Franklin's Philadelphia Spy
Imagine the life of a spy working for Benjamin Franklin. Create a thrilling narrative involving coded messages, secret meetings, and narrow escapes, all while under the suspicion of British troops stationed in Philadelphia.
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.
- Write it as a letter that took weeks to arrive.
- End with a choice that history would never record.
- Let your character believe something about their world that turned out to be wrong.
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 American Revolution prompts
- The Loyalist HouseCraft a tale about a Loyalist family living in Philadelphia, whose home becomes a temporary headquarters for American soldiers. Detail their internal…
- An Aging Statesman in PhiladelphiaDescribe the events leading up to and following the signing of the Declaration of Independence through the eyes of an aging statesman. Reflect on his…
- A Spy in British New YorkWrite a story from the perspective of a spy working for the Continental Army. Explore the risks they take, the secrets they uncover, and how they…
- The Drummer Boy at WarImagine a day in the life of a young drummer boy during the American Revolution. Describe his fears, dreams, and the realities of war at such a young…
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