70 Fantasy Writing Prompts for Teens

Fantasy writing gives students the freedom to dream bigger, dig deeper, and explore truths about the world through the lens of magic, myth, and the unknown. Whether you're teaching narrative structure, creative voice, or just trying to get students excited about writing, fantasy is a powerful genre that balances escapism with meaning.

These fantasy writing prompts are designed specifically for teen writers. From story hooks and titles to character and setting ideas, each section encourages imagination while helping students develop atmosphere, emotion, and structure. Whether you’re building a whole fantasy unit or just want a no-prep creative task, there’s something here to spark epic storytelling.

1. Plot Hooks

These story ideas offer a range of fantasy subgenres: magical realism, classic quests, mythic retellings, and speculative twists on modern life. Each one invites students to build their own world, rules, and logic.

1. Write a story about a girl who wakes up to find stars falling from the sky, and only she can hear them whisper.

2. Write a story about mirrors that stop reflecting you, and instead show someone else watching.

3. Write a story about an ancient map found in a school library, showing places that don’t exist… yet.

4. Write a story about a creature made of ink and parchment escaping from a writer’s notebook.

5. Write a story about a town where people wake up with prophecies burned into their skin.

6. Write a story about a world where music is banned, and one girl finds a forgotten melody.

7. Write a story about a portal in the school theatre’s prop cupboard leading to a parallel version of your life.

8. Write a story about a bookstore where every book shows you a different version of your future.

9. Write a story about a lost phone with a countdown and the message: “Don’t let them find you.”

10. Write a story about dreams that aren’t dreams, they’re memories of your other lives.

2. Title Prompts

These title prompts work like spells - suggestive, mysterious, and full of worldbuilding potential. Here are 10 tried and tested ones from my classroom:

1. The Kingdom Beneath the Sand

2. A Song for the Broken Sky

3. The Clockmaker’s Apprentice

4. Where the Forest Remembers

5. Paper Wings and Iron Hearts

6. The Seventh Silence

7. Spindle & Stone

8. The Rules of the Wildwood

9. A Door Without a Key

10. The Girl Who Spoke to Shadows

3. Opening Lines

A strong fantasy opening hints at the world, the stakes, and the strange. These lines are perfect for creative warm-ups or developing sensory narrative skills:

1. I didn’t mean to bring the statue to life.

2. The river only appears every seven years.

3. They told me the spell wouldn’t work. They were wrong.

4. The library didn’t exist yesterday.

5. Her footsteps didn’t make a sound, not even on snow.

6. I found the key in a place that doesn’t exist anymore.

7. Magic was banned before I was born. I just didn’t know I had it.

8. He wasn’t born with a heart, so he built one.

9. My grandmother left me two things in her will: a teacup and a list of names.

10. The sky opened, and something fell through.

4. Closing Lines

A good fantasy ending lingers, whether it brings closure, mystery, or the start of something new. Here are a few that my students have worked towards:

1. The spell broke, but I never really came back.

2. I closed the book and felt the world shift slightly.

3. Somewhere out there, she’s still waiting.

4. The forest took my name, but gave me something in return.

5. I never saw him again — but sometimes, I hear the music.

6. The door disappeared behind me. I didn’t look back.

7. The stars looked different that night. Brighter. Closer. Watching.

8. We built our city on what was left of the storm.

9. The curse lifted at dawn, but none of us remembered why we were afraid.

10. I stepped into the light and chose a different ending.

5. Character Ideas

Fantasy characters often wrestle with identity, power, and fate. These character ideas can shape entire stories or kick off deeper explorations of voice:

1. A girl who remembers every version of every life she’s ever lived.

2. A reluctant guardian assigned to protect a magical object.

3. A boy born under a blood moon, whose shadow acts on its own.

4. A creature made of storm and sea, sworn to defend a human city.

5. A teen who accidentally trades places with the villain in a storybook.

6. A healer who can fix anything, except their own heart.

7. A mapmaker whose maps change while they sleep.

8. A runaway royal disguised as a travelling bard.

9. A dragon who protects a single human child.

10. A girl who sees how people will die, and decides to stop it.

6. Setting Ideas

I think a great fantasy setting feels like its own character. These eerie, magical, and enchanting locations are perfect for atmosphere and worldbuilding:

1. A floating island that appears once a year, bringing strange weather with it.

2. An underground city powered by glowing insects.

3. A mountain library guarded by riddles and carved from stone.

4. A school for gifted children — where no one remembers enrolling.

5. A forest where the trees hum old lullabies.

6. A city where stars fall like rain each night.

7. A marketplace where every item costs a memory.

8. A kingdom where no one can lie — and no one may speak the truth.

9. A castle that changes layout every sunrise.

10. A village that only appears on maps if you’ve been there before.

7. Picture Prompts

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: a single image can spark a thousand stories. These fantasy visuals are perfect for descriptive writing, story openers, or full narrative units:

Final Thoughts

Fantasy lets students explore truth through magic, identity through myth, and emotion through impossible stories. It’s one of the most engaging genres for teen writers, not because it’s unrealistic, but because it makes anything feel possible.

If you’re ready to go deeper:

◆ Check out my creative writing resource on my TpT store
◆ Join the waitlist for my Daily Prompts subscription, which brings you a brand-new prompt every day, with themes that shift monthly. You get a full month's worth of prompts when you join the waitlist.
◆ Check out my creative writing boxes. Immersive story kits with mysterious letters, photos, and clues. Perfect for narrative writing units or after-school clubs.

Whatever kind of magic your students believe in, I hope these prompts help them find their voice — and write the kind of stories only they could tell.