Even the most magical minds hit a wall sometimes. You sit down, geared up to wield some magic, when suddenly, your imagination feels about as potent as a damp scroll. Whether you’re deep into writing your fantasy novel or just flirting with the idea of giving it a go, finding the right inspiration can sometimes feel like hunting for a faerie in a foggy forest. That’s where writing prompts come in. Prompts are like creative potions: they ignite new stories, brush off writer’s block, and push you into new directions. Whether you’re crafting a brooding anti-hero or designing an intricate magic system, prompts help you take the first step you need to dive into a new magical world. Here at What We Writing, you’ll find 50 fantasy writing prompts, organised by theme so you can immerse yourself in the sort of world you’re dreaming up – epic, dark, romantic, or perhaps something a little weirder.
Epic Fantasy Writing Prompts
- A warrior is the sole remaining member of an elite order, sworn to protect a magical tree that has slowly begun to rot.
What if the rot is a sign that the world itself is starting to die? - An ancient god stirs beneath a capital city, whispering secrets from below to those who reside on the ground.
Soon, sinister dreams become eerie realities. - The prophesied chosen one dies before the final battle. A reluctant side character must take their place.
Imagine Samwise with a sword. - A kingdom that bans magic starts to collapse as natural disasters reveal that magical wards have prevented something far worse.
There’s a good reason why magic was outlawed. - Every century, a tournament is held. The winner is given the honour of controlling the weather.
This time, the poorest kingdom unexpectedly begins to win thanks to an unknown new competitor. - A powerful dragon appears. But, instead of destruction, it claims to be the kingdom’s rightful ruler.
And it knows palace secrets that no one else could. - A princess fakes her death to get out of an arranged marriage, only to wind up being mistaken for a prophesied rebel queen.
Now she has to lead an insurgency, or risk having her identity exposed. - A kingdom only continues to survive thanks to a pact with another realm. When the ambassador doesn’t return one day, the king sends a crew through a portal into the realm to learn why.
And nothing on the other side looks as it did before. - An ancient weapon appears in a bustling marketplace. No one can move it – except an exasperated barkeep who just wants to be left to his business.
Cue a begrudging hero’s journey. - The stars disappear from the night sky. An ancient piece of folklore claims each star holds a legend’s soul. So, where are they going, and who’s taking them?
And what happens to the world when the last one finally vanishes?
YA Fantasy Writing Prompts
- Each student at your high school gains a magical ability at 17, but yours doesn’t show up. At least, not until your mortal enemy tries to kill you.
And now, you’re starting to worry you might not be able to control it. - You accidentally conjure a familiar. Except, it isn’t a cute wolf. It’s a bored, chaotic ancient demon who insists on being your mentor.
And now you’re late for class. - The girl you have a crush on goes missing in the woods. Everyone thinks they’ve run away – until they reappear weeks later, changed. And only you can see the cracks in their smile.
What found them in the forest? - A strange library appears overnight in your small town. The books inside are all about you. And they appear to be rewriting themselves.
Are you able to change your fate by changing the story? - Every year, teens are invited to compete for a magical scholarship at an exclusive academy. Only this year, the trials take a deadly turn.
And quitting is no longer possible. - Your village has an obsession with an old legend about a cursed lake. You never believed it – until someone drowns, and you see their ghost waving at your from the water’s edge.
And then your name appears in the murky water. - You find a door hidden in your school’s janitor’s room that leads to another world. But, it only opens for you and your former best friend.
To escape, you need to reconcile, or die trying. - Everyone in your family gets their magical calling at 16. You’re the first to be called to destroy your family’s legacy, rather than preserve it.
Are you cursed? Or have you been chosen for something bigger? - After a bizarre solar storm, every teen in your town wakes up with special powers. But yours appears to erase other people’s memories.
Including the memory of your best friend’s love confession. - You fall in love with a ghost tied to an old music box. Yet, the more you talk to them, the more real they become – and the more you start to disappear.
Can love exist if you or your ghost vanishes for good?
Urban Fantasy Writing Prompts
- You’re a food delivery driver in a big city – until one evening, when an order takes you to a building that doesn’t appear on any map.
And what is inside definitely isn’t human. - After a car crash, you begin seeing mysterious glowing threads connecting people – love, lies, guilt, magic. One thread leads to someone who is meant to be dead.
And they know you’re watching them. - Your flatmate turns out to be a vampire. Except, they aren’t the problem. There’s a werewolf next door that is hunting something far worse.
And you’re caught in the middle of their turf war. - You’ve always heard rumblings in the pipes of your apartment complex. When your neighbour disappears, the noises start to sound like your name.
Is the building conscious? Or haunted? - You’re a barista with a side job selling charms online. One day, a strange customer approaches you for a spell you’ve never heard of, and pays only in ancient coins.
Your tips have never been so cursed. - Graffiti artists start lining the streets with strange symbols, and the people who see them start acting strangely.
You’re one of the few people capable of seeing the symbols moving. - The subway has a station that is only accessible during a full moon. You accidentally wind up there and find a supernatural market that opens until dawn.
Miss the last train, and you’re stuck there forever. - Your therapist is a witch hired by your family to keep your magic suppressed. When you end your sessions, you find your powers beginning to wake up…
Along with the memories you never meant to remember. - You’re a PI with a knack for supernatural breakups – cursed rings, hexed exes etc. But your latest client isn’t who they say they are.
And they may not even be alive either. - The city’s stray cats begin acting strangely coordinated. When one speaks to you, it warns that something evil is crawling out of the sewers. Only you can stop it.
With their help, naturally.
Romantic Fantasy Writing Prompts
- You strike a deal with a stranger to save your village, only to learn they’re the exiled heir to a fae kingdom… and the deal includes your hand in marriage.
But they may be the only one who has ever truly seen you. - You’ve spent your life training to kill a dangerous sorcerer – only to learn that they’ve been watching you in secret… and they aren’t the villain you were led to believe.
Now you have to decide: heart, or mission? - Each full moon, your soulmate’s voice finds it way into your dreams. When you finally meet in person, it turns out that they’re your kingdom’s biggest enemy.
But they’ve been dreaming of you, too. - You’re cursed – anyone who falls in love with you immediately forgets you. One day, someone begins leaving you enchanted letters. And they remember your name.
But you have no idea where they have come from. - You are engaged to a royal heir as a part of a diplomatic peace treaty. But you meet your betrothed’s brooding sibling, and the chemistry between the pair of you is positively magical.
Now you’re caught between duty and desire. - You inherit a decaying inn at the edge of a magical forest. Your sole guest is a mysterious traveller who is unable to pass through the woods unless you fall in love with them.
But love was never a part of your plan. - You have a magical ability to feel other people’s emotions. One day, you meet someone completely unreadable. Despite this, you feel strangely drawn to them.
Particularly when their eyes flash and you spot something ancient and dangerous. - Two rival potion-makers are forced to work together during the royal solstice festival. One brews feelings into their potions, the other bottles memories.
And the pair of them are falling for someone they vowed they would hate. - You’re selected to compete in a magical challenge for a wish, but your fiercest competitor, the one person you’re unable to beat, is the one person you can help but feel drawn to.
Only one of you can win. - You happen upon a locked journal in your attic that writes back to you. It belongs to someone from another world trying to reach you. And they’re falling in love with you in the process.
Yet bringing them into this world could break both realms forever.
Dark Fantasy Writing Prompts
- You inherit your family’s ancestral home. During your first day, you discover that every mirror in the house shows you doing something monstrous.
One day, one of the versions steps out of the glass. - Your kingdom is protected by a magical defence made from human sacrifices. You’re next in line – unless you can break the spell.
But, doing so could unleash something far worse. - The dead in your village don’t stay buried. Instead, they return once a year to visit their loved ones. Only yours arrives with a frantic message: run.
But from what? And from whom? - You’re born with the ability to raise the dead. However, every time you use it, you lose a part of your soul. Now the only person you’ve ever loved is dead, and you’re tempted to give in to your power.
How much of you are they worth? - An ancient cult worships a malevolent creature beneath your city. You join to find out what happened to your sibling, only to find they’re the one leading it.
And they want you to fully join it. - You’re apprenticed to a healer… who secretly harvests the pain of the dying to fuel dark magic. When they disappear, their victims’ ghosts begin to seek you out.
And they want justice. - A war-ravaged kingdom offers salivating to one town every year. When your town is chosen, you celebrate – until you discover the price is sending one member of your community to the enemy as tribute.
And guess who the tribute is this year: you. - The moon hasn’t risen for thirty nights. As the world descends further into chaos, creatures start to appear, claiming that they’ve waited aeons for this darkness.
And one of them knows your name. - You awaken with a tattoo you’ve never had before. It changes every day, showing visions of people dying. And then they do.
Now the ink shows your own face. - A powerful spell binds your memories, and every night when you sleep, you forget who you are. You begin to keep a diary to track your life – until one morning, when it’s covered with someone else’s notes.
And they’ve written: Don’t trust yourself.
Check Out Our Guide On How To Start A Fantasy Novel
James has been passionate about storytelling ever since he could hold a pen. Inspired by the epic fantasy and historical dramas he devoured in his youth, his work now centers on dark, psychological tales featuring intense, introspective characters and atmospheric, gothic undertones. In 2025, he founded What We Writing to share his creative journey and the lessons he’s learned along the way with fellow writers and passionate storytellers.
