Fantasy isn’t just about cool, out-of-this-world stuff like a cursed sword or fire-breathing dragons. It’s about building an imaginary world that feels real. How?
The most realistic and iconic fantasy worlds, both in film and literature, typically incorporate one or several fantasy elements in their story.
1. Have These Fantasy Archetypes
Whether the fantasy world is about ancient prophecies or forbidden kingdoms, there’s always that familiar lineup of fantasy characters:
- The Hero
- The Magician
- The Lover
- The Outlaw
- The Explorer
- The Sage
- The Innocent
- The Everyman
- The Creator
- The Caregiver
- The Sidekick
- The Villain
- The Seducer
- The Mentor
- The Anti-Hero
- The Jester
- The Ruler
- The Orphan
- The Love Interest
I am writing a fantasy story about [give context/share your book idea]
I want you to give me character ideas for these fantasy archetypes:
The Hero
The Magician
The Lover
The Outlaw
The Explorer
The Sage
The Innocent
The Everyman
The Creator
The Caregiver
The Sidekick
The Villain
The Seducer
The Mentor
The Anti-Hero
The Jester
The Ruler
The Orphan
The Love Interest
2. There’s a Call for Adventure/Quest
Frodo didn’t ask to carry the ring. Alice didn’t plan to tumble into Wonderland. Eragon, Percy, Lyra, and even Moana all found themselves answering a call bigger than themselves.
I am writing a fantasy story about [give context/share your book idea]
My protagonist is [insert info]. I want you to explore different ways for my main character to go on a quest.3. Setting and Intricate Worldbuilding
What do bestselling fantasy books have in common? A world that’s so believable you don’t even dare to question why there’s a talking raven giving you relationship advice or why the moon occasionally bleeds.
For instance, in the Harry Potter series, Rowling filled her wizarding world with functioning banks, mail carriers, and school exams, right down to the chocolate frog trading cards.
Consider the following when building an intricate world for your story:
- Geography & climate
- Creatures & plants
- Economy
- Politics
- Religion & myths
- Architecture & fashion
I am writing a fantasy story about [give context/share your book idea]
I want you to give me ideas for my story's world. Please consider the following:
Geography & climate
Creatures & plants
Economy
Politics
Religion & myths
Architecture & fashion4. A Magic System
Magic might feel like pure spontaneity, but in great fantasy stories, it follows a structure. The difference lies in how many of those guidelines you show.
Fantasy books can either have soft magic or hard magic:
- Soft magic is vague and mysterious. Think The Lord of the Rings or Narnia, where spells and powers appear when they’re needed but aren’t always explained.
- Hard magic plays by clear rules, like in Fullmetal Alchemist or Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, where systems have limits, costs, and logic.
Want to build a believable magic system? Start here:
- Set the rules. Can anyone use it? Are tools or words required?
- Define limits. What magic can and can’t do? What happens when you overdo it?
- Show the cost. Does it drain energy, time, or the soul?
- Give it roots. Where does this magic come from: gods, nature, bloodlines?
I am writing a fantasy story about [give context/share your book idea]
I want you to give me ideas for my story's [soft magic/hard magic] system.Tip: Need help? Follow Brandon Sanderson’s Laws of Magic.
5. Good vs. Evil
Fantasy thrives on the tension between good and evil, but it’s not always clear-cut. Some characters struggle to control their powers. Others (like a villain) misuse them entirely.
I am writing a fantasy story about [give context/share your book idea]
Please give me ideas for good vs evil trope. 6. Inclusion of Subgenres
Many fantasy books incorporate subgenres to make the story even more compelling. Let’s break down a few popular ones:
- Epic Fantasy – Big worlds. Bigger stakes. Need examples? The Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time, Game of Thrones, and Mistborn, just to name a few. These stories pit good vs. evil across generations. Expect sweeping landscapes, ancient prophecies, and plenty of swords.
- Dark Fantasy – Horror meets magic. Stories like Coraline or The Witcher blend the eerie and the enchanted. The tone is bleak, the monsters terrifying, and the heroes morally murky.
- Contemporary Fantasy – Magic walks among us. You’ve seen it in Harry Potter and The Percy Jackson series. These stories keep one foot in the real world, with spells in the subway or monsters in math class.
- Urban Fantasy – Like contemporary fantasy, but grittier and more adult, usually set in a city. Think The Dresden Files or Shadowhunters. Vampires in nightclubs, magic behind locked doors, and supernatural politics.
Then there’s Magical Realism—a trickier category. While it shares elements with fantasy, it treats the magical as part of everyday life. In books like One Hundred Years of Solitude or Like Water for Chocolate, the extraordinary is ordinary. The thing is that magical realism doesn’t explain its magic; it just is.
You can also classify fantasy by how magic enters the story:
- Portal Fantasy – Characters travel to another world. (Narnia, Alice in Wonderland)
- Immersive Fantasy – Set entirely in a magical world. (Earthsea, Mistborn)
- Intrusion Fantasy – Magic disrupts the real world. (Stranger Things, Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
- Liminal Fantasy – Magic appears but is never questioned. Dreamy, surreal, or absurd. (Pan’s Labyrinth flirts with this.)
I am writing a fantasy story about [give context/share your book idea]
I want you to explore adding the following subgenres and why it will or will not work for my story:
Epic Fantasy
Dark Fantasy
Contemporary Fantasy
Urban Fantasy
Portal Fantasy
Immersive Fantasy
Intrusion Fantasy
Liminal Fantasy7. There’s Prophecy
Some prophecies are clear. Others are riddles waiting to be misinterpreted. But they all do the same thing: force characters to question whether they control their future, or if it’s already set in stone.
Think:
- Harry Potter – “Neither can live while the other survives.” That line doesn’t just predict a final battle—it haunts Harry from book five onward.
- The Wheel of Time – Rand al’Thor is “The Dragon Reborn,” and every step he takes is tangled in visions, omens, and centuries-old predictions.
- Percy Jackson – Almost every quest begins with a prophecy. And they never come true in quite the way you’d expect.
I am writing a fantasy story about [give context/share your book idea]
My protagonist is [insert info/background]. I want you to give me ideas as to how I can craft a compelling prophecy that fits their character arc and the plot. 8. Supernatural Beings and Elements
Elves. Demons. Wizards. Talking swords. Haunted forests. That shadow with too many eyes in the corner of the tavern? Definitely not human.
Fantasy isn’t fantasy without something supernatural stirring in the background. And these elements do more than decorate your world. They shape it.
A few fan favorites:
- Dragons – Majestic or murderous, wise or weaponized. (See: Eragon, Game of Thrones, The Hobbit)
- Fae – Beautiful, clever, dangerous. Often with rules, you break at your own risk. (A Court of Thorns and Roses ring a bell?)
- Undead – Zombies, skeletons, cursed kings who refuse to stay buried. (The Witcher, The Lord of the Rings)
- Shape-shifters – Beasts who walk as men, and vice versa.
- Spirits, ghosts, and demons – Invisible forces, ancient curses, and restless souls make great plot fuel.
And it’s not just creatures—supernatural elements matter too.
- Cursed objects
- Sacred trees
- Magical weather
- Potions that mess with time or memory
- Doors that open to other realms
I am writing a fantasy story about [give context/share your book idea]
I want you to provide with a list of supernatural beings and elements that would make my story more compelling. 9. Invented Language, Culture, and Lore
Aside from having a believable and intricate world, many fantasy books feature their own invented languages.
Think about it:
- Elvish in The Lord of the Rings
- Dothraki and Valyrian in Game of Thrones
- Na’vi in Avatar
Some fantasy writers even delve deep, crafting layered societies that incorporate politics, art, music, and myth.
I am writing a fantasy story about [give context/share your book idea]
I want you to give me ideas how I can incorporate an invented language, culture, and lore to my story. Fantasy Is Not Just About Magic
There you have it! It’s easy to make your protagonist possess extraordinary powers, add mythical creatures, or set the story in a world that’s a far cry from our own. But that’s lazy writing.
Fantasy incorporates not just one but several elements intentionally put together to make the story believable, captivating, and, of course, a bestseller.