Steal a line to start your next scene. Better yet, steal one of these fantasy dialogue prompts, change half of it, and make it sound as though it could only have come from the characters in your current WIP.
If you’re working through a November writing challenge and you’re trying to find the will to keep living, I mean er going, then check out these wonderful prompts to keep you inspired.
Tender admissions, dangerous bonds and enemies who really should stop flirting.
Arguments, betrayal, court politics and impossible bargains.
Prophecies, revelations and conversations nobody wanted to have.
Found family, banter, grief and lines that change a relationship.
Quick answer: These 100 fantasy dialogue prompts offer short exchanges for scenes already in your WIP, from enemies-to-lovers banter to magic, secrets and political intrigue. Pick one, rewrite it in your characters’ voices and make it change something in the scene.
How to Use These Fantasy Dialogue Prompts in Your WIP
Start with a scene you already need to write. Maybe your protagonist has to convince a sibling to help, or two reluctant allies are travelling together and you need to change the balance between them. Then next, pick a prompt that might make that scene more difficult, or even a little fun. The goal is to take something that inspires you and see how closely you can intertwine it in your draft.
Each numbered prompt below is one exchange and each separate quotation marks a change of speaker.
If you need a little more structure, the Novel Plot and Beat Planner can help you work out what each scene is supposed to do. You can also read how to make a slow scene interesting when your characters are talking but the plot is going nowhere.
Fantasy Dialogue Prompts for Conflict and Confrontation
Conflict makes the world go around, so pick out your faves:
- “Put the knife away.” “Then tell your guards to stop calling this a conversation.”
- “You knew they would arrest me.” “I knew you would refuse to run.”
- “I came to apologize.” “Then why did you bring witnesses?”
- “Open the gate.” “Give me one reason.” “There are children on the other side?”
- “You cannot command me anymore.” “I know. I was asking, nicely, once.”
- “I kept my oath.” “You found a way to keep its words and break its meaning. That’s like, an oath dupe.”
- “You have until dawn to leave.” “And if I stay?” “Then I have until dawn to become someone I hate.”
- “You should have let me fight.” “You were bleeding.” “So were you. Out of your eyes.”
- “I remember the order differently.” “That is because you were the one giving it.”
- “You want a confession?” “I want you to stop making me guess.”
Fantasy Romance and Romantasy Dialogue Prompts
These romantasy dialogue prompts range from small acts of tenderness to decisions that might cost the characters their connection.
- “You remember how I take my tea?” “I remember things that make you smile.”
- “You are staring.” “I am trying to work out when your face became everything I knew.”
- “They say the bond makes us honest.” “Then ask me something you are afraid to hear.”
- “Take my hand.” “The last person who did turned to salt.” “Well, I love fries, maybe I’d love to be on fries.”
- “I cannot stay after the ceremony.” “I know. I saved you the last dance anyway.”
- “Was the kiss part of your plan?” “It ruined three versions of it.”
- “You can hear my heartbeat?” “Only when you are pretending not to be frightened.”
- “I brought back your ribbon.” “I threw that into the sea.” “The sea and I fought it out.”
- “Tell me something true.” “I chose the longer road because it passed your window.”
- “If you cross that threshold, the bond breaks.” “Will it hurt?” “Not you.”
Enemies-to-Lovers Dialogue Prompts
Let the history between your characters complicate the banter, especially if they’re forced to work together.
- “You put a bounty on my head.” “A small one. I was insulted on your behalf.”
- “Untie me.” “Stop trying to bite the rope.” “Stop tying such good knots.”
- “You are terrible at pretending to be my spouse.” “You are terrible at being someone I would willingly marry.”
- “We need to look convincing.” “Then stop reaching for your sword every time I smile.”
- “Why did you warn me?” “Your death would have been too inconvenient.” “For whom?”
- “We are not friends.” “No. Friends would charge extra for this rescue.”
- “If I betray you, what happens?” “I will believe you meant it.”
- “I know where you sleep.” “You keep saying that like you do not also know where I hide the spare blanket.”
- “You saved my life.” “Try not to make it a habit I have to keep.”
- “You cannot simply turn up at my wedding.” “I came for the cake.” “You are wearing armor.”
Royal Court and Political Intrigue Dialogue Prompts
For courts, give one person information, a title, or an audience the other needs, and see how much each is prepared to reveal to the other.
- “The crown belongs to the firstborn.” “Then why did Mother hide the birth records?”
- “You invited the ambassador to dinner?” “To dinner, yes. The poisoning was someone else’s idea.”
- “Who taught you to bow like that?” “Someone who wanted me to survive this court.”
- “The king asks for your loyalty.” “He had it. Ask him where he put it.”
- “You cannot accuse a prince in open court.” “Then close the doors.”
- “Is that your signature?” “It was, before the ink ran.”
- “The council voted unanimously.” “And how many councilors are still alive?”
- “Father named me heir.” “Father also named six hunting dogs after his enemies.”
- “Take off the coronet.” “Why?” “The last person who wore it never removed it willingly.”
- “You sent me a wedding invitation.” “I sent you a warning disguised as one.”
Magic, Curses and Dangerous Bargain Dialogue Prompts
Magic can solve the immediate problem and leave your characters flailing to fix the rest. Try one of these when it’s all about the magic.
- “The spell worked.” “Then why is the moon still in the courtyard?”
- “Do not answer if the well calls your name.” “What if it uses yours?”
- “I asked for an extra hour.” “You did not say which hour the clock should steal.”
- “That ring grants wishes.” “Why does it keep asking about my mother?”
- “You said the curse would end at sunrise.” “I said it would change.”
- “The door only opens for the dead.” “Then explain why it opened for you.”
- “You traded your shadow?” “For a map.” “Does the map know where your shadow went?”
- “Stop feeding the spell your memories.” “It will not take anything else.”
- “You summoned a familiar.” “I summoned a witness. This is a legal matter.”
- “The forest gave you a name?” “No. It gave me an apology.”
Villain, Antihero and Morally Grey Dialogue Prompts
These fantasy dialogue ideas are for characters who have made a difficult choice. Or want you to stop asking so many damn questions.
- “Did you enjoy it?” “No. I was afraid I would.”
- “You could have spared him.” “I could have spared many people. Tell me which one you mean.”
- “They call you a monster.” “They call me that when I refuse to work for them.”
- “I offered you mercy.” “You offered me a prettier prison.”
- “If you knew it was wrong, why do it?” “Because everyone who was right had already left.”
- “You keep a list of names?” “I keep a list of promises. The names are a consequence.”
- “You want me to fear you.” “No. I want you to take me seriously before someone gets hurt.”
- “I saved the city.” “You chose who counted as the city.”
- “Your hands are clean.” “That is why I hire people with dirty ones.”
- “Tell the truth about what happened.” “And lose the one person the lie kept alive?”
Friendship, Found Family and Loyalty Dialogue Prompts
These exchanges give you room for both affection and the occasional argument over a skull in the post.
- “You packed my favorite biscuits.” “You panic better when you are chewing.”
- “I did not ask you to come.” “You never ask when you need someone.”
- “You can leave now.” “I know. The trouble is I live here too.”
- “I told them you were brave.” “You lied.” “I was speaking about tomorrow.”
- “You forgot my birthday.” “I forgot the exact date. I did not forget the cake. Stale cake counts.”
- “We used to tell each other everything.” “We used to have smaller secrets.”
- “If they exile you, I am coming.” “You hate the cold.” “I hate you being alone more.”
- “Who taught you to stitch a wound?” “You. The last time you insisted you were fine.”
- “They gave you a new name.” “You can keep using the old one. Just not in front of the guards.”
- “I thought you were dead.” “I tried to send a letter.” “You sent a skull.” “It was a confusing week.”
Prophecy, Secret and Plot Twist Dialogue Prompts
For the next time you need a shocking reveal.
- “I have read the prophecy.” “Which version?” “There is more than one?”
- “Why does everyone go silent when I mention the northern tower?” “Because the tower was demolished before you were born.”
- “I buried that letter.” “Yes. You buried it in a grave with no body.”
- “You said my brother died in battle.” “I said the soldiers came home without him.”
- “What is written beneath the paint?” “Your name. In a language no one has spoken for a thousand years.”
- “Who told you the stars were going out?” “The people who live between them.”
- “The seer recognized you.” “She recognized the face I borrowed.”
- “That is my handwriting.” “You have not written it yet.”
- “You were there the night the queen vanished.” “Yes. She asked me to make sure no one followed.”
- “Why is there an empty chair at every feast?” “Because one night someone sat in it.”
Funny Fantasy Dialogue Prompts and Banter
A joke can show affection, irritation or the fact that your characters have been travelling together for far too long.
- “Is your sword supposed to hum?” “Only when it disapproves of my decisions.”
- “Why are you dressed as a priest?” “It was either this or a decorative suit of armor.”
- “The dragon wants to speak with you.” “About the treasure?” “About your manners.”
- “I thought you could read minds.” “I can. Yours is mostly lunch.”
- “Did you name the horse ‘Disaster’?” “Not originally. He earned it.”
- “Can we survive one journey without a curse?” “Define ‘curse.’”
- “You promised a discreet entrance.” “I did not know the trumpets would be enchanted.”
- “That is not a disguise.” “It is if no one expects me to wear pink.”
- “The goblin stole my boots.” “The goblin is wearing your boots because you lost a wager.”
- “Have you ever flown a griffin?” “I have fallen off one. There must be some overlap.”
Grief, Regret and Vulnerable Dialogue Prompts
A character doesn’t have to explain everything they feel. Sometimes the detail they choose to mention—or the question they avoid—tells the other person enough.
- “I kept your room exactly as it was.” “I know. That is why I could not come back.”
- “Tell me what she was like.” “She always ate the best part of the bread first.”
- “You were not there when he died.” “No. I was there when he decided to stay.”
- “Why did you keep the broken cup?” “She never liked anything without a chip in it.”
- “I cannot remember his voice.” “Then borrow mine until you do.”
- “You look happy.” “I am. I just wish it did not surprise me.”
- “You can stop being strong now.” “I have forgotten how to stop.”
- “We won.” “Then why is no one singing?”
- “I used to pray for a second chance.” “And now?” “Now I know who would have to give it up.”
- “Do you blame me?” “Some mornings. Not all.”
Keep a few ideas handy for later: browse my Pinterest boards for more dialogue inspiration.
How Do You Turn a Dialogue Prompt Into a Stronger Scene?
Take the line you like and give it a job in your manuscript, or better yet, read through all of the prompts until something makes you laugh and you can picture the exact character who would say it. Do you have to move the plot around to achieve it? For a quick drafting process where you don’t know where the story is going, it could be your subconscious mind telling you where you need to go next.
Another way is to use it to discover what your character’s goal in that scene might be, and how the conflict will arise.
That’s goal, motivation and conflict, or GMC. The goal is what a character is trying to achieve; the motivation is why they want it; the conflict is what stands in their way. You don’t need to explain all three in the dialogue, but knowing them will help you decide what your characters say and what they keep to themselves.
For example, take prompt 3: “I came to apologize.” “Then why did you bring witnesses?”
Imagine character A came to apologise to B after blaming her for a soldier’s death. How does A get to that point? What happened before this? How will B then react? What scenes need to come together for this to work?
How do you make the dialogue sound like your characters?
Read the exchange aloud, then rewrite it without looking at the original. Use the words your character would choose themselves, not the words that looked best on the list. This way you can be inspired by the prompt without taking the essence out of your story.
For example, a guarded character might answer the accusation with a question. But a character who hates confrontation might start with an apology and lose their temper halfway through.
Also, not everyone needs the perfect comeback; it’s funnt sure, but sometimes the most revealing response is a long pause followed by, “That’s not what I meant.” Especially when it was exactly what they meant.
What if the line still doesn’t fit?
If you keep finding lines you like but can’t work out why anyone is in the scene and how you got there, or in any scene for that matter, you need to look at what happened immediately before it. What does the viewpoint character need to do now? What is stopping them? In fact, you may need to work out the missing action or decision before another bit of dialogue will help.
For a new direction rather than a line of conversation, try the fantasy plot and story idea generator. If the difficulty is figuring out where your characters live or how their world operates, there’s also a fantasy worldbuilding tool.
For your next writing session, choose three prompts for fun. Like, one that changes the power balance, one that reveals a secret, and one that forces a choice. Fit them into scenes your WIP already needs, then check what each exchange changes. You may only keep one. That’s fine.
And if you try a prompt, you can email me at melissa@thegiltlist.com. I’d love to know which one you picked and what on earth your characters did with it. If the scene is in your opening and you’d like a closer look at how it’s working, you can also explore The Gilt List’s first chapter critique service.
If you are getting stuck mid-draft, see why you lose interest in your novel. For more November writing inspiration, try writing 50,000 words in 30 days without burning out.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fantasy Dialogue Prompts
Yes. Adapt the exchange to your characters, story and setting, then rewrite the wording until it sounds like them.
Give each speaker a goal, a reason to speak and something they are reluctant to reveal. Read the exchange aloud and cut lines that feel too polished for that character.
Yes. Choose a prompt that introduces disagreement, a secret or a choice, and then work out what happens before and after the exchange.
Use the characters’ shared history, competing goals and evolving relationship. Even banter should change something between them.
