Fantasy Writing Prompts & Story Ideas

16 fantasy writing prompts to start with

Every one can go straight into the AI story generator: tap "Write it" to see one way the story could go, then write your own version.

1. Write about a disgraced court wizard who discovers the kingdom's magic is running out.Write it
2. Write about a dragon's reluctant bookkeeper who learns the prophecy was written about their enemy.Write it
3. Write about an apprentice cartographer who is the last person able to read the old runes.Write it
4. Write about a knight who has never won a fight and finds a door in the castle that opens onto last year.Write it
5. Write about a witch who sells weather and must return a crown nobody remembers losing.Write it
6. Write about the youngest of the river spirits who has to guide a dying god to the edge of the map.Write it
7. Write about a thief with a borrowed shadow who must win a tournament they were only meant to lose.Write it
8. Write about a queen's food taster who is hired to steal a spell that has never been cast.Write it
9. Write about a blacksmith who forges memories and wakes one morning able to hear what iron is thinking.Write it
10. Write about an exiled elf diplomat who accidentally binds themselves to a minor demon.Write it

What-if ideas

• What if magic cost a memory every time it was used?Write it
• What if dragons kept humans as pets and some humans liked it?Write it
• What if every spell had to be paid for in the caster's native tongue?Write it
• What if the gods were elected every hundred years?Write it
• What if swords could refuse to fight?Write it
• What if the map changed whenever a ruler died?Write it

Tips for fantasy writers

Decide what magic costs

Brandon Sanderson's "first law" of magic says an author's ability to solve conflict with magic depends on how well the reader understands it. Limits make magic interesting.

Start small

You don't need a continent. One village, one tavern or one castle wing is enough for a short story.

Name things consistently

Use the fantasy name generator's sound-shape dial to give each culture its own feel.