The Unposted Love Letter
In Edwardian England, a young aristocratic lady discovers an old, unposted love letter written by her grandmother to a mysterious man who is not her grandfather. Determined to uncover the story behind the letter, she travels to her grandmother’s seaside home and delves into a tale of forbidden love and societal expectations. Her discoveries soon start to mirror her own life when she meets a local artist.
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.
- Show the moment one of them almost walks away.
- Give them a deadline: the contest, the wedding, the last train.
- Let a secondary character see what's happening before either lead does.
Writing romance books
Not whether they end up together, but how.
Romance puts a love story at the center and promises a happy ending: happily ever after, or at least happy for now. Readers know where it's going. The pleasure is in the obstacles, the banter and the moment the two leads finally stop fighting it.
What readers expect
- Two leads the reader roots for
- Obstacles that keep them apart
- Emotional growth, not just attraction
- A happy ending, guaranteed
A tip before you start
The happy ending isn't optional. Without it you've written a love story, and romance readers will tell you so.
More Historical Romance prompts
- Letters from the Collapsed BarnDuring the tumultuous times of the American Civil War, a Southern belle and a Union soldier find themselves trapped in a collapsed barn due to an…
- The Norse Warrior and the Celtic HealerDuring the height of the Viking era, a Norse warrior falls in love with a Celtic healer. Despite their cultural differences and the looming threat of…
- Poems in the BookshopIn post-revolutionary France, amid the chaos and reconstruction of society, a young widow running a humble bookshop finds a series of passionate poems…
- The Painter at the BallIn a bustling Renaissance city, a young, ambitious woman painter secretly dresses as a man to sell her art and study with the masters. At a grand…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
Chapterly gives a draft somewhere to grow: chapters, daily word goals, and readers when you're ready.
Plans from $9.99 a month. Cancel any time. Your words are always yours.