A Soldier and a Colonial Woman
Craft a narrative around an unlikely friendship between a British soldier and an American colonial woman. Explore how their relationship develops against the backdrop of wartime tensions and societal expectations.
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.
- End with a choice that history would never record.
- Let your character believe something about their world that turned out to be wrong.
- Give the hero a rule of the era they have to break.
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 American Revolution prompts
- The Spy and the RedcoatWrite a story from the perspective of a spy working for the American patriots, who must pass a crucial piece of intelligence to George Washington.…
- Franklin's Philadelphia SpyImagine the life of a spy working for Benjamin Franklin. Create a thrilling narrative involving coded messages, secret meetings, and narrow escapes…
- The Loyalist HouseCraft a tale about a Loyalist family living in Philadelphia, whose home becomes a temporary headquarters for American soldiers. Detail their internal…
- An Aging Statesman in PhiladelphiaDescribe the events leading up to and following the signing of the Declaration of Independence through the eyes of an aging statesman. Reflect on his…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
Chapterly gives a draft somewhere to grow: chapters, daily word goals, and readers when you're ready.
Plans from $9.99 a month. Cancel any time. Your words are always yours.