This is article number four in our series of  500 Plus writing prompts posts. So far, our posts have covered writing prompts and horror, romance, and mystery.

Today we take a look at writing prompts and story ideas within the fantasy genre. Just so everyone is on the same page, let’s take a minute to define what we mean by the fantasy novel.

Fantasy stories are often categorized by departure from reality, where should we say stories that exist outside the realm of accepted reality. As you can imagine, these stories often deal with elements of magic, mythical beings, and unrealistic settings.

Fantasy novels provide perhaps the most fanciful departure from the readers real world, it’s easy to see why they are so popular. Especially since fantasy stories usually describe scenarios that could happen in the real world.

There are many examples of fantasy novels that go beyond dragons and castles. The reality is there are many sub-genres fantasy fiction.

In this article, we will give fantasy prompts in the following sub-genres.

• Dark fantasy writing prompts
• Modern Epic fantasy writing prompts
• Urban fantasy writing prompts
• YA Fantasy Writing Prompts

11 Dark Fantasy Writing Prompts

In this section, we will focus on dark fantasy writing prompts. Dark fantasy often can be described as literature that combines fantasy and elements of horror or has a general sense of gloominess, or a sense of horror and dread.

1. A once forsaken land that had been laid waste to buy universes most reprehensible creatures was freed hundreds of years ago as the elders tell it. With each story, comes a warning of a time when the creatures would return. That time is now.

2. The Witch glazed over the prairie, with peace in her eyes as the remaining children burned.

3. His head rolled, as the executioner began to wipe his ax. Then it spoke.
4. The village people stared at her, some dismissively the rest in terror. She waved her hand and as promised…
5. The warrior stood over the corpse of the slain villain. The townspeople’s celebration was cut short as the demon exited the still-warm body, multiplied, and inhabited the bodies of their fiercest soldiers.
6. Her eyes were gray, with a milky film. They had stopped providing the old woman with sight years ago but when you made the mistake of looking into them what they showed you was truly frightening.
7. The high priestess inserted the Ruby into the medallion, and that was the last time we saw the sun.
8. The protecting Dragon had lived in peace on its mountain perch for centuries after defending the village from attack. But tonight the mob approached in the dark intent on killing it.
9. The planet has rehabilitated countless deranged creatures but this one might be too evil…
10. The child had long personally removed and carried the pains of the realm, but this might just kill her.
11. The spell took hold and while I could still feel myself breathing, it felt like all the life had been taken out of me.

22 Modern & Epic Fantasy Writing Prompts and Story Ideas

Modern Fantasy Stories have become very popular.

High fantasy or epic fantasy is often used interchangeably. The most famous or archetypal example of high fantasy is The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

This sub-genre fantasy usually has to do with the pure epic size of the journey, or stakes of the hero’s quest.

As you can imagine this is a huge part of the fantasy genre, so in this section, we are giving you 22 high or Epic -fantasy writing prompts and story ideas to get your imagination going.

1. In a land where beings without magic are considered second-class citizens and developmentally challenged, a dark power takes control of the Enchantment Crystal, which is the source of all the power in the realm. All the lands greatest wizards make the journey to try and retrieve it, however, the dark spell defends itself by turning the magic of its attacker back on them. Now, could the fate of this world lie at the hands of its most mistreated inhabitants?
2. A dwarf, which squires for the kingdoms greatest warrior is on a mission to rid the land of an imminent threat like they’ve done so many times before. When the Knight is corrupted and sent back to the kingdom to destroy it, the only one that may be able to stop him is his old diminutive sidekick.
3. When all the animals and fish in the kingdom morph back into their more dangerous ancestors, the realm is thrown into panic. Now a young girl who has the power to speak to the animals might be their only hope.
4. The kingdom has been in all-out war for centuries. All factions are pitted against each other. An orphan that was banished for not being a pure-breed may hold the key to ending the war once and for all.
5. A cast-system curse from the gods comes over the land. It enables any being to jump up into the cast-level of any man that he kills. The land is thrown into complete chaos as the race to be minted a god as brought out the evil in every creature. Now a lowly plebe may hold the key to stop the fighting before it’s too late and becomes a zero-sum game.
6. The evil royal family has ruled over the kingdom with an iron fist for centuries making life horrible for the enslaved Elvan population. But what happens when a young girl may hold the truth about rightful bloodlines to the throne.
7. Giants and Dragons formed an alliance centuries ago to enslave all other creatures in the realm. But when the alliance is broken, total destruction is at stake. Could it be a meager peasant girl that liberates the enslaved and reunites the realm?
8. In a world where good and evil exist simultaneously on parallel tracks. Never coming into contact but having direct repercussions for each other. What happens when a noble prince sets out to cross the realms and bring balance to the universe?
9. A group of castoffs must slay 4 distinct monsters and unite their essence stones to end a universal war.
10. Factions sign a momentous De-escalation of Magic Treaty, agreeing to systematically surrender their powers until there is no more magic in the kingdom. But what happens when the darkest evil on the planet welch on the agreement? Now someone must rise up to defend the powerless against the evil threat.
11. A princess and the only rightful heir to the throne trades her magic to ensure a better life for her people. But when she finds out, the power that granted her the wish is deeply seeded in evil and ultimately intends on enslaving the people she loves, she must figure out a way to save them despite not having her powers.
12. In a kingdom that is 100%, water-based has all of the fish disappear. Now a castoff that can’t swim may be their only chance of survival.
13. The kingdom has long been a place of peace and happiness thanks to the fairies that use their magic balance both for its people. But when the fairies begin to die off, balance is lost, threatening all their survival.
14. The ancient gods bless the land of abundance upon its inception. They promise to keep this abundance as long as the stewards of the land took care of it. When an evil force begins to ravage the land things are made worse by the God’s vengeance.
15. The land where the animals continuously crossbreed creating new and wonderful species, an evil wizard interferes with natural selection to create his own super breed of monster.
16. Every 10,000 years, the kingdom must race to find the Rebirth Stone to guarantee another 10,000 years and survival. But this time, a great evil is trying to keep them from reaching it in time. Ultimately the fate of the land may depend in the hands of an unseemly group of vagabonds.
17. When each of the seven elder sorcerers disappears on the same night, a group of teen apprentices must separate and try to find them before all the magic in the realm is gone forever.
18. Three ancient dragons have existed for thousands of years. They hold the key to the kingdoms power source while protecting it from outside threats. When two are killed mysteriously, a ragtag group of Orcs must find a way to the third before it’s too late.
19. A wily old castoff sorcerer takes a liking to an orphan peasant. The peasant has no idea about his true royal lineage, and in the end, it may be him in his Zany friend that is tasked with saving the leaders of the very kingdom that had forgotten them.
20. In a land where fraternizing between humans and the enchanted it is strictly forbidden, an unlikely love story between two people from each of these factions occurs. In the end, it may be their love I will ultimately save the entire kingdom the destruction.

21. Every century as part of the Enlightenment Festival, a member from each species is selected to set off on a quest for the Enlightenment stone. The one that finds it guarantees it species a position of power for the next 100 years. Humans have never won the Quest, and therefore, the human species treats the game as nothing more than a cruel human sacrifice. They thus pick someone out of the poorest ranks, to keep from losing anyone deemed important. But what happens, when this castaway wins the contest.
22. When a girl is born with the power to see the truth, she becomes a threat to the rest of the realm. She’s the only one aware that the lives they think they are living are nothing more than a sham. She must now set off on a quest to free them all from the spell, by revealing the truth and alleviating the fog of lies.

7 Urban Fantasy Writing Prompts

Urban fantasy is a sub-genre of the larger fantasy genre and as you guessed most of the time the stories take place in an urban modern setting.

These urban fantasies often blend the lines between humans and paranormal beings or mythical creatures.

In this section will look at 7 urban fantasy specific writing prompts.

1. In the latest iteration of human evolution, some people are born with magical powers, but when they live amongst normal humans LA quickly becomes a dangerous battleground.
2. When São Paulo Brazil has plant life and inanimate objects come alive, the people of São Paulo must try to survive while putting an end to the curse.
3. An old German ghetto that was once used for Nazi experiments is hidden in the countryside. When a group of backpackers passes through town they find a mystical element-controlling werewolf like half-breeds.
4. When a faraway realm chooses a young sorcerer to travel to earth to bestow upon them the power of magic, the newfound power threatens to eradicate the city.
5. London is suddenly overrun by the beloved creatures of fairy tales past, however, not all of them have come with good intentions.
6. A bounty hunter from another realm mysteriously appears inside a maximum-security prison to rescue one of the most dangerous men in the world.
7. A new augmented reality monitor opens a portal for missed creatures into Manhattan.

7 YA Fantasy Writing Prompts and Story Premises.

In this section, we will focus on Young Adult Fantasy writing prompts and story ideas. We hope these 7 YA fantasy prompts help to get your creativity flowing.

1. A Mystical Orc appears at the bedside the local teen insisting he must come with him immediately. The fate of both worlds depends on it.
2. A Group of teens playing Dungeons & Dragons unknowingly unleashes the monsters in their game on earth.
3. An Ice princess must follow an African warrior to the middle of the desert before the evil emanating from it threatens to destroy her kingdom.
4. A vampire bites a girl; now her and her friends must travel to the source to reverse the curse before it becomes permanent.
5. An evil puzzle master sets his eyes on enslaving earth, now a new girl in her geeky squad of friends mistake their gaming skills to a new level to save the earth.
6. The Full-Blood Witch has come to earth in disgust of all bloodlines mixing. Now a group of teens must find her and send her back to where she came from.
7. A young Autistic boy holds the secret to saving humanity from an evil curse.

The conclusion of our 47 Fantasy Writing Prompts and Story Ideas Post.

I Hope you’ve enjoyed these fantasy-writing prompts. I will periodically update this post with new writing prompts to keep it fresh as they come to me.

As always, remember writing prompts are nothing more than a seed that has the potential to grow into a great fantasy novel.

It’s up to all of us as the writers and creatives to flesh out these speckles of stories into full-blown novels.

Don’t be afraid of using a writing prompt that is public for fear someone else might use the same prompt. It all depends on the execution and imagination of the author that will ultimately dictate the success of a fantasy book.

If 100 of us picked the same fantasy prompt from this page and used it to write a novel. None of the stories would be exactly the same, nor would any of the character arcs.

So if one of these fantasy story ideas has caught you’re fancy enough to turn it into something great, then go for it!

Remember you can visit our writing prompt hub page to get access to other story ideas outside of the fantasy genre.

As always, Thanks for Reading and MORE importantly writing!