Letters Across Rival Houses
Write a story about two lovers from rival noble families in Renaissance Italy who secretly exchange letters and poems, dreaming of a future together as political tensions threaten to tear their world apart.
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 a secondary character see what's happening before either lead does.
- End on the first honest conversation, not the first kiss.
- Make the obstacle something they both believe in, not a misunderstanding.
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
- The Merchant's Daughter on the Silk RoadSet against the backdrop of the Silk Road during the height of its use, a merchant's daughter in love with tales of faraway lands concocts a plan to…
- The Disguised Medical StudentCraft a story about a young Egyptian woman in the early 1900s who disguises herself as a man to study medicine. Along her journey, she falls in love…
- Jazz Love in MontmartreImagine a tale set in 1920s Paris, where an aspiring American writer falls in love with a French jazz singer. Detail their passionate and tumultuous…
- The Invitation to the BallWrite a story set in Victorian England, where a young woman from a modest background receives a mysterious invitation to attend a grand ball at a…
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.