Writing Royal Legends: A Guide to King & Queen Creative Writing (with Classroom Prompts!)
Hello, fellow story-smiths and educators! From the tales of King Arthur to the pages of modern fantasy, stories of kings and queens have captivated us for centuries. Royalty offers a world of drama, power, sacrifice, and intrigue. But how do you help a young writer create a monarch who is more than just a figure in a crown?
The secret is to start with a powerful image. Our “Kings and Queens – Creative Writing Inspiration” presentation, embedded below, is a gallery of stunning, evocative portraits designed to spark the imagination. This guide will show you how to use these prompts to help your children and students develop compelling characters and weave unforgettable royal tales.
Why Use Character Portraits for Writing?
Starting with a character portrait is a fantastic way to kickstart a story. It helps young writers to:
- Create an Instant Protagonist: The image provides a ready-made hero or villain, giving the writer an immediate focus.
- Infer Personality and Backstory: Is the king weary from battle, like the ‘King in Exile’? Is the queen surrounded by magical creatures in ‘The Queen’s Menagerie’? The details in the image provide clues to the character’s life.
- Generate Immediate Conflict: A portrait of a ‘Puppet King’ or a ‘Child Queen’ instantly raises questions about who really holds the power, creating a central conflict for the story.
The Royal Decree: Your Character-Building Toolkit
Before your young author writes their story, encourage them to become a royal chronicler. For any character they choose from the presentation, ask them these four key questions:
- WHO are they, really? Look beyond the crown. Are they kind, cruel, brave, or afraid? What is a secret that nobody else knows about them?
- WHAT do they want more than anything? This is their motivation. Does the ‘Peasant Queen’ want to earn the respect of her nobles? Does the ‘King of a Ruined Kingdom’ want to restore his home to its former glory?
- WHAT stands in their way? This is the conflict. Is it a rival monarch? A magical beast? A treacherous advisor? A war?
- WHAT will they do to get what they want? This is the plot. Will they lead an army, like ‘The Warrior Queen’? Or use secrets and spies, like ‘The Queen of Spies’?
Holding Court: Story Starters from the Royal Gallery
Here are a few story-starter ideas based on the images in the presentation to show how a single portrait can inspire an entire narrative:
- For ‘The King Under the Mountain’: For a thousand years, your ancestors have slept deep beneath the mountain, waiting for a sign to return. Today, the great horn sounded. As king, you must now lead your people back to the sunlit lands they lost long ago. But the world has changed, and a new, powerful empire rules the surface.
- For ‘The Coronation of the Child Queen’: The crown is so heavy it makes your head ache. Your parents, the King and Queen, have vanished, and you have been forced onto the throne at just ten years old. The court whispers that your uncle, the general, was behind their disappearance. How do you rule a kingdom when you can’t even trust your own family?
- For ‘The Last Royal Library’: You are the queen of a dying kingdom, and the royal library—containing all your people’s knowledge and history—is burning. The fires were set by an invading army that wants to erase your culture forever. You only have time to save one book. Which one do you choose, and why is it worth risking your life for?
How to Use These Royal Prompts in Your Classroom
These character portraits are a fantastic resource for literacy and drama lessons. Here are a few practical classroom activities:
- Character Hot-Seating: This is the perfect activity for these prompts. Project an image of one of the monarchs, like ‘The Star-Reader Queen’ or ‘The River King’. Have one student sit in a chair at the front of the class (the “hot seat”) and take on the role of that character. The rest of the class can then interview them, asking questions about their life, their kingdom, their powers, and their greatest fears.
- ‘A Royal Proclamation’: Ask students to choose a monarch from the slides and write a royal proclamation from their perspective. What new law are they announcing? Is it a declaration of war? A call for a grand tournament? This activity focuses on writing in a specific voice and for a specific purpose.
- ‘The Two Thrones’: Put two images side-by-side, such as ‘The Warrior Queen’ and ‘The Puppet King’. Ask students to write a short scene or a dialogue showing a conversation between these two rulers. What do they want from each other? Are they allies or enemies?
- Create a Coat of Arms: Have students invent their own monarch inspired by one of the prompts. They then design a coat of arms for that king or queen, using symbols that represent their personality and kingdom (e.g., a sword for the ‘King of the Iron Fist’ or a book for the queen of ‘The Last Royal Library’). They must then write a short paragraph explaining their design choices.
Every portrait tells a story. Encourage your young writers to look beyond the crowns and thrones to find the human story—the desires, fears, and choices—that make a character truly memorable. We hope this guide helps them create their own royal legends!
