Prompts are an excellent resource for writers. Even if you have a work in progress, you can use prompts for writing exercises, or to give yourself a breather from your main project.
I’m often tweeting that I’m working on something new when I shouldn’t be. Most of these short story starts are sitting unfinished, but I never see them as a waste of time. They help me explore new ideas or try different points of view – I usually write in a close third-person perspective, yet I like to explore first person and omniscient in short stories. How can a writer find their voice if they hold themselves back from exploring all the options?
Stories can be as long or as short as you want, they just need a beginning, a middle, and an end. So, without further rambling, here are 5 fantasy prompts I hope will get your creative juices flowing, leading you to a middle and end.
Want to share what you come up with? Leave a comment!
The heavens are dark, with not a star in the sky, and people have stopped dying. No matter what disease or injury tries to claim them, people’s souls remain trapped within their body.
The ground opens beneath a trainee mage, who falls into a network of caverns. Unable to climb back up, they must find their way out using the one spell in their armoury: mage flame. It lights their path but wakes something that had long slumbered in the depths.
A storm ravages a merchant vessel, dashing it against rocks. The lone survivor washes up on an island surrounded by a wall of jagged stone spires. They’ve read about such an island, said to be the prison for a dangerous magical creature. But when they stumble upon the creature, it’s not what the tales say at all.
A retired adventurer turned shopkeeper picks up their blade once more to rescue the child who’s always touching their wares despite the “do not touch” sign.
Dwarves are a people straight out of legends, so when one walks into your tavern and asks for your finest dwarven ale, you’re more than a little shocked.
I hope at least one of these gives you an idea for a new story. They’re all off the top of my head, but remember other people might use these prompts too. Take the prompt and make it your own. Happy writing!
