Here are 30 fantasy writing prompts covering magic systems, quests, mythical creatures and cosy small-stakes fantasy. They're grouped so you can pick a scale, from a 100-word drabble to a novella, and each comes with a built-in question your story has to answer, which is what stops fantasy turning into a tour of an imaginary map.
The trap with fantasy is falling so in love with your world that you forget to tell a story in it. Readers will forgive a thin map; they won't forgive a hero who wants nothing. Every prompt below gives a character a want and a world with consequences, because magic without limits makes for flat stakes. I've also included small, cosy fantasy prompts, which have become a much-loved corner of the genre and a gentle way to start.
Pick your scale before you build your world
Fantasy grows. A short story idea becomes a trilogy if you let it, so decide your length early. The SFWA's Nebula rules, used across science fiction and fantasy, set out the categories, and flash formats go even smaller, such as the drabble at 100 words and the dribble at 50.
| Format | Length | What fits |
|---|---|---|
| Drabble | 100 words | One magical moment or reveal |
| Short story (Nebula) | Fewer than 7,500 words | One quest stage, one spell gone wrong |
| Novelette (Nebula) | 7,500 to under 17,500 words | A full adventure with a small cast |
| Novella (Nebula) | 17,500 to under 40,000 words | A kingdom-level problem, one main viewpoint |
| Novel (Nebula) | 40,000 words or more | Epic fantasy with multiple viewpoints |
Magic system prompts
Every spell should take something back. Decide the toll before you decide the power.
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Magic works, but every spell erases one of the caster's memories at random.
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In a city where everyone's magic is tied to a season, a girl is born with none until the first snow.
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Spells can only be cast by singing, and the kingdom's best mage has just lost her voice.
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A blacksmith discovers that the swords he forges remember everyone they've ever cut.
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Magic is powered by honesty. The court's most powerful wizard is the only one who never lies, and today he's asked to.
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A healer can cure any wound by taking it into her own body for a day.
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Wishes are legal, but each one must be registered and stamped by a clerk who hates his job, and every wish shortens the wisher's life by a year.
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In this world, your shadow does your magic, and yours has started acting without you.
Quest and adventure prompts
A quest needs a goal, a deadline and a reason it can't be done by anyone else.
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The last map to a lost city is tattooed on the back of a prisoner who doesn't want to be found.
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A retired adventurer is dragged back for one more journey by her grandchild, who has stolen her old sword.
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Three rival thieves are hired to steal the same crown on the same night.
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A dragon hires a knight to rescue it from a princess.
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The kingdom's bridges are disappearing one by one, and only a ferry boy notices the pattern.
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A young cartographer realises the lands she's drawing are appearing in the real world a day later.
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Seven strangers wake up in a forest with the same mark on their palms and no memory of how they got there.
Mythical creature prompts
Give your creature its own wants. A monster with a reason is far more interesting than a monster with teeth.
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The village's protective giant has fallen asleep, and nobody remembers the song that wakes it.
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A young griffin is raised by a family of chickens and doesn't know it can fly.
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Mermaids are real, and they've started suing fishing companies.
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A phoenix refuses to be reborn this time, and the world's magic begins to fade.
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The troll under the bridge is the only one who knows the city's oldest secret.
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A unicorn's horn grants long life, and a poacher has just captured the last one, which can talk.
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A shapeshifter has forgotten their original form.
Cosy fantasy and drabble prompts
Low stakes, warm hearts. Many of these work as a 100-word drabble or a gentle short story.
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An orc retires from war and opens a bakery in a village that's terrified of him.
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A witch runs a tea shop where every cup shows the drinker one happy memory.
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A lonely ghost runs the lost property office of a magical railway.
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A dragon becomes the village librarian and has strong opinions about late returns.
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Write a 100-word drabble about a spell that works on everything except the person who needs it most.
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A wizard's apprentice is in charge of feeding the enchanted plants for a week. What could go wrong?
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Write a 50-word dribble about the first snowfall in a land that's never seen it.
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Two elderly sorcerers compete in the village vegetable show using only a little magic, honest.
How to get better fantasy stories
- Give magic a toll. Limits create stakes, and stakes create story.
- Start with a character's want, then build only as much world as that want needs.
- Choose your length early using the Nebula categories, so a short story doesn't swell into a saga.
- Use one invented word per page at most. Too many names and readers drown.
- End with a change. The world, the hero or both should be different on the last page.
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My advice for fantasy writers
Begin with a cosy prompt or a drabble if you're new to the genre, because a tight word count forces you to make every magical detail justify its place. Once you've got the hang of that, take a magic system prompt and ask the hardest question you can about its toll. The answer is usually your plot.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good fantasy writing prompt?
One that gives magic a toll or a character a clear want, such as spells that erase memories or a dragon who hires a knight to escape a princess.
How long is a fantasy short story?
Under the SFWA's Nebula rules, a short story is fewer than 7,500 words. A novelette runs from 7,500 to under 17,500 words.
What is cosy fantasy?
Low-stakes fantasy focused on warmth, community and small problems, such as an orc opening a bakery or a witch running a tea shop.
How do I create a magic system?
Decide what magic takes from the user and what it can't do before deciding what it can do. Limits create stakes and plot.
What is a drabble?
A very short story of 100 words. A dribble, sometimes called a minisaga, is 50 words.
