Write an original fantasy short story from the material below. Build the story around a character making a costly choice; do not use a chosen-one prophecy, a generic tavern opening, or a last-minute power that was never established. Premise and central conflict: [PREMISE] Main character and what they want: [PROTAGONIST] Setting and magic constraints: [SETTING AND MAGIC] Voice, audience, and target length: [VOICE AND LENGTH]
Required image, object, or line: [REQUIRED ELEMENT]
First, create a compact story blueprint of no more than 180 words: viewpoint, inciting disruption, three escalating complications, the irreversible choice, and the ending image. Then write the story in the requested length.
Make the setting active: include three sensory details that reveal culture, weather, labor, food, ritual, or architecture rather than a list of lore. Explain magic through consequences in action. Every use of magic must have a stated cost, limit, risk, or trade-off consistent with my input. Give the protagonist an opposing force with an intelligible motive, not evil for its own sake. Let dialogue create pressure or reveal a mismatch in goals.
End with a changed situation, not a summary of what the protagonist learned. Keep names pronounceable and limit proper nouns to what the reader can retain.
Before delivering, self-check for cause-and-effect between scenes and remove any invented world rule that contradicts my setting. Ask up to three clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [PREMISE] | Describe the story situation, stakes, and the conflict that must be resolved. | A village mapmaker must decide whether to erase a hidden road before an invading army uses it. |
| [PROTAGONIST] | Describe the main character, what they want, what they fear, and a relevant flaw or constraint. | Elian, an exacting apprentice mapmaker, wants to preserve every truth but fears becoming responsible for someone’s death. |
| [SETTING AND MAGIC] | Describe the place, era or atmosphere, and the rules, costs, and limits of magic. | A salt-marsh city of stilt houses; maps can alter memory only when drawn with ink mixed from the maker’s own blood, and each change erases one personal memory. |
| [VOICE AND LENGTH] | State the intended audience, narrative voice or tonal references, and approximate word count. | Adult literary fantasy, close third person, tense but restrained, 1,800 words. |
| [REQUIRED ELEMENT] | Provide an image, object, line of dialogue, or event that must appear naturally in the story. | A brass compass that spins only when someone is lying. |
How to use
- Give the magic rule a cost that can force a difficult decision, not merely decorate the setting.
- Read the blueprint first and change the ending or escalation before asking for the full draft.
- Check every magical action against the rule you supplied and cut exposition that does not affect the scene.
- Follow up with: “Revise scene three so the antagonist gains ground through a choice Elian made earlier; keep the same magic cost.”
Variations
Fantasy opening scene
Use this to test a world and character before committing to a full story.
Write the opening 900 words of an original fantasy story. The protagonist is [PROTAGONIST], facing [IMMEDIATE PROBLEM] in [SETTING]. Magic works by [MAGIC RULE], with this cost: [COST]. Start inside a consequential action, establish what the character wants today, and include one precise detail of ordinary life. End on a complication that changes the character’s plan. Do not explain the full history of the world or introduce more than three named entities. Self-check that magic follows its stated limit; ask up to three questions only if needed.
Worldbuilding dossier
Use this when you need a coherent setting before drafting scenes.
Create a fantasy worldbuilding dossier for [SETTING CONCEPT] and [STORY CONFLICT]. Provide six sections: geography and resources, social hierarchy, daily labor and food, belief or ritual, magic system, and pressure points likely to cause conflict. For magic, specify what it can do, cannot do, costs, enforcement, and one loophole. Include ten concrete details a character could encounter in a scene, not encyclopedia-style lore. Flag contradictions or familiar fantasy clichés in my concept. Ask up to three clarifying questions only if core inputs are missing.
Revision for stakes
Use this when a fantasy draft has atmosphere but weak momentum.
Diagnose and revise this fantasy scene: [DRAFT]. The protagonist’s goal is [GOAL], and the magic rule is [MAGIC RULE]. First identify the scene goal, opposition, turning point, and any unsupported use of magic in four bullets. Then rewrite the scene in [TARGET WORD COUNT] words so a decision creates a worse problem, while preserving these details: [DETAILS TO KEEP]. Do not add backstory that resolves the tension. Ask up to three questions only if a required input is missing.
Tips
- A magic system becomes dramatic when its cost matters most at the moment the character needs it.
- Choose a setting detail that changes behavior, such as flood tides determining work hours, rather than adding decorative vocabulary.
- Give the opposing character a goal that would still make sense if they were the protagonist.
- Ask for a blueprint before prose when you care about an ending that pays off the opening.
FAQ
Can AI write in the style of a living fantasy author?
Ask for broad traits such as spare prose, close viewpoint, or mythic atmosphere instead of copying a living author’s exact style.
How do I avoid generic fantasy?
Supply a specific material culture, a constrained magic rule, and a conflict rooted in a real trade-off.
Should I request a long novel chapter at once?
Start with a scene or short story, then build a chapter outline after the voice and rules hold together.