look at the 125 writing prompts below to inspire your next fantasy story.
- Write a story about a character who comes into magic powers on their 16th birthday
- Write a story about a Greek God returned to Earth as a mortal for a single day
- Write about a main character who can speak to animals
- Write a story about an angel who falls in love with a mortal
- Write about a world where dragons exist
- Write a story about hunting Dracula
- Write about a school for the magically-gifted
- A story about a league of immortals who’ve been hiding on Earth
- Write a story about a character who awakens a mummy
- Write about a book that comes to life when read aloud
- Write about two warring magic kingdoms and the girl who unites them
- Write a story about a group of friends who open a portal to another dimension
- Write a story about a teen who travels back in time to stop a medieval magician
- A story about a group of teens who are involved in an accident and then each acquire strange powers
- A story about a cop who seeks the help of an immortal to find a dangerous criminal
- A story about hunting the headless horseman
- Write a modern-retelling of Hercules
- A story about teens who investigate a local legend and get more than they bargained for
- Write a story about a morally-conflicted teen shape-shifter who helps an army win battles
- Write a story about two opposing wizards in love with the same girl
- Write a story about a cave of wonders
- Write a retelling where all of Edgar Allan Poe's stories come to life
- Write about a magic spell book that once belonged to Snow White's stepmother
- A story about a detective who solves crimes because he can talk to victims’ ghosts
- A story about a man who falls from the sky
- Write a story about a world where people are born with three lives
- Write a scary story about a group of teens who seek shelter in a haunted house after their car breaks down
- A story about a town where everyone is afraid to venture into a dark, enchanted forest
- Write a story about a magic lamp
- Write a story about a teen who time travels
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- Write a story about a prince who travels through time to modern-day NYC and the villain who follows him
- A story about a secret celestial war between good and evil waging in modern-day NYC
- A story about an immortal who doesn’t remember his past or his enemies
- Write about a group of pirates who crew a ghost ship
- Write a story about a group of people whose appearance changes under the light of a full moon
- A story about a secret society of immortals who are sworn to protect humans from monsters
- A story about a traveling circus who are really witches and wizards
- Write a story about a boy whose horse can fly
- A story about a group of teens who investigate a strange new family that just moved to town
- A story about a group of teens who investigate a string of mysterious disappearances after one of their friends goes missing
- A story about a mysterious bridge that leads to heaven
- A story about a human who befriends a family of witches
- Write a retelling of Beauty and the Beast
- Write a story about a mysterious, now desolate, castle that was once the home of a great ruler
- Write a story about how to catch Pegasus
- Write a story about a group of teens in search of a mysterious land where unicorns live
- Write about the origin story of the Wicked Witch of Oz
- Write a story that offers a new spin on the origins of Dracula
- Write a story about a library or museum that comes to life at night
- Write a story about a girl who gets a second-chance at life after a tragic death
- Write about teens who awaken the mythological Titans
- A story about a star that falls from the sky and transforms into a girl
- A story about a girl who can transform into a raven and fly
- A story about a pirate who’s saved by a mermaid
- A story about vampires who fought for the confederacy in the Civil War
- Write a story about a small-town detective who investigates strange deaths
- Write a Cinderella retelling where she makes her own magic and doesn’t need a fairy godmother
- A scary story about a headless rider looking for his head
- Write a story about a strange curse that’s bound by the full moon
- Write a humorous story about a family that buys a haunted house
- A funny story about a family whose long-lost relative is a vampire that just awakened in modern times after years of sleeping
- A story about an immortal girl whose past lives comes rushing back as she discovers her true identity
- Write a modern retelling of Alice In Wonderland
- A story about a boy who discovers his parents were part of a secret society of thieves
- Write a story about the crew of a lost trading ship that comes back to life and seeks revenge on the nearby town
- Write a story about the origins of Snow White’s fortune-telling Mirror
- A story about a teen who inherits a book that is a portal to another world
- A story about a teen who must stop an evil wizard
- A story about a boy who can see ghosts
- A story about a dystopian world where a group of teens steal from the rich to feed the poor
- A story about the fountain of youth
- A story about a teen who meets a family of immortals that return to her small town every 150 years
- Write a story that’s a modern retelling of Aladdin
- Write a story about a teen who time travels and becomes best friends with a young King Arthur
- A story about a group of teens who discover a magic door in an abandoned house
- Write about a crew of sailors on the hunt for treasure, but encounter a sea beast
- Write a story about three warring kingdoms all searching for a magic sword
- Write a story about a kid who writes letters to God and receives a response
- Write a spooky story about a teen who receives calls from a dead family member
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- Write a modern retelling about the sword of Excalibur
- Write a story about an ancient Egyptian text that resurrects a royal curse
- A story about a small coastal town with an urban legend about a sea witch that returns every 100 years for revenge
- Write a story about a phantom knight that protects the innocent
- Write a funny story about a main character with a good and bad angel guiding him/her through life
- Write a story about a woman who travels abroad and is met by a man who claims he knew her 100 years ago
- Write about an unlikely teen who’s inducted into a secret society that fights demons
- Write a funny story about a group of teens that accidentally bewitch all the Halloween decorations to life
- Write about a traveling magician that grants a wish with secret consequences
- Write about a magic circus that’s lead by an immortal with a tragic history
- A story about a group of teens whose disbelief in an urban legend backfires and they start disappearing one-by-one
- A story about a wife who’s haunted by a ghost—and her husband is a suspect in the crime
- A story about a hunt for a magic chalice that gives powers to all who drink from it
- A spooky story about a graveyard that brings people back to life
- Write about the hunt for a stone that legend says will end a werewolf curse
- Write a story about the hunt for a cloaked figure who is after humans with special powers
- Write a story about a woman who’s saved by an immortal
- Write a story about a world where every human is born with three wishes
- A story about a parallel world in NYC where angels fight evil, but humans can’t see it happening before their eyes
- A story about an immortal who hires a novelist to write his story
- A story about a teen who discovers his name etched in a secret book with other famous people throughout history
- A story about a secret book that the President has with a list of all the supernatural events and people living in the world
- Write a story about a teen who keeps reliving the day they died
- A story about the rise and fall of a villainous king who uses black magic to rule over his kingdom
- Write a story about a group of teens who discover a mysterious dragon egg
- Write an origin story about Alice in Wonderland’s mean Queen of Hearts
- Write a story about a woman who signs an immortal contract to save the man she loves, but she can never be with him
- Write a story about a warrior who signs a medieval contract that grants him supernatural powers—catch is, he has 3 days to save his kingdom
- Write a story about a group of teens who practice magic in order to survive on the streets
- Write about a mysterious scroll that was stolen hundreds of years ago
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- Write a retelling of Sherlock Holmes, but with monsters
- Write a story about a legendary white horse that only appears to people who are pure in heart
- Write a funny story about an undercover pet that’s assigned to protect a human
- Write a story about a woman who learns she’s a witch and is the key to stopping a centuries-long war
- A funny story about a woman who learns her boyfriend is actually an immortal prince in hiding
- Write a historical retelling about the lost Anastasia Romanov and how she was saved by magic
- A story about the son of a god who’s cast down to Earth in order to hide from his evil uncle
- A story about a man born with a map tattooed on his body—a new clue to the puzzle appears every year on his birthday
- Write a story about a magic carousel in the middle of Central Park
- Write a story about a town plagued with strange disappearances
- Write a story about a group of teens who are searching for the last ancient magician on Earth
- Write an origin story about the daughter of vampire hunter, Van Helsing
- A story about a sailor swallowed by the sea, but returns to rule over the ocean and the creatures who live in it
- A story about an academy for the children of famous witches and wizards
- A story where children’s fairy tales come to life
- Write a story about a group of teens who discover an invisibility cloak
