It can be an exceptionally challenging undertaking to come up with original ideas for a fantasy novel. The task demands much creativity and ingenuity on the part of the writer.

Even with considerable time and effort, writers may still struggle to invent original ideas that appeal to the reader.

This article will explore the most worthwhile tips that markedly accelerate the brainstorming process for a fantasy novel.

How to brainstorm for a fantasy novel?

Write as much as humanly possible during the brainstorming phase of writing your fantasy novel. Remember that quantity leads to quality. The more ideas you write down, the more likely you will stumble upon a groundbreaking concept to base your fantasy novel around.

This is only one tip, but it is the most important takeaway of this article. Discussed below are other alternative methods to attack the brainstorming process for your fantasy novel.

Each of these eleven tips may provide the slight edge that you need to take your fantasy book to the next level.

1.) Quantity Leads to Quality

As aforementioned, this tip is the most useful of the bunch. The frequency that you put pen to paper and actually write down your ideas is a massive determinant in how successful your brainstorming will be.

If you only write down a small bit of the ideas running around in your head, there is a smaller chance that your brainstorming ideas will pan out.

You want to put out as many experimental writing notions as you can.

This increases the likelihood that you will discover the original idea that will make your fantasy novel stand above the rest.

Restricting your ideas to your head keeps those ideas in the abstract realm. Bringing those ideas to the physical world and laying them out in front of you will turn the mind’s wheels. It will jumpstart the writing journey that ultimately leads to a top-tier fantasy novel.

So when you begin brainstorming, write until you fill the page.

Do not stop until that page is filled, even if your subconscious tells you to write that last thought differently or check your spelling on that last word.

What you write down does not even necessarily have to be in complete sentences. As long as you present your ideas in a clear, organized fashion that you can understand, it does not matter what form the writing takes.

Plus, you can always set aside the editing and proofreading for another pair of eyes later on. If you choose to go this route, I highly recommend checking out Scribendi. This professional editing and proofreading service works with aspiring authors to further develop their book manuscripts to be fit for publication.

Regardless of what you do, make sure to overload that paper with ideas!

2.) Judgment Free Zone

Another crucial tip is to brainstorm freely without self-judgment.

People perceived some of the best fantasy concepts ever to be published as insane or crazy at first glance. The most innovative writing ideas go against the norm, so it is natural to reject these types of ideas at first.

You have to fight this instinct to dismiss these “insane” ideas and write them down.

Do not scrap them like you normally would. Instead, add these ideas to the conglomerate of other ideas coursing through your head. You can always come back to them later.

After a bit of time to collect your thoughts, you may find that the “insane” ideas you had earlier were not so insane after all. In fact, they may be just the kind of ideas you were seeking out in the first place.

By formally organizing crazy thoughts and presenting them in concrete terms, you avoid getting sucked into the black hole of second-guessing yourself. Rationalization tends to check the imagination of writers, limiting the number of tools they have to work with.

Remind yourself that the brainstorming phase of writing is a judgment-free zone.

Even if the ideas are a bit on the radical side, they may open you up to some other line of thinking that will pave the way toward novelty.

3.) Use History as Inspiration for Ideas

History is another prominent avenue that fantasy writers delve into when on the quest for a creative spark.

In fact, one of the most influential writers in the fantasy genre, George R.R. Martin, admits to utilizing this technique to draw inspiration for his own fantasy writing.

A little-known fact is that George R.R. Martin minored in history in college. Medieval history provided the fictional framework for many significant events in his most notable work, A Song of Ice & Fire.

For instance, the notorious Red Wedding incident in A Song of Ice & Fire was inspired by the Black Dinner of Scotland and the Glencoe Massacre of Scotland.

While browsing through history to draw inspiration for his fantasy novels, George R.R. Martin even said to his wife, “You can’t make this stuff up!” (source)

Following the brainstorming model of the best fantasy writers in the business will certainly yield some results. There are many compelling historical affairs that people are completely unaware of.

So go out and discover some interesting facts about the past.

Retooling historical events to suit your fantasy novel will provide a solid writing structure for you to work with.

4.) Research Fantasy Cliches (& How to Rework Them)

You are probably brainstorming to avoid falling into the trap of fantasy cliches. However, a technique you may not have thought of is identifying fantasy cliches and figuring out ways to rework them.

Cliches are littered throughout the fantasy genre. Some readers enjoy fantasy cliches, while other readers despise them.

As a fantasy writer, you can utilize these fantasy cliches to your advantage.

Through cliches, you can convince the reader that the story is heading in one direction and then completely turn the tables on them.

Modifying fantasy cliches to make the ideas your own is an effective method of putting your own creative spin on fantasy. These popular fantasy concepts will also spur you on to branch off into other obscure sects of fantasy.

If you would like a better grasp of fantasy cliches and possibilities on how to make them your own, check out my article 17 Most Hated Fantasy Cliches & How to Fix Them.

5.) Read Other Fantasy Works

Reading other fantasy works is never a bad idea when searching for potential fantasy ideas.

When reading other fantasy works, you learn from the best that fantasy writing has to offer.

At one point in time, these fantasy writers were in the same position that you are currently in. Yet, they designed something the world had never seen before from scratch.

Exposing yourself to other established fantasy works may turn the imaginative wheels in your head. Rather than develop something completely new on your own, you can experiment by adapting existing fantasy concepts.

Wilson Mizner summarizes this phenomenon with the following quote:

When you steal from one author, it’s plagiarism; if you steal from many, it’s research.

Building upon proven fantasy ideas will open you to writing trails that you were previously closed off to. Thinking of ways to turn a proven fantasy concept into your own unique creation is a sufficient means to revitalize the brainstorming process.

6.) Refrain from Focusing Too Much on the Details

When you draft up your initial ideas for your fantasy work, it is tempting to get lost in the details. Unfortunately, losing track of the story’s overall direction is a common mistake among writers, especially during the beginning phases of brainstorming.

Rather than concentrating your efforts on every little facet of the story, your priority should be designing a rough general outline of the story.

Once this broad outline is completed, it is easy to fill in the gaps with whatever details you can muster. However, without a loose blueprint to guide your writing, these details may be all for naught.

Details without direction are often just fluff that takes away from the meaning of the story.

Readers can see right through this fluff and generally lose interest whenever they are overwhelmed with meaningless content.

It is important to use your time efficiently and effectively. Wasting your time writing petty details that do not hold any significance in the overall story will hinder the brainstorming process. Not to mention the quality of your novel will also suffer as a result.

The bottom line is that you should develop a generic rundown of how your novel will flow before pursuing specific peculiarities in the story.

7.) Ask Yourself The Question What If… ?

Another practical method for getting your fantasy novel off the ground is thinking in terms of hypothetical queries.

Whether the brainstorming process is running smoothly or going downhill quickly, asking yourself the question, what if…? will help propel your story toward its creative end.

It is curious questions like these that bring people to the fantasy genre in the first place.

Pushing the bounds of reality is part of the human instinct. People love to think about places beyond their own world. Asking yourself questions that start with what if…? will help you give these people what they are looking for.

8.) Set Up a Specific Time Block to Just Think

Planning your schedule to support the brainstorming process is imperative to the success of your writing.

It is commonplace for writers to get sidetracked by the bustle of daily life. Dedicating explicit chunks of the day toward conceptualizing your fantasy novel is a powerful tool to counteract these distractions.

Setting aside a specific time for the sole purpose of brainstorming will allow you to centralize your thoughts and be more productive. Conversely, when you refuse to strictly schedule brainstorming time, it is much easier to procrastinate the brainstorming process.

A physical schedule will keep you accountable for your personal writing goals.

This way, you will develop a beneficial routine that will carry you toward finishing the fantasy narrative.

All you have to do is open up the calendar on your smartphone and find a time that works best for you. Then, make it a daily ritual until the deed is done. To get anywhere in fantasy writing, you must do your due diligence.

So block out some time today for brainstorming! The longer you wait, the longer it will take for you to accomplish your writing goals.

9.) Use Writing Prompts to Your Advantage

Another undervalued technique that fantasy writers glance over is utilizing writing prompts.

Writing prompts force the mind in a specific direction.

It sets the ground rules for the wild imagination of authors. When a writer has too many thoughts racing through their head at once, it can be difficult to pin down a single thought.

A writing prompt helps to eliminate the background noise, forcing the writer to collect their thoughts and attack one specific line of thinking.

In addition, there are many writing prompts that fantasy writers have access to nowadays.

All you have to do is type “fantasy writing prompts” into the Google search bar, and boom! you have an endless list to pick and choose from.

There are no excuses to skip out on this method. On the contrary, the sheer convenience of the writing prompt technique should be enough to convince you to give it a shot.

10.) The More The Merrier

The more brainpower you have on your side, the better. Reaching out to peers to help stimulate the creative juices may be exactly what you need.

More often than not, writers are intimidated to collaborate with others because they feel like they are admitting defeat.

When writers reach out to others, it is actually quite the opposite.

Being exposed to other perspectives and modes of thinking is a brilliant way to unearth original writing ideas. Sometimes all a writer needs is a gentle push in the right direction to get the writing momentum rolling.

You may not even need the input of another writer.

At the end of the day, you are looking for ideas that will cater to fantasy readers. Discovering original fantasy ideas is not confined solely to novelists.

Conversing with friends and family might do the trick. Anyone capable of providing intelligent insight into fine-tuning your fantasy ideas will be advantageous to the brainstorming process.

11.) Avoid Dragging Out the Brainstorming Process

It would be best if you planned, but not too much.

At some point, you need to draw the line and write.

Defining this line is no easy task because it varies from person to person. It is completely subjective, which is why so many people struggle to find this happy medium. Ultimately, the only way to discover this balance is through trial and error.

Writers cannot simply overlook this balance either. The ramifications of not preparing adequately are far too important to overlook.

If you dedicate too much time planning out your novel, you will be burnt out before you even write the first page. If you start writing too early, you will lack the tools necessary to write a solid fantasy novel.

In summary, do not be afraid to experiment and find your happy medium.

At the end of the day, experience is the greatest teacher there is. The more experience you gain, success or failure, the better the brainstorming process will be.