Strangers Laying Track
Write a story set during the building of the transcontinental railroad in the United States. Center the narrative around two characters from completely different backgrounds who form an unlikely friendship amidst the harsh working conditions and cultural clashes.
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.
- Keep the famous event offstage and show its ripples.
- Make the dialogue sound of its time without becoming hard to read.
- Tell it from someone the history books ignored.
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 Historical Fiction of the Americas prompts
- A Laborer at PanamaWrite a story set during the construction of the Panama Canal, focusing on a character from a small Caribbean island who works as a laborer on the…
- The Canal Laborer's DaysImagine a narrative set during the construction of the Panama Canal in the early 20th century. Focus on a character who is a local laborer. Explore…
- The Printer's Secret MessagesSet your narrative in a bustling New England town during the American Revolutionary War. Centers around a young printer's apprentice who inadvertently…
- A Family's Flight NorthWrite about a Mexican family's journey during the Mexican-American War. From the perspective of a young girl, depict their forced migration north and…
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