The Forbidden Family Dice
In a world where magical abilities are determined by ancient family dice, your protagonist is born into a lowly caste where the dice predict menial magical skills. However, on their eighteenth birthday, they stumble across a set of forbidden, mythical dice that once belonged to a legendary hero. Write about their journey to understand the true power of these dice and the societal barriers they break along the way.
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.
- 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.
- Make the magic or technology cost your hero something they can't get back.
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.
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- The Game Behind the WorldWrite a tale set in a dystopian future where an AI supervises humanity through a continuous, global role-playing game. Every human must role-play…
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