Chicago's Prohibition Speakeasy
Imagine a story set during the American Prohibition era, centered around a speakeasy owner in Chicago who uses their establishment as a front for smuggling operations. Explore the complexities of their life, balancing business, family, and the ever-present threat of law enforcement.
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 Historical Fiction prompts
- Letters Between Civil War SiblingsSet in the backdrop of the American Civil War, tell the tale of two siblings separated by their allegiances, who communicate solely through letters.…
- The Khan's Secret ExpeditionPen a narrative about a servant in the court of a Mongol Khan, who witnesses the planning and execution of a major expedition. Include details of…
- A Merchant in ConstantinopleImagine a day in the life of a merchant in the bustling market of Constantinople during the Byzantine Empire's peak. Intertwine the personal dramas of…
- The King’s Secret DiaryWrite a story from the perspective of a young servant in the court of a notoriously ruthless king. The servant secretly keeps a diary that details…
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