United States writing prompt
The Tracker's Secret Mission
Write a tale about an indigenous tracker in the late 1800s who is hired by the U.S. government to navigate the tricky terrains of the American West for a top-secret mission. Explore his internal struggle between aiding the officials and staying true to his tribal roots.
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
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Pick a sprint, start the clock and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
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Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- 1Choose one real detail of the period, like a price, a law or a song, and build a scene around it.
- 2Keep the famous event offstage and show its ripples.
- 3Make the dialogue sound of its time without becoming hard to read.
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