The Athenian War Scroll
After discovering a hidden scroll in your late father's belongings, you, a young Athenian scholar, uncover a secret that could potentially change the outcome of the Peloponnesian War. Write about your journey as you choose whether to use this knowledge for personal gain, or to possibly alter the course of history.
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Tell it from someone the history books ignored.
- Write it as a letter that took weeks to arrive.
- End with a choice that history would never record.
Writing historical fiction
Step into another time and feel what it was like.
Historical fiction is set in the past, usually at least 50 years before it was written. Real events and people often appear, but the story belongs to its characters. Readers come for the immersion: the smells, the rules, the dangers of a world that's gone.
What readers expect
- A vivid, well-researched setting
- Real events as backdrop or engine
- Characters shaped by their era
- Details that feel lived, not looked up
A tip before you start
Research deeply, show lightly. One telling detail in a scene beats a paragraph of facts.
More Ancient Greece prompts
- The Corinthian PoetA lyrical poet from Corinth travels across various city-states during the flourishing era of the Greek poleis. As the poet witnesses the unique…
- The Athenian ScientistYou are a philosopher in ancient Greece, but unlike your contemporaries, you believe in the power of science over mythology. Write about your…
- The Spartan in DisguiseIn the midst of the Peloponnesian War, a young Spartan woman disguises herself as a man to join the ranks of her city's feared warriors. Explore her…
- The Village OlympianDuring the first Olympic Games, a young athlete from a small village competes not just for glory but to deliver his family from penury. Through his…
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