The Norse Warrior and the Celtic Healer
During the height of the Viking era, a Norse warrior falls in love with a Celtic healer. Despite their cultural differences and the looming threat of war, they find common ground in their shared reverence for the natural world. Write about how their love challenges and changes their communities.
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.
- Put them in close quarters they can't escape.
- Tell it from the point of view of the one who falls first.
- Write the first meeting so it goes badly, in a way they'll laugh about later.
Writing romance books
Not whether they end up together, but how.
Romance puts a love story at the center and promises a happy ending: happily ever after, or at least happy for now. Readers know where it's going. The pleasure is in the obstacles, the banter and the moment the two leads finally stop fighting it.
What readers expect
- Two leads the reader roots for
- Obstacles that keep them apart
- Emotional growth, not just attraction
- A happy ending, guaranteed
A tip before you start
The happy ending isn't optional. Without it you've written a love story, and romance readers will tell you so.
More Historical Romance prompts
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- Love in Revolutionary ParisWrite a story set during the French Revolution, where a young aristocrat falls in love with a passionate revolutionary. Their love is as dangerous as…
- The Pirate Captain's DisguiseA young woman disguises herself as a man to join a voyage on a 17th-century pirate ship, where she falls for the charismatic captain. Explore the…
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