Story types · Tip 63 of 82 · 5 min read
Write a Fantasy Adventure
Quests, magic and brave heroes: here's how to set off on an adventure of your own.
A fantasy adventure is a story where magic is real and a hero sets off on a dangerous journey. Think of dragons, enchanted forests, talking trees and lost crowns. It's one of the most exciting kinds of story to write, because anything can happen.
Start with a quest
Most fantasy adventures have a quest: a big job the hero must do. It gives your story a clear goal, so your reader always knows what everyone is racing towards.
- Find something: a stolen star, a cure, a missing brother.
- Deliver something: a message, a magic seed, a sleepy baby dragon.
- Destroy something: a cursed mirror, a spell book, a wicked crown.
- Escape somewhere: a maze, a giant's kitchen, a sinking island.
Begin in the ordinary world
Before the magic arrives, show your hero's normal life for a moment. Then something strange crashes in. The bigger the change, the more exciting it feels.
Wren was halfway through mucking out the goat shed when the goat cleared its throat. "I'm terribly sorry," it said, "but the Queen is missing, and you're the only one who can see the hidden road."
Pack the right things
Give your hero two or three special things to carry: a map with a torn corner, a sword that only glows near danger, a friend who knows the old songs. Then make sure each one matters later. If the sword glows in chapter one, the reader will be waiting for it to glow again.
Okay 😐
Finn had a magic sword. He used it to beat the troll.
Wow! 🤩
Finn's sword was rusty, chipped and only worked when he was telling the truth. Which was a problem, because the troll had just asked him whether he was scared.