The Drummer Boy's First Battle
Imagine you are a young drummer boy in the Continental Army, experiencing your first battle. Describe the sights, sounds, and smells around you and how you cope with the fear and chaos. Include a friendship you strike up with an older soldier and the lessons you learn from him.
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.
- 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.
- Choose one real detail of the period, like a price, a law or a song, and build a scene around it.
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 American Spy in New YorkCraft a tale of espionage and intrigue featuring a spy for the Americans embedded within the British ranks in New York City. What secrets do they…
- Drummer at Valley ForgeWrite a story from the perspective of a young drummer boy in the Continental Army during the harsh winter at Valley Forge. Detail his daily struggles…
- The Soldier and the Rebel's DaughterWrite a story from the perspective of a young British soldier stationed in the American colonies during the revolution who begins to sympathize with…
- The Nurse at Valley ForgePen a narrative set during the harsh winter at Valley Forge. Explore the camaraderie and conflict among Continental Army soldiers trying to survive…
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