A Nurse's War Journal
Write a story centered around the private journal of a nurse who served in the battlefield hospitals during World War I. Through her entries, reveal the horrors, heroism, and humanity she experienced daily, and how these events shaped her both during and after the war.
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.
- End with a choice that history would never record.
- 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.
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 Harlem Renaissance PainterSet in the bustling streets of 1920s New York, follow the life of an immigrant artist trying to make a name for themselves amid the roaring jazz age…
- The Artist's Unseen HandImagine you are the sibling of a notorious but brilliant artist in Renaissance Italy. Tell the tale of your life overshadowed by your sibling's fame…
- The Explorer's ChildhoodSelect a famous explorer or adventurer from history. Craft a story about their lesser-known childhood, imagining the early experiences and influences…
- Madame du Barry’s HousemaidChronicle the life of a fictional character who was a servant in the household of the famous courtesan Madame du Barry during the reign of Louis XV.…
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.