30+ Best Fantasy Writing Prompts in 2024

Fantasy writing prompts can be a very special kind of exciting. Writing fantasy requires a deep level of imagination and creativity as you are literally creating your own world. All the physical laws and restrictions of earth no longer apply when you write fantasy.

Anything is possible – any place, any action, any species. These things can make the dreaded arrival of writer’s block even more frustrating. Regardless of genre, every writer goes through it sometimes. The days or even weeks where you just can’t seem to nail down a single creative word. It is times like these when some great fantasy writing prompts can come in handy. Whether you are trying to come up with a whole new novel idea, or want something interesting to add to your existing story, these fantasy writing prompts will help you move forward. You don’t have to be J.K. Rowling to get started.

The great thing about fantasy is that it can apply to many genres. You can have a supernatural romance, a horror tale of fantastical proportions, or even a crime drama featuring some made-up monsters. There are fantasy writing prompts for many genre crossovers. My favorite tool for writing fantasy is Squibler as it includes many features to help you tell your story visually.

Writing prompts can come in many forms:

• A vague and general idea
• A question
• A random thought
• A line of dialogue
• An object
• A new type of world
• A new form of government (usually oppressive in some way)
• And many more

If you’re looking for some simpler creative writing prompts beyond what you see here, try the writing prompt generator. This offers you some quick and simple ideas that are meant to spark some ideas without limiting you.

Basic Fantasy Writing Prompts

These prompts are designed to give your brain a jump start on a whole new story idea. These prompts could be the base of a novel or short story.

The Games

Each year, all the wizards, sorcerers, and other magical beings come together for a tournament. They gamble their powers and magical tools.

Bottle Them Up

Your protagonist lives in a world where you can buy and sell bottled emotions. It is a government regulated industry, but illegal dealers and black markets run rampant. Some emotions are worth more than others.

The Communicator

Write about a character who was mute until he discovers that he can talk to animals, and they talk back. He discovers the animal kingdom has a master plan, and he must decide whether to join them or stop them.

Tell the Truth

Anything can become true if enough people believe it strongly and deeply enough. The antagonist becomes aware of this and begins to manipulate the population to create the world he wants.

The Animal

There is a mysterious creature living deep in the forest of a small country somewhere in the world. It has terrorized locals for years. A bite from this creature may kill you, or it may give you powers. The city closest to the creature’s residence is full of people with magical abilities, but the population is small as many are killed.

Word begins to spread, and the rest of the world starts to become aware of the creature. Some travel from far away and gamble their lives in hopes of obtaining magic.

The Evil Twin

Your main character finds out they are being hunted by who they think is their alternate universe evil twin. They soon discover that they themselves are actually the evil one.

Trusting the Humans

Magical beings are the ruling class on earth. Governments are run by them. Those without powers are considered useless, second class citizens and generally live in poverty. There is a single source of power for the entire realm (perhaps an object, or a place). One day, the power source is taken over by dark forces. They cast a spell on the source that uses the power of anyone who tries to touch it against them.

The magical beings must now rely on the “non-magic” folk they have ridiculed for generations. They are the only ones who can save the world from this darkness.

Mystical Bounty Hunter

A bounty hunter from an alternate universe appears in the yard of a maximum-security prison. He has come to break out one of the most dangerous, lethal prisoners in the world, and bring them back to his universe.  

The Gentle Giant

Choose a mythical creature that is generally thought to be large, terrifying, and evil. Make them into a kind, loving, and sympathetic character. They have to prove the myths, legends, and stereotypes wrong to avoid being hunted and killed by humans.

Unlikely Partners

Your main character is left in the forest to die, as the annual sacrifice to the god of the forest. The god shows up, but this year he is not interested in the death of his sacrifice. He is looking for a new servant and/or sidekick.

Supernatural Dealings

A new shop opens that allows humans to rent mystical and magical things: superpowers, magical abilities/items, etc. Monetary payment is not accepted. You must pay much more abstract prices – memories, emotions, or even years of your life for the most expensive items.

Romantic Fantasy Writing Prompts

These prompts are ideas where fantasy and romance have been intertwined. Love is universal, no matter what species you are! These are also good for a novel with the right ideas, or a short fantasy story if you prefer. 

Star-Crossed

Humans are forbidden to fraternize and mingle with the enchanted, and vice versa. They are groomed from birth to hate each other. An unlikely love story develops as two people from each faction begin an illegal relationship.

This is not a brand new concept – but there are a lot of ways you can spin this typical trope of forbidden love. Don’t be afraid to make your own version of a classic!

Sirens

The group of sirens have been doing their jobs diligently for centuries. They have honed their craft, and kill quickly, viciously, and without mercy. They leave no fisherman or sailor stupid enough to cross their waters alive.

For the first time in 600 years, one of the sirens doesn’t want to kill a particular young sailor. Thinking quickly, she convinces the group they need a slave, and so she keeps him alive but captive, all while falling more and more in love with him every day.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy Writing Prompts

Science fiction and fantasy work well together as they share a lot of basic elements. A fantasy novel can utilize mermaids for example, but so can science fiction. Mermaids are futuristic, fairy-tale material that works in many areas of the fantasy genre. 

Take these fantasy fiction plot ideas, add some future technology and you have yourself a crossover. 

Robots and Wizards

Artificial intelligence is at an all-time high. Robots are running rampant and becoming more powerful all the time. Humans begin to think they have made a mistake, and then the robots start to team up with the wizards and sorcerers. Is there any hope for the human race at all?

Magic Machines

The magical beings of the world begin to invent their own machinery. They design robots with magical powers of their own.

Zombie Intelligence

Humans have been fighting the zombie epidemic for many decades, with no success and no progress. One day, a telepathic agent comes onto the scene and makes a horrifying discovery. The zombies have begun to think. They are developing intelligence, communicating, and becoming their own species.

Day of the Undead

A giant alien spaceship has discovered earth. They have stopped their ship right in front of the sun, casting parts of the world into total and perpetual darkness. The vampires that have been in hiding take advantage of their newfound freedom.

Alien Vampires

NASA has spent years creating the perfect plan to inhabit Mars. They have every detail worked out and it is time to put the plan into action. They have recruited hundreds of brave astronauts who have dedicated their lives to creating livable colonies on Mars.

Two vampires have been doing their own planning for just as many years. They have infiltrated the team. They have successfully made their way onto the spaceship bound for Mars.

Fire Fighters

Firefighters are the only ones who know the real truth about house fires. They are started by evil fire elementals. In order to put out the fire, the elementals responsible must be killed. The firefighters are sworn to secrecy, the public can never know.

Horror/Fantasy Writing Prompts

Horror and fantasy can often go quite well together. Horror itself can be almost anything – as long as it is sufficiently terrifying! Mixing this genre of dread, terror, doom, gloom, and darkness with magic and fantasy can make for a wonderfully unique and enriching story.

Horror can work well with urban fantasy as it’s a good setting for horrific things to happen. Paranormal elements will also mix well with these fantasy fiction writing prompts. Perhaps a ghost is the only person with the answers your protagonist needs!  Use these fantasy writing prompts to kick-start your next horror project.

Heads Will Roll

Be-heading is a common form of execution. Leaders have become corrupt and are using their power to simply get rid of people they don’t like or are threatened by. A wizard has caught wind of this and puts a spell on the head executioner’s ax.

An innocent man is executed, and the executioner smiles to himself as he wipes the blood off his ax. Suddenly, the newly detached head begins to speak. It is angry.

A Big Mistake

A quiet old man lives in a run-down cottage at the edge of town. He is known for keeping to himself and hating children. Strange things start happening in the city, and the townspeople blame the old man, accusing him of being an evil sorcerer.

A brave young warrior finally kills the man, and the town celebrates. Their cheers turn into screams as a demon exits the old man’s body, calls forward hundreds more, and they start inhabiting each and every person there.

The Box

A mysterious box appears in town one day. No one knows what is in the box – they can’t get it open. All they know is that it’s only been around for two days, and since it’s arrival half the town has died.

Predictions

In the moment before a person dies, they utter a sentence that predicts a piece of the future. Sometimes they are small and insignificant, sometimes they are very important. Wars have been prevented, natural disasters have been minimized, and lives have been saved by these predictions.

Suddenly, every single person who dies around the world starts saying the exact same thing.

Fantasy Writing Prompts for Encouragement

These prompts are designed to help you put the fire back into a novel that may have gone stale. Don’t know where to go next? Start writing and work these ideas or things into your story.

Magical Items

Matching gems: Two pieces of jewelry with matching gemstones. When worn by two different people, they can communicate telepathically no matter how far apart they are.

Sword of Innocence: When wielded by someone with a pure heart and good intentions, it turns into an invincible weapon against those who are truly evil.

Enchanted Chalk: A piece of chalk that can create working doors. Draw two doors at point A and B, and travel between them instantly no matter their actual, physical distance. Draw a single door on a flat, solid surface, and pass through to the other side. You can have as many active doors as you want, but make sure you protect them. Once the door is smeared or washed away, it becomes useless. All doors disappear when the chalk runs out.

Magical Abilities

Blood Magic: If you posses blood magic, your magic resides within your blood. To use it, you must draw blood. The amount of blood drawn will determine the strength and duration of the spell or ability.

Magic Tattoos: Magical abilities are gained through tattoos. This gives a lot of control, power, and reverence to tattoo artists. They are among the wealthiest on the earth. Size, location, and design are all relevant to the ability being gained. Tattoos around the eyes will grant magical sight, tattoos on the head can grant telepathy, tattoos on the arms can grant strength, etc.

• Keep your powers a secret by getting tattoos that are hidden.
• Curses can be laid by tattooing someone against their will
• Tattoos gradually fade as power is used

Finders: A finder has the ability to locate lost items. They can simply touch a person, and they will be able to mentally locate the lost item in question. A seemingly simple thing, but extremely sought after. Finders are valuable, and therefore quite rich and powerful.

Dive Into Your Own Fantasy World

Hopefully, this list of fantasy writing prompts has given you some ideas that will either get you started or keep you going. Even the most simple and basic ideas can be turned into something incredible with the use of a creative imagination. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and put your own personal twist on some of these ideas. Change them as much as you want and make them your own!

Josh Fechter

Josh is the founder and CEO of Squibler.