Why I stopped using fantasy tropes as crutch prompts

Used to just throw 'wizard finds a magic sword' or 'elf leaves forest' at my writing group and call it a day. Last March I realized every single story came out the same - no stakes, no real conflict - so now I force myself to pick a mundane thing like a broken water heater and build the fantasy world around that instead.

2 comments

2 Comments

maxmurphy16d ago

The water heater thing is brilliant actually. Real problems are relatable. A wizard fixing a flooded basement feels more urgent than another dark lord rising. My go-to is starting with a broken bicycle chain. Suddenly you're figuring out dwarf-made tools and goblin bike thieves. Ground it in something that sucks for everyone.

claire6416d ago

Haha yeah my bike's a metaphor for my whole life... broken down and stuck.

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