Leonardo's Last Days
Imagine you are a companion to Leonardo da Vinci during his last days in Amboise. He confides in you about his regrets and shares unfinished projects. Write about the bond you share, the stories he tells of his past inventions, and the final masterpiece he imagines but will never create.
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.
- Tell it from someone the history books ignored.
- Write it as a letter that took weeks to arrive.
- End with a choice that history would never record.
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 Biographical Historical Fiction prompts
- The Civil War DoctorWrite from the perspective of a female doctor during the Civil War. Explore her challenges and triumphs in a male-dominated field, her experiences on…
- Van Gogh's Friend in ArlesCreate a story centered around a fictional friend of Vincent van Gogh during his time in Arles, France. Examine their friendship, the impact of Van…
- A Revolutionary's SiblingCraft a story from the point of view of a sibling of a famous revolutionary leader. Explore the contrasts between public perception and private…
- The Composer's ApprenticeWrite a story from the perspective of a young musician in Renaissance Italy who becomes an apprentice to a famously volatile but brilliant composer.…
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