The Chinese Railroad Worker
Set your story on the Transcontinental Railroad in the late 1860s. Your protagonist is an immigrant worker from China, telling the tale of building the railroad, the hardships faced, and the bonds formed amid adversity. Captivate your readers with narratives of resilience and ambition.
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 Biographical Historical Fiction prompts
- A Servant Hears HistoryWrite a story from the perspective of a young servant in the household of a famous historical figure, during a pivotal moment in history. Detail the…
- The Royal Advisor's DilemmaWrite about the complexities faced by a historical advisor close to a powerful queen or king. Weave a narrative that highlights both political…
- The Philosopher on TrialWrite about a philosopher in Ancient Greece who is accused by their city-state of corrupting the minds of the young with their radical ideas. Explore…
- The Revolution's Hidden HandChoose a minor, perhaps even overlooked, character from the American Revolution. Create a narrative that brings their contributions to life, exploring…
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