Notes from the Inkpot
Writing, teaching, creating - one ink-stained idea at a time.
100 Fantasy Ship Names (With Meanings and Story Ideas)
Set sail into your next fantasy world with 100 original fantasy ship names, each complete with meanings, inspiration and story ideas. From enchanted vessels and notorious pirate ships to royal flagships, legendary explorers, elegant elven craft and mysterious ships with impossible histories, there are names here for adventures across every kind of fantasy sea — and even the skies above it. Discover ships such as The Wayward Wish, The King’s Regret, The Drowned Saint, The Leviathan’s Daughter, The Ninth Tide, The Astronomer’s Folly and The Borrowed Hour, with ideas to help you transform each name into a vessel with its own history, reputation, secrets and stories.
70 Maritime Fantasy Writing Prompts: Storms, Sea Legends & Forgotten Coasts
Maritime fantasy combines the wonder of fantasy worldbuilding with the unpredictability of the sea. From cursed ships and hidden islands to haunted coastlines and ancient ocean legends, these stories explore worlds shaped by storms, trade routes, piracy, exploration, and survival. Unlike traditional fantasy kingdoms rooted in castles and forests, maritime fantasy is constantly moving — carried by tides, fog, and dangerous waters where entire civilisations can vanish without warning. This collection of 70 Maritime Fantasy Writing Prompts includes plot hooks, opening lines, title ideas, character concepts, setting inspiration, and visual prompts designed to help writers build immersive sea-based fantasy stories. Whether you are creating pirate adventures, storm-driven epics, magical island kingdoms, or atmospheric coastal tales, these prompts encourage rich worldbuilding, tension, and adventure across oceans filled with mystery.