The Island in the Sky
Every century, the floating islands in the sky align, creating a bridge to a mysterious, unexplored island filled with ancient magic. Write about the eclectic group of explorers who set foot on the island, only to find that the magic affects each of them in peculiar, personal ways.
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Choose one ordinary object and show how this world changed it.
- Start in the middle of the strangest moment, and explain nothing for a page.
- Write it as a document from the world: a letter, a field report, a warning sign.
Writing fantasy books
Magic is real, and it costs something.
Fantasy builds a world where the impossible works: dragons, spells, gods who answer back. It might be a whole invented continent or one enchanted door in an ordinary house. Either way, readers come for the wonder and stay for the people paying the price for it.
What readers expect
- Magic or the supernatural, with limits
- A world that feels lived in
- Quests, wars or a power worth fighting over
- Myths and history under the surface
A tip before you start
Give magic a cost. Readers believe in a power when they can see what it takes from the person using it.
More Magic and Fantasy prompts
- The Fifth ElementIn a realm where every person must choose their magical allegiance to an element on their sixteenth birthday, your protagonist breaks tradition by…
- The Librarian of NaleviaEvery century, the enchanted forest of Nalevia chooses a human to serve as its guardian. This time, an unlikely hero, a librarian who’s afraid of…
- The Forbidden MelodyIn a world where music holds the power to control the elements, a young prodigy discovers a forbidden melody that could unravel the fabric of reality.…
- The Stolen Peace ArtifactCreate a tale centered around a magical artifact that has maintained peace in the kingdom for generations. However, on the coronation day of a new…
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