18th Century writing prompt
The Sugar Plantation Map
Create a story about a slave on a sugar plantation in the Caribbean who discovers an ancient map that hints at the location of a significant religious artifact. Explore their journey towards freedom, using the map as a guide, and their interactions with various characters of different colonial powers.
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
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Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- 1Give the hero a rule of the era they have to break.
- 2Choose one real detail of the period, like a price, a law or a song, and build a scene around it.
- 3Keep the famous event offstage and show its ripples.
More 18th century prompts
See them all- The Mapmaker’s Secret CipherWrite a story set during the height of the French Revolution, where a Parisian mapmaker is unwittingly thrust into espionage. After crafting a map for a mysterious patron, he realizes the map is a cipher leading to a secret meeting spot. How does he navigate the dangerous political waters that follow?
- The Samurai's Last DaysChannel the voice of an aging samurai in 18th-century Japan, providing a first-person narrative of his final days. As he reflects on his life, battles fought, and the evolution of the samurai code, introduce a young relative eager to take up the way of the warrior in a changing world.
- The Astrolabe Maker of IstanbulSet in the 18th-century Ottoman Empire, a young artisan from a small Anatolian village moves to Istanbul to seek work. There, he becomes a craftsman of astrolabes and other scientific instruments, eventually catching the eye of a sultan’s advisor. Explore his rise to prominence and the intrigue and danger of the royal court.
- Shipwrecked in the HighlandsIn 1719, a shipwreck off the coast of Scotland throws together an unlikely pair: a Scottish merchant destined for the American colonies and a mysterious woman fleeing persecution in Scandinavia. Stranded in the harsh Highlands, they must rely on each other to survive. Detail their evolving relationship, the secrets they uncover, and the historical backdrop of a turbulent Europe.
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