The Pyramid Conspiracy
Craft a story about a scribe in Ancient Egypt who uncovers a conspiracy involving the construction of a new pyramid. As the scribe, navigate the political waters of pharaohs and priests while protecting your own life.
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.
- 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.
- Choose one real detail of the period, like a price, a law or a song, and build a scene around it.
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 Historical Fiction prompts
- The Samurai and the ThiefWrite about a pair of twin brothers in Feudal Japan who are separated at birth. One grows up as a noble samurai, the other as a cunning thief. Their…
- The Housemaid's DiscoveryImagine you are a housemaid in Victorian England who uncovers a scandalous secret about the family you work for. Explore how you navigate the complex…
- Jazz on New Orleans StreetsDepict the life of a jazz musician in 1920s New Orleans, capturing not only the vibrant music scene but also the racial tensions and cultural…
- The Mediterranean MerchantCreate a tale based on the voyages of a female merchant in the Mediterranean during the Middle Ages, dealing with pirates, storms, and rival traders…
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