Asian writing prompt
The Merchant of Malacca
Explore the bustling streets of 15th century Malacca at the height of its power as a trading port. Your protagonist is a local merchant who encounters traders from across Asia and Europe, each sharing stories that hint at the changing dynamics of power and trade in their home countries.
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
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Pick a sprint, start the clock and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
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Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- 1End with a choice that history would never record.
- 2Let your character believe something about their world that turned out to be wrong.
- 3Give the hero a rule of the era they have to break.
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