The Soldier's Hidden Diary
Set in the backdrop of the American Civil War, write from the perspective of a teenage girl whose brother is fighting in the war. She finds a hidden diary belonging to a mysterious soldier and decides to return it, learning about the harsh realities of war and human nature along the way.
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.
- Use the way your hero texts to show who they are.
- Write in close first person, as if it's happening right now.
- Put a first in the story: a first job, kiss, loss or lie.
Writing young adult books
Ages 12 to 18: firsts, identity and everything at stake.
Young adult fiction is written for teens, with protagonists usually 14 to 18. Every genre lives here, from fantasy to thrillers to romance. What makes it YA is the voice: immediate, intense and inside a teenager's head.
What readers expect
- A teen protagonist
- An immediate, close voice
- Identity and independence
- Big feelings, taken seriously
A tip before you start
Write from inside a teen's head, not from an adult looking back. That immediacy is what separates YA from an adult book with a young hero.
More YA Historical Fiction prompts
- The Girl at the AcademyTransport your readers to Victorian England where a teenage girl, aspiring to be a scientist, must disguise herself as a boy to attend a prestigious…
- The Samurai ScrollCraft a narrative about a group of teenage friends in 16th century Japan. They stumble upon a mysterious, ancient scroll that leads them on an…
- The Samurai's Peace TreatySet your story in medieval Japan, where a young samurai-in-training must journey across dangerous lands to deliver a peace treaty. Along the way, they…
- Voyage by Stars and SeaSet in an ancient Polynesian tribe, a young warrior is chosen to embark on a sacred voyage across the Pacific. Tasked with finding a new island to…
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