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60 historical fiction writing prompts
by The History Quill
We’re delighted to share this list of 60 historical fiction writing prompts to inspire your creative writing. We’ve put them on a historical timeline, starting in 399 BCE and ending in 1969. They cover a range of periods, places, and situations. Feel free to adapt them in any way you like. Enjoy!
You are one of the jurors at the trial of Socrates, who is accused of corruption and impiety. After the verdict, argument ensues about an appropriate punishment. You are arguing against the death penalty, but those around you seem determined to impose it. What happens next?
In Constantinople, the emperor Constantine decrees that Christians must cut all ties with their Jewish heritage or face execution. What does this mean for you and your family? How do you react to this new law? What do you choose to do?
You are walking out on the clifftop, and you see a fleet of Viking ships on the horizon. As you watch, you realise they are heading towards the coast. What happens next?
You are a member of Macbeth’s household. When King Duncan is killed, you realise that everything is changing around you. What do you do? Do you stay loyal to Macbeth, or do you leave and join those who oppose him?
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Writing stories set in historical settings is a great way to learn more about different eras and explore the events of the past through fictional characters. Historical fiction writers usually explore a historical event or figure and blend true details about that person or time period with fictional characters and plots to create compelling narratives that spark interest in the past and introduce readers to other times. Whether you’re an adult or teen writer interested in writing historical fiction novels or a teacher seeking historical prompts for your high school students, these historical fiction writing prompts are guaranteed to ignite your imagination.
How to Use These History Writing Prompts
How you approach the writing of historical fiction depends largely on your writing personality and style. Do you prefer to start with a character, a plot, or a setting? Are you a plotter or a pantser? Are you tied to a specific type of writing or are you interested in exploring different genres?
A collection of story prompts like this one is a useful tool for most types of writers (except, of course, those who spurn outside inspiration!). With 100 different story ideas to choose from, it’s hard to not find something you want to write about. The more difficult task may be settling on just one, but you can always come back for more inspiration later.
We’ve organized this post into different periods to help you narrow down your focus. At the same time, we’ve been intentional about including settings from a wide variety of nations, cultures, and socioeconomic classes with the hope of inspiring you to think beyond the time periods and settings you’re most familiar with and encourage you to explore writing ideas that may be novel to you.
For the earlier periods, we’ve grouped several centuries into each category. For example, we have ten prompts each dedicated to classical antiquity in the Greco-Roman world, ancient times outside of Europe, the early middle age period (within and outside of Europe), and the high-to-late middle age period (also on a global scale). From there, we get more concentrated and offer ten prompts per century with an extra ten included in the 1900s.
If you already know the period you want to write about, use the navigation buttons below to jump to the matching section. If you’re looking for more general inspiration, get comfy and take time to read through the entire list. Something unexpected might pop out at you that you might never have thought to write about before.
Classical Antiquity: Historical Fiction Prompts Set in the Greco-Roman World
Other ancient settings: stories set outside the roman empire, historical writing prompts set during the early middle ages (500-1000 ad), the medieval period: high and late middle ages (1000 ad to 1500 ad).
Classical antiquity refers to the period in European history from around the 8th century BC to the 5th century AD when ancient Greece and Rome were flourishing and wielding great influence over the rest of Eurupe, North Africa, and West Asia. The beginning of this period is usually marked by Homer’s epic Greek poetry while the dates of its ending are debated. Most western scholars consider the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD to mark the end of the era, though others extend it to the death of Justinian I in 565 AD or the arrival of Islam in 632 AD.
This period is rife with fun story ideas as momentous historical events were occurring all the time and life was a precarious dance between the expanding prosperity of the Empire and the constant threat of death. From wars to plagues to inexplicably barbaric laws, the Greco-Roman community had a lot to fear, which, of course, makes for great storytelling today.
1. Ancient Roman Heartbreak
Write a short story about a merchant’s daughter who falls in love with the married Mark Antony right before he meets Cleopatra in 41 BC.
2. The Plague Before the Fall
Write an epistolary story consisting of messages sent between the main character—a doctor struggling to save lives during the Plague of Cyprian—and a young woman whose father, a general in the Roman army, is tasked with securing enough food to feed the troops. (The first recorded handwritten letter is still 250-odd years away, so get creative with how they send these messages.)
3. Stolen Work in Ancient Greece
Near the end of the Athenian Golden Age—a time of peace, prosperity and happiness in Athens in which the fields of art, literature, and philosophy flourished—a dramatic poet discovers an unknown play thought to be written by Aeschylus. When he attempts to stage the play and pass it off as his own, mysterious threats start appearing and he is forced to confront his dishonesty.
4. Rogue Roman Judge
Write a historical fiction story about a judge in Ancient Rome who is adamantly opposed to some of Justinian’s editions to the legal code. Show what he does to fight back against the newly added laws without sacrificing his status.
5. Conversion Challenges
You are a prominent Roman senator during the reign of Constantine who converts to Christianity shortly after the emperor legalizes the religion in 313 AD. How do your pagan peers react, what personal sacrifices do you have to make, and how does your new faith impact your political career and your daily life?
6. Architectural Schemes
Write about an architect hired to design the new imperial residence in the city of Byzantium who has a personal vendetta against the Emperor Constantine whom he blames for seizing his family’s land and killing his father.
7. Saving Scriptures
In 303 AD, the Emperor Diocletian ordered the destruction of Nicomedia’s newly built church and had its scriptures burnt and its precious stones seized. He issued his “First Edict Against the Christians” the next day commanding similar actions at churches across Europe. Write about these events from the dual perspectives of a Nicomedian priest and a novice scribe tasked with hiding some of the scriptures.
8. Surviving Servant
You are a servant who lived and worked in Pompeii when Mount Vesuvius erupted. Your household is out at a party the evening the eruption begins. A townsperson comes to the house and warns you and the other servants to evacuate. You grab some of your master’s precious belongings, hoping to save them for him, and run. When the dust settles, you learn that your master and his family almost certainly perished. Write about the new life you begin in nearby Naples.
9. Mistress of Her Own Destiny
Write about a Greek noblewoman who receives an ominous prophecy from the Oracle of Delphi and embarks on a mission to ensure the priestess’ predictions don’t come to pass.
10. Forbidden Love
Write a story about a young woman whose family has converted to Christianity and forbids her from marrying the man she loves: an ardent pagan. In a society where fathers have complete authority over daughters, will her fear and loyalty hold her back or will she recklessly pursue love at any cost?
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Outside of the Roman Empire, exciting developments were happening in many other parts of the ancient world. Wars fought, empires rising and falling, civilizations developing and disappearing—the ancient world was overflowing with tumult and change. The constant instability likely made it a hard time to live through but modern-day writers have a buffet of dramatic events and settings in which to establish their fictional characters.
From the discoveries of lost civilizations to assassination plots, from the spread of religion to the development of enduring trade routes, the world was bubbling with conflict and tension, just like you want your story to be.
11. Journey to Ancient Egypt
Write a time-travel story in which two best friends go to Ancient Egypt and become apprentices to an architect with plans to assassinate the Pharaoh.
12. Sumerian Scribes
Write a journal entry from the perspective of a historian who has just discovered and translated the earliest written Sumerian texts from Mesopotamia and has been told by her superiors to falsify information about the contents.
13. The Rogue Druid
Celtic Druids were religious leaders who intentionally left no written accounts of their doctrines of practices. Write an epistolary story between a rogue druid who secretly refuses to follow this tradition and a scholar seeking to create and preserve documentation on their way of life, which included human sacrifices.
14. The Mayan Pottery Competition
You are a Mayan potter preparing for the annual pottery festival, a huge event where all the best potters in the region are coming to show off their latest designs. There, the king will select the next royal potter to create all ceremonial vessels. Fortunately, your ceramics have an enchanted element that only those in your ancestral line have been able to infuse into their clay. Or so you thought.
15. Forging Secret Weapons
Write a historical fiction story about a blacksmith in Ancient Israel who creates a secret forge in the hills of Judea to supply weapons to Maccabean rebels.
16. Mmm, grubs!
Write a time-travel story about a chef from modern-day New York who, while competing in a national cooking competition, travels back in time to Ancient Japan and learns how to cook with an array of strange flora and fauna such as bark, acorns, crickets, and grub worms. Include a storyline about a secret family recipe that plays a role in the competition.
17. Intergenerational Advisor
Write about a character who enjoyed status and stability as a former advisor to Darius the Great, King of the Persian Empire, and who now watches mystified as the empire crumbles under the new leadership of Darius’ son Xerxes I.
18. A Spicy Story
Write a story about the shipwrecked Indian sailor who washed up on the shores of Egypt around 120 BC and who—perhaps tempted by the affections of a beautiful and alluring Egyptian woman—taught the Greek Egyptians how to access India, leading to the eventual birth of the spice trade that would shape India’s history for centuries to come. Though he couldn’t have known then all the ramifications of his actions, show how he might have gotten glimpses of what was to come during his lifetime. (Or go ahead and write an epic history on the topic à la Edward Rutherford! Your call!)
19. The Shaolin Monk
Write a story about a Shaolin monk whose temple and the village it inhabits come under attack from bandits and militants alike during the Northern Zhou dynasty. Show how he and his fellow monks employ their martial arts skills and quick wits to defend their temple and beliefs.
20. The Fisherman’s Discovery
You are a Mesopotamian fisherman who loses course during a storm. As the winds settle and you work to determine your location, you stumble upon the ruins of an ancient, submerged city. You become consumed with unraveling the secrets of this lost civilization and debate with yourself about whether to reveal or protect this hidden history.
While the term Middle Ages refers to the period of European history from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the beginning of the Renaissance, we have used it more generally in this article to incorporate countries outside of Europe, which do not necessarily have analogous titles for their time periods. More often known by their dynastic demarcations or their periods of greatest prosperity or innovation, countries like China, Japan, and Egypt were experiencing rapid developments in arts, sciences, religion, trade, architecture, and warfare. Each of these areas of advancement lends itself well to historical writing prompts.
This section focuses on events from the first 500 years of this period, 500-1000 AD.
21. The Hidden Laboratory
Amidst the codification of Roman laws under Justinian, a Byzantine alchemist discovers a hidden laboratory beneath the Church of St. Polyeuctus. Inside, he finds ancient scrolls containing forbidden alchemical knowledge that would allow him to create powerful biological weapons guaranteed to obliterate the empire’s enemies. Facing pressure from the Emperor to develop something potent, he grapples with the temptation to use this knowledge or to keep it hidden to prevent potential disasters.
22. The Linguist’s Dilemma
During the Golden Age of Islam, a translator in Baghdad’s House of Wisdom must reconcile several conflicting Hellenistic texts describing a major historical Greco-Roman event.
23. The Reluctant Viking
You are the youngest son of a farmer in medieval Scandinavia. After a devastatingly poor harvest, your father signs you and two of your older brothers up to join the viking expedition to Northumbria, hoping your service will cover your family’s debt to the chieftain. Write about your reluctance to participate in the Raid on Lindisfarne Monastery and how you risk your life to help as many monks escape as you can.
24. Brotherly Love
Write a story about two brothers who get separated during the division of Charlemagne’s Empire via the Treaty of Verdun. One is conscripted into the army of Middle Francia while the other joins that of East Francia. Explore their efforts to stay in touch and to protect each other from the attacks their militaries are plotting.
25. Sworn to Secrecy
An exiled king seeks refuge in a Benedictine monastery during the Carolingian dynasty. Once he’s safely settled there, he confides a dark secret to one of the monks. Sworn to confidentiality, the monk is torn between keeping the king’s secret and mitigating the looming threat the ramifications of the secret pose to the kingdom.
26. A Mother’s Quest
Write about a woman whose young adult daughter is captured by a Viking explorer and brought back to Sweden to be his wife. Show the lengths to which the mother goes to track down her beloved daughter and bring her home.
27. Stolen Artifacts
Write about a merchant from India who travels to Chang’an, China during the Tang Dynasty to purchase stones and precious jewelry, but quickly finds himself entangled in a complex web of con artists after discovering their plot to steal sacred artifacts and replace them with counterfeits.
28. An Awkward Family Christmas
Write a comedic story about the first family Christmas celebration in Louis the Pious’ castle after he announced to his sons how he wanted his kingdom split between them upon his death.
29. Preparing a Tomb
Write a story about a mortuary specialist in Ancient Maya tasked with preparing the tomb for King Pakal, whose burial inside a Palenque pyramid was reminiscent of King Tut’s. Examine the vast array of decisions he must make both before and after the king’s death, including the decision of whether or not to include human sacrifices.
30. Runaway Serf
You are a serf who runs away in an attempt to escape the feudal system and, in particular, your heartless lord. Write about your adventures and your desperate hope of surviving outside the system.
The high and late middle ages (1000-1500 AD) saw even greater periods of change than the preceding period. The crusades brought hundreds of years of war to the Holy Land, the Mongol and Ottoman Empires became dominant powers in their respective times, a series of plagues wiped out millions of people, explorers began leading expeditions all over the world, and universities came into existence, creating indomitable centers of learning such as Oxford (established in 1096).
If you want to write about the early days of the Renaissance, the last years of the Aztec Empire , or the drama of the French court , this may be the time period for you.
31. The Scholar’s Quest
During the Ming Dynasty, an astute young scholar is sent to document the construction of the Great Wall of China for the imperial archives. As she travels along the wall, she meets diverse characters, gathers their stories and secrets, and battles physical hardships and ethical dilemmas. As she digs deeper into the wall’s history, she discovers a significant family connection to it.
32. Detective Da Vinci
The husband of a charismatic noblewoman commissions Leonardo da Vinci to paint her portrait. A friendship blossoms between the two in the first few painting sessions. Then the noblewoman disappears and da Vinci’s workshop becomes the center of an investigation. Write a historical mystery from da Vinci’s perspective showing how he goes from being a suspect to a detective.
33. Warrior Pilgrims
You are a part of an elite group of Aztec warriors tasked with making a perilous pilgrimage to the distant Templo Mayor to secure divine favor before a major military campaign. Along the way, your group encounters supernatural challenges, enemy ambushes, and internal divisiveness. How do you make it through?
34. The Tea Master’s Son
Write an epistolary story set in feudal Japan about a tea master who writes letters to his estranged son—a Noh performer—in an attempt to reconcile with him and divulge a family secret that must be revealed through an official tea ceremony—one that the son refuses to attend.
35. The Unexpected Queen
Eleanor of Aquitaine was the eldest daughter and heir of William X, Duke of Aquitaine. Her mother passed away when she was six and when she was thirteen, her dying father entrusted her to King Louis VI of France, asking that the king find a suitable husband for her. Seeing an opportunity to expand his territory by acquiring the desirable Duchy of Aquitaine, he arranged for his seventeen-year-old son, Louis, to marry her. A week after the wedding, the king died, and the young couple became king and queen of France. Write about this period in Eleanor’s life from her perspective.
36. The Steal of the Knight
Write a romance story that takes place between a French knight and the daughter of his powerful lord who is—against her wishes—betrothed via an arranged marriage designed to further her father’s interests.
37. A Change of Plans
Write about a character who has just started a new life in London when the Black Death arrives in 1349.
38. Abettor-in-Waiting
You are a lady-in-waiting to a princess in Medieval Europe. Your mistress confides in you about her secret plot to run away and marry the son of a local craftsman and asks you to help set up her escape.
39. Caravan of Secrets
A salt merchant from Timbuktu preparing for a caravan journey across the Sahara invites a scholar to accompany him on the trip. Shortly into their travels, a mysterious woman claiming to be a healer insists on joining them. As the three travelers get to know each other, it becomes clear that each of them harbors secrets that, once revealed, could change their destinies.
40. From Dawn to Dusk with la Pucelle
Write about a day in the life of Joan of Arc.
The 1500s were a transformative century marked by significant upheaval and innovation. This era witnessed dramatic shifts in political power, cultural expression, and religious thought. The early 16th century saw the rise of Gustav Vasa as king of Sweden, a pivotal event that reshaped the religious and political landscape of Northern Europe. The advent of the printing press revolutionized the dissemination of knowledge, fueling both the spread of Martin Luther’s Reformation movement and the challenge to entrenched religious and political authorities.
Simultaneously, the Spanish Inquisition continued its relentless pursuit of religious uniformity, while the Eighty Years’ War reflected the intense struggles for independence and sovereignty in the Low Countries. Shakespeare’s theatrical masterpieces began to captivate audiences, reflecting the vibrant cultural shifts of the period. Meanwhile, the Livonian War exposed the region’s vulnerability to external and internal conflicts and resulted in a shift in regional power across Northern Europe.
This rich tapestry of historical change provides a wealth of dramatic potential for storytelling. Whether exploring the impact of technological innovation on society, the conflicts arising from religious reform, or the personal dramas unfolding against the backdrop of political upheaval, the 1500s offer a compelling setting for historical fiction.
41. The Danger of Healing
In a remote village near Canterbury, a wise-woman, skilled at the ancient art of healing with herbal remedies, faces persecution from new Christian authorities who accuse her of witchcraft. She must find a way to protect her knowledge and the people who depend on her.
42. A Rude Awakening
Write about a day in the life of a noblewoman in Sweden who has experienced a significant decrease in her status and power after the election of Gustav Vasa as king.
43. Ahead of His Time
Sent to Venice to study architecture, a young architect from the Ottoman Empire returns to Istanbul with a printing press hidden among his belongings. He dreams of a future where architectural plans can be easily replicated and shared, but is disappointed to learn that his friends and colleagues don’t share his vision. He develops a plan to persuade the conservative members of the court and religious leaders that the press is an asset, not a threat, while avoiding accusations of heresy.
44. Whispers of Change
Write a story in which a courtier in Florence’s Medici Court stumbles upon one of Martin Luther’s pamphlets while handling some of the Medici family’s correspondence. When the court gathers for the unveiling of Michelangelo’s latest masterpiece, she approaches a friend to secretly discuss Luther’s ideas. Her confession is overheard by a power-hungry colleague who threatens to reveal her ‘hidden allegiance’ to the Medici family if she doesn’t agree to falsify some of their papers.
45. The Original Carny
Write about an entrepreneurial young man who, noticing the large crowds flocking to the natural spring in Dyrehaven, Denmark, attempts a series of pop-up businesses on the site that would come to be known as Bakken, Denmark’s oldest amusement park.
46. A Community Divided
Write about a close-knit mir (self-governing community) in Russia under the rule of Ivan the Terrible that is thrown into turmoil when the majority of its male members are conscripted to fight in the Livonian War.
47. Singer Under Siege
You are a singer in the choir of Seville Cathedral during the Spanish Inquisition (a three-century long effort by Spanish catholics to prosecute and punish Christian converts who held views seen as heretical). You come under the scrutiny of the authorities when an unnamed informant reports you for incorporating an ancient Jewish motif in one of your compositions.
48. The Dutch Coffee Klatch
Set your story in an Amsterdam coffeehouse in the mid-1560s, just before the start of the Dutch Revolt. Create a coffee klatch of diverse characters including merchants, scholars, artists, philosophers, and teachers who gather regularly to discuss life and current events as the tensions between political and religious factions escalates in the lead-up to the Eighty Years’ War.
49. Hebrides Homicide
On the Isle of Skye, a young Clan MacLeod warrior discovers his cousin’s murdered body on the eve of a crucial alliance with a neighboring clan. He must solve the mystery of the murder to preserve the alliance and avoid a retaliatory attack while navigating his family’s complex loyalties.
50. The Plagiarized Playwright
You are a professor at Cambridge University who is starting to build a reputation for playwriting. You receive a letter offering patronage for the development of a new play from an inscrutable source. As the demands for changes to your work mount, you begin to suspect that your mysterious patron—who claims to have ties to Shakespeare—is planning to pass the work off as his own.
The 1600s saw a rise of new cultural, political, and economic dynamics that left a lasting impact on the world. Plagues and fires ravaged several prominent European cities including London, La Rochelle, Groningen, Seville, Vienna, and Marseille. These events wreaked devastating damage and prompted major overhauls to architecture and health care that have prevailed over the past few hundred years including improved building codes, better firefighting practices, new urban planning and infrastructure policies, and the establishment of public health institutions.
Across the Atlantic, major developments were taking place in the ‘New World’. The shipwrecking and rebuilding of the Sea Venture, a supply ship destined for Jamestown, highlighted the struggles and resilience of America’s first settlers, while Britain’s capture of New Amsterdam dramatically shifted the balance of colonial power. The Salem Witch Trials ignited a wave of hysteria and fear that necessitated legal and judicial reforms in colonial America.
The dramatic events of the 17th century provide a rich tapestry of trials and triumphs that provide fertile ground for storytelling.
51. A New Chapter
Set your story in Madrid, where a former soldier gets a new lease on life as an apprentice in the workshop of Juan de la Cuesta, the printer responsible for printing the first edition of Don Quixote . Show how he heals and grows through the process of reading and typesetting the manuscript and explore his interpersonal relationships with others in the workshop, including la Cuesta, who abandoned his pregnant wife shortly after Part 1 of the novel was published.
52. Saving Scotland
You are a physician in 17th century Scotland. When the news of the latest plague epidemic in England reaches you, you are the first person to propose restrictions on trade from two of your country’s biggest trading partners—England and the Netherlands—to prohibit the outbreak from entering Scotland. Though you are at first ridiculed, the Privy Council eventually accepts your recommendations, which successfully saves your nation from another devastating epidemic.
53. Shipwrecked Sculptor
Write a story about a sculptor from England who joins the doomed Sea Venture voyage to Jamestown in 1609 pretending to be a mason after running into some trouble with the law in London.
54. A Poor Investment
Write about a young heiress who disregards the pleas of her advisors and invests most of her fortune in tulip bulbs at the height of Tulip Mania.
55. Not Going Dutch
Write about the capture of New Amsterdam by the British in 1664 from the perspective of a Dutch philosopher living in the city.
56 . Embers of Fate
Set your story in London on the eve of the Great Fire in 1666. Build your plot around several main characters—a baker, a lawyer, and a new immigrant, say—who all have precarious situations before the fire starts and whose paths become intertwined in the aftermath of the inferno’s destruction.
57. Sails of Solitude
Write an epistolary story centered around a Portuguese banker who finds himself on board a ship to New France from La Rochelle in search of his missing sister.
58. The Measure of Kings
Write about a royal tailor who serves Queen Elizabeth I until her death and has to find his new place in the court of her successor, King James I, who has decidedly different ideas about fashion.
59. First Light at the Cape
From the mid-1500s, the Huguenots of France sought freedom from persecution by fleeing to other countries around the world including Brazil, South Africa, and the United States. Write about Maria de la Quellerie, the first Huguenot to arrive on the Cape of Good Hope, landing in 1652 and establishing the settlement of what is now known as Cape Town.
60. The Ties That Burn
Write a story about a young woman who, in a jealous rage, accuses her best friend of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials and, though she quickly regrets it and tries to undo her actions, sets off a chain of events beyond her control.
In an increasingly globalized world hungry for power, wealth, land, and rights, the 18th century witnessed drama that fiction writers could scarcely dream up. From the displacement of the Acadians to the Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary War, the Americas were fraught with protests, hostility, and bloodshed. But the New World was far from the only region in turmoil.
Across the Atlantic, Europe was experiencing its own seismic shifts. The Age of Enlightenment was well under way and the rise of philosophers such as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Kant shifted collective conceptions of liberty, equality, and democracy. Revolutionary movements—most notably, the French Revolution—cropped up across the continent as nations began to demand greater independence as well as sovereignty.
Meanwhile, the transatlantic slave trade expanded during this period, leaving devastating impacts on West African societies and economies in its wake, while bolstering agricultural production in North America. These interconnected events marked a time of profound change and set the stage for the global transformations that would follow in the ensuing centuries. Not only that, but they provide ample opportunities for writers to infuse their stories with rich historical details.
61. A Noble Refuge
Set your story on a rural estate in the Scottish Highlands where a widowed noblewoman fights to protect her family’s estate from seizure by the Crown while secretly harboring a wounded rebel in her cellar.
62. Chill of Inquiry
The Little Ice Age was a period running from the 16th to mid-19th centuries (though some suggest it began earlier than this) in which a cooler climate in the North Atlantic region impacted weather patterns, agriculture, and living conditions. Write about a natural philosopher in the mid-18th century living in either Scandinavia or The Alps who observes and records these changes over a long period of time and speculates on broader climatic shifts. Have him submit letters and/or papers to organizations such as the Royal Danish Society of Sciences and Letters, The Swedish Academy of Sciences, or the Academy of Sciences Leopoldina trying to convince others of the significance of his findings and struggling with the mounting skepticism and pushback he faces.
63. The Shattered City Develop a story about several characters living in Lisbon, Portugal on November 1, 1755, when the Lisbon earthquake—one of the most devastating natural disasters in recorded history—struck, laying waste to the city, one of the most important trading hubs in Europe. Using multiple viewpoints (and potentially timelines), show the terror of the citizens as the city’s architectural grandeur is destroyed not only by the quake but by aftershocks, fires, and a tsunami. Explore the aftermath, where the city deals with the crushing loss of 30,000-40,000 people and faces the monumental task of rebuilding in a more sustainable way.
64. Echoes of a Vanished Land
Between 1755 and 1764, the Acadians living in Canada’s maritime provinces and in some parts of Maine, were forcibly removed from their lands by British troops and were sent to the Thirteen Colonies and later to either Britain or France in what is known as The Great Upheaval. Write about an Acadian family from Grande-Pré, Nova Scotia who gets separated during the forced displacement. Show their various journeys and their fight to maintain their cultural traditions, locate each other, and survive in their new environments.
65. The Hidden Eye
Write a story about a British loyalist living in Boston who secretly witnesses the Boston Tea Party from his window on the night of December, 16, 1773. Torn between his loyalty to the Crown and the personal relationships he’s developed with some of the rebels, he must decide whether to report them to the authorities or protect their identities and risk either being seen as a sympathizer by the other loyalists or being at the mercy of the swelling rebel movement.
66. Tides of Diplomacy
Write about one or more Native American nations (e.g. those constituting the Iroquois Confederacy—Mohawk, Oneida, Ogondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, or Tuscarora) that get caught between the British and American forces during the Revolutionary War. How do they navigate these alliances? How might they negotiate treaties to avoid getting into direct conflict with either side? What interests of their own must they seek to protect? Would some of their people get pulled into the war?
67. The Botanist’s Frontier
Set your story in 18th century Queensland, Ontario during the seven weeks that Captain Cook’s crew spent there while their boat received repairs. Your main character is a British botanist who becomes increasingly obsessed with cataloging the region’s unique plants and animals. As his commitment deepens, he takes greater risks, such as venturing into dangerous and unchartered territories seeking rare specimens.
68. The City of Dreams
Write a multi-generational family saga that spans the nearly 250 years since the city of Los Angeles was founded by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve in 1781. For each important era in the city’s history, choose new descendants of the original characters to carry on the narrative. Key eras could include: The founding era, focused on settlement, indigenous conflicts and early governance; the early 19th century, focused on land grants and expansion, cultural integration, and economic challenges; the Mexican era, focusing on the transition from Spanish to Mexican rule and the associated rebellions and reforms as well as the Mexican-American war; the American period, focusing on California’s statehood and the economic boom instigated by the gold rush; the late 19th century, focusing on urbanization and social reforms; the early 20th century, focusing on industrialization, the Great Depression and the wars; the mid to late 20th century, focusing on the impacts of the Civil Rights Movement; and the 21st century, focusing on modern challenges and advancements such as technology, globalism, and current social issues.
69. Fighting for the Forgotten
It’s 1789 and the US congressional debates surrounding the proposed Bill of Rights are heating up. Follow the stories of Annabelle, a passionate female abolitionist from Philadelphia, and Tamsen, a respected Indigenous leader of the Cherokee Nation (located in the southeastern United States, perhaps in the area of present-day Tennessee or North Carolina), as they advocate for legal protections for enslaved people and women and indigenous inclusion, respectively.
70. Quarantine
During Philadelphia’s yellow fever epidemic of 1793—one of the most severe epidemics in United States history—a quarantine zone is established to contain the outbreak. Write a story that follows the lives of a dedicated young doctor who has just arrived to assist, a seasoned nurse struggling to maintain hope, and a government official tasked with enforcing quarantine measures. As the disease spreads rapidly within the confined area, explore how they cope with inadequate medical supplies, logistical challenges, and ethical dilemmas.
The escalating patterns of change and conflict seen in the past two hundred years did not calm down in the 19th century. Following the French Revolution, which lasted until 1799, the world continued in a state of unrest marked by several other revolutionary movements in places such as Poland, Latin America, Greece, Belgium, and India. These uprisings reflected the increasing hunger for national self-determination that led to major changes within the global geopolitical landscape.
While much of the world struggled for sovereignty, the lower class in England struggled to survive the harsh living conditions brought about by rapid industrialization and urbanization in the Victorian era. Overcrowding, poor sanitation, lack of social services and adequate housing, and grueling labor conditions created a bleak outlook for the millions of citizens who were living in poverty until social reforms gradually improved their circumstances.
Fortunately, there was also hope to be found alongside the tumult. Remarkable advances in science, technology, and culture transformed economies and societies with the introduction of life-altering innovations like the steam engine, railways, and telegraph. The art and literary worlds also flourished and delivered us such gifts as Romantic poetry; authors such as Dickens, the Brontë sisters, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning; artists such as Monet, Van Gogh, Degas; and composers such as Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Schubert.
With this plethora of challenges and innovations to contend with, there is no shortage of historical fiction avenues to explore in the 1800s.
71. Beneath the Imperial Shadow
As part of the Treaty of Pressburg, signed in 1805, Austria ceded significant territories to France and its allies, contributing to the eventual dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. Set your story in Vienna in early 1806 and follow a young aristocrat who finds himself struggling to preserve his family’s wealth and status amidst the rapidly shifting political environment. Show how he contends with complex alliances, shifting loyalties, and internal family tensions as he strives to carve out a place for himself in the new world order.
72. Behind the Grim Gates
Write about a marginalized young woman in Victorian England who is sent to a workhouse under the newly amended Poor Law after being wrongfully accused of theft. Confronting brutal conditions, she befriends a fellow pauper with insider knowledge of the workhouse’s hidden abuses. As her health deteriorates, she must race against time to uncover the truth and save herself and others before the overseers can suppress their revelations.
73. Sakura and the Western Tide
After the 1854 Convention of Kanagawa, which ended Japan’s policy of sakoku (national isolation), Japan became an engaged member of the global community. Write a story that follows a traditional Japanese family as they encounter the influences of the western world for the first time—from customs and technologies to foreigners walking their streets. Show how they navigate the threats to their traditional ways of living and the new opportunities ushered in by the boom in international trade and the local economy.
74. Pony Express Under Siege
In 1860, a daring 17-year-old Pony Express rider navigates the mountain ranges and deserts of the American West, delivering vital dispatches between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California while contending with outlaws and Native American tribes who view the settlers’ new communication system as a threat to their lands and way of life. While making his journey, he discovers a conspiracy to sabotage the Pony Express and undermine the government by disrupting its ability to communicate with the western territories.
75. Bridges Over Ruins
Write a dual perspective narrative set in America’s south in the Reconstruction era following the American Civil War (1865-1877). Follow the stories of a former Confederate soldier and a freed slave as they each confront the challenges of Reconstruction and work to rebuild their lives in a South transformed by the abolition of slavery.
76. The Panic Years
Your father is the owner of a small, family-owned bank in Chicago when the Panic of 1873 strikes. When Jay Cooke & Company, a major investment bank heavily involved in financing the Union, collapses, it sets off a chain reaction that pushes many other banks out of business, including your family’s. Write a first person story where you try to help your father mitigate the devastating impact on the community while reviving the shuttered business through new practices and policies.
77. Sugar Plum Fairy
It’s 1892 and an 18-year old ballerina in St. Petersburg dreams of performing in the premiere of Tchaikovsky’s new Nutcracker Suite. Unfortunately, she must deal with the demands of rigorous training and auditions, conniving competitors, financial constraints, and a family crisis as she strives to make her mark in the world of ballet.
78. Veiled Unity
Write a historical romance set in 1860s London featuring a prominent society woman and a radical political activist. Though they come from different backgrounds, they are drawn together by a shared vision of social reform. As the hidden affair progresses, their relationship threatens to expose them to public scandal, risking her reputation and his political aspirations.
79. Finding Her Voice
In 1893, New Zealand became the first self-governing country in the world to grant women the right to vote. Write a story about a fictional young woman from rural New Zealand who becomes a major voice in the suffrage movement.
80. Scandal at the Olympics
In 1896, the Olympic Games resumed in Athens, Greece after a 1500-year hiatus. Write a story set at these first modern Olympics. Through the eyes of a journalist, Olympic organizer Pierre de Coubertin, and a competing athlete, show the mounting excitement and pressures surrounding the Games. As the competition heats up, a scandal emerges when allegations of cheating threaten the Games’ integrity.
Lest we mistakenly think life got less interesting with the advancements of technologies and social reforms, let us remind you of some of the key events of the 20th century. Though industrialization had mostly been fully realized by the dawn of the 1900s, there were many advances still to come. Cars became mainstream means of transportation, the Wright brothers successfully powered the first flight, and electricity was widely adopted.
A series of wars including the two World Wars, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War led to new global power dynamics and dramatically altered life for people around the world. There were also major cultural developments including the advent of Talkies, the worldwide fever of Beatlemania, and the introduction of toys such as Barbie. The countercultural movement that brought with it anti-war protests, psychedelic culture, and a wave of environmentalism inspired additional long-term changes in global societal norms.
The outcries and revolutions that marked the previous centuries began to take hold in the forms of decolonization for many African nations, the Civil Rights Movement and desegregation efforts in the United States, and the gradual granting of franchise to women around the world, all of which reshaped social, political, and cultural landscapes.
Aspiring historical fiction writers would do well to set their novels or short stories against the backdrop of any of these major historical events.
81. When Words Fail
During the mid-to-late years of World War I, an army chaplain is stationed at a makeshift military hospital near the frontlines in France. Part of his job is to record the final messages of soldiers who are dying or who are about to undertake particularly dangerous missions and preserve them to be sent to the soldiers’ families in the event of their deaths. As the hospital prepares for a pending enemy attack, rumors swirl about a spy who’s gained key insider information. Tensions heat up as the staff become suspicious of each other and soldiers start trying to relay information he doesn’t feel comfortable transcribing.
82. The Silenced Actress When a silent film actress attends the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929, she discovers that her groundbreaking film, which deals with controversial social issues, has not only been banned but erased from public memory. She schemes to find a way to have the film shown but then discovers that the original film reel has disappeared. As powerful Hollywood figures try to silence her, she must decide whether to fight for her legacy or accept a forced retreat into obscurity.
83. The Victory Garden
Set your story in war-torn London at the height of World War II. Write about a younger widow who has cultivated a victory garden in her backyard. When new neighbors move into the bombed-out house next door, her suspicions are aroused by their odd hours, whispered conversations, and mysterious visitors. Though she initially tries to dismiss their concerns, she can no longer ignore them when a local resistance group—one her late husband was secretly involved with—approaches her and asks her to keep an eye on the family.
84. Letters from Kilmainham
In the days following the failed Easter Rising of 1916, a captured rebellion leader sits in his cell in Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin awaiting his execution. Write a dual perspective narrative—one as a letter from the prisoner to his fiancee and the other a recounting of the events leading up to his arrest from her point of view. Explore the brutal realities of the uprising and their hopes for the future of Ireland.
85. The Bootlegger’s Wife
Write a story from the perspective of the wife of one of Chicago’s most notorious bootleggers in 1928—the peak of the USA’s Prohibition era. Alone in their mansion on the outskirts of the city, she spends a hot summer night in fear of a rumored police raid. As her anxiety grows, she reflects on the luxurious lifestyle they’ve cultivated and how—though she once longer for it—it has now become a trap. Her children pester her with questions about their father’s activities and as the threat of a raid looms closer, she is torn between waiting for him to return and fleeing to safety with her children.
86. The WPA Muralist
During the Great Depression, a struggling artist in small town-USA receives a commission from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to paint a mural in the local post office. Write a series of letters between the artist and his friend living in a larger city, in which he reflects on the community’s hardships and hopes, his own insecurity and financial strain, and the emotional weight of the project and she, in turn, offers support, encouragement, and reflections on the broader significance of his work.
87. The Filmmaker’s Dilemma
You are the official filmmaker capturing the first successful ascent of Mount Everest in 1953. After the ascent takes place and you’ve returned to base camp, you are pressured by media and expedition organizers to create a dramatic, staged sequence of shots of the summit for promotional purposes. Though you want your work to garner worldwide attention, you struggle with the ethical dilemma of preserving the authenticity of the story versus complying with the demands for personal and collective gain.
88. Voices in the Hallway
It’s autumn 1964 and you are a white teacher at Lincoln High School, one of the first schools in the Deep South to desegregate. Tell the story of your experience through a series of letters to a fellow teacher who works in another state. Reflect on the challenges you face and specific incidents that highlight the tensions running rampant in and outside of the school.
89. Plastic Dreams
Write a story about a feminist who, in 1959, writes an op-ed for the local newspaper criticizing the newly released Barbie doll. In her piece, she argues that the toymaker’s emphasis on physical beauty and fashion perpetuates narrow social expectations for girls, potentially threatening their self-esteem and limiting their ambitions. When her critique draws opposition from powerful local figures and advertisers who view the doll as a symbol of American prosperity and innovation, she sets out to create her own products for girls that challenge them to dream bigger dreams for themselves.
90. Ripples of Independence
In 1960, after years of living abroad, you return to your homeland in Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Congo, or Senegal would work well) just as it gains independence from colonial rule. Though celebrations abound when you arrive home, you quickly realize that the transition to self-governance gives much cause for concern. As various political factions vie for control of the new government, economic uncertainty and social unrest escalate. Before you know it, you are inadvertently drawn into a political scandal involving corruption and power struggles that threaten the stability of your newly independent country.
91. Unraveled Bonds
San Francisco, 1968. A close-knit family is torn apart when their two sons venture down opposing paths. The older enlists in the military and prepares to ship out to Vietnam while his younger brother becomes a vocal anti-war activist, participating in protests and rallies. As the young soldier participates in intense training and begins to witness the horrors of the war, his brother’s activism becomes increasingly radical, tearing apart the whole family.
92. Fields of Defiance
The Great Leap Forward was a social economic campaign instigated by the Chinese Community Party from 1958 to 1962, the goal of which was to rapidly transform China from agrarian society into a socialist one through policies such as forced collectivization of agriculture and the establishment of large communal farms. Set against this backdrop, write a story about a village leader who is coerced to enforce agricultural policies that will lead to famine and death among his people. As food becomes scarce, he organizes a secret plan to stockpile secret grain, sabotage harvest quotas, and redistribute food to those in greatest need.
93. Chasing the Beat
It’s 1964 and Beatlemania is making waves across the globe. Write about a teenage girl from the midwest whose obsession with the band is completely at odds with her conservative veteran father’s values. She dreams of seeing them perform live in Chicago, but he, disapproving of the band’s influence and worried about the threat they pose to traditional values, forbids her from attending. When she enacts a plan to secretly disobey him and make her way to the show, she sets off a chain of events that jeopardize her safety as well as her relationship with her family.
94. The Cost of Conviction
In the summer of 1963, a young man is reluctantly dragged to the March on Washington by his girlfriend, an ardent civil rights activist. Though he initially views the March with skepticism, as they arrive at the Lincoln Memorial, he is overwhelmed by the scale of the event and the passion of the speakers. The atmosphere is electric with hope, anger, and a profound sense of purpose. Write about how his resistance begins to waver until he is forced to make a choice about what he believes in and the actions this decision will lead him to make.
95. First Lady’s Under Fire
Write a fictionalized account of Jackie Kennedy’s life in the intermediate aftermath of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963. Dig deep into the private turmoil she faces as she grapples with the loss of her husband. Shrouded in the solitude of the White House, she must confront her agonizing grief and anger while trying to maintain a facade of composure under the media’s scrutiny. As she battles this emotional minefield, she decides to undertake a personal investigation to uncover the truth of her husband’s murder.
96. Aftershock
Write a speculative fiction story set in the wake of the Great Alaska earthquake of 1964 in which a geologist stationed near Anchorage uncovers disturbing evidence that suggests the earthquake was not solely a natural disaster. As he digs deeper, he learns that secret government experiments, masked as Cold War research, may have inadvertently triggered the quake.
97. The Bitter Divide
In the summer of 1964, a small Southern town is upended by the enforcement of the Civil Rights Act, which mandates the desegregation of public spaces such as libraries, transit, parks, and pools. The once close-knit town becomes a battleground of racial tensions. In the face of this unrest, a local pastor finds himself alone at the center of the storm and is forced to make excruciating choices as he desperately tries to set an example of upholding principles of justice and equality while preserving the fragile peace of his congregation.
98. The Summer of Love
A World War II vet, now in his forties, finds himself drawn to San Francisco during the vibrant Summer of Love in 1967 as he tries to outrun the ghosts of his past. He finds more than he bargains for as he immerses himself in the movement. Not only do an idealistic pack of teens adopt him as their reluctant mentor, he also finds himself in a complicated relationship with a passionate activist.
99. Code of Betrayal
Write about a brilliant young mathematician stationed in a top-secret codebreaking facility in London during World War II. As she deciphers increasingly complex enemy codes, she discovers clues that lead her to believe someone within her organization is leaking information to the Nazis. When it becomes clear that the traitor is not just a fellow codebreaker but her own fiancé, she must figure out how to stop him without compromising herself or the Allies’ mission.
100. The Standoff
In the winter of 1944, two gravely injured soldiers—one German and one British—find themselves trapped together in a muddy Normandy trench following a deadly battle. Unable to move or fight, they are forced to wait together for either rescue or death. Divided by language and beliefs, they are initially hostile, but as the hours pass with no relief in sight, they are forced to cooperate to increase their chances of survival.
Time to Get Writing
Now that you have read through these 100 historical fiction writing prompts, it is time to get writing. Which prompt stood out to you the most? How can you shape it and make it your own? Let us know in the comments so we can cheer you on as you tackle your next amazing story!
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Writing Tips Oasis - A website dedicated to helping writers to write and publish books.
21 Original Historical Fiction Writing Prompts
By Brittany Kuhn
Do you want to write a historical fiction novel but don’t have a concrete idea yet? If so, you’ll love this article.
The following 21 original historical fiction writing prompts will provide you with inspiration!
General Historical Fiction
1. discovered letters from the american civil war battlefield..
This is a great idea for an epistolary story made up of letters from a soldier to a family member back home. Choose which side they are defending and how they came to be fighting in the war. Explore their feelings about the war and their impressions of slavery and the South. This story has the potential to be hard-hitting, both in narrative and social commentary.
2. A Chinese immigrant leaves everything for a better life in the US.
During the Gold Rush of the 1840s and 1850s, many Chinese immigrants moved to the US in hopes of making their fortune. Write the story of one such immigrant: their impressions of leaving their home country, sailing the Pacific, landing in the US and, most likely, ending up working on the railroad.
3. A devout Protestant attempts to elude the Spanish Inquisition.
After leaving Germany for Spain in search of new economic means, a devout Protestant is discovered by members of the Spanish Inquisition. Write a story about their attempts to thwart the Inquisitors and whether they get away.
4. A widow finds her way in the Wild West.
A woman discovers her husband has died. Instead of reporting him dead and having her land taken, she buries him in the desert and carries on. Write the story of her trials and tribulations against the local miscreants and Indigenous people living around her.
5. The Viking’s discovery of North America as described by a Viking on Leif Erikson’s ship.
The Viking Leif Erikson and 35 other men purportedly discovered Newfoundland around 1000 AD, after returning to Greenland with grapes and wood. What was that journey like? What or who did they find when they landed in Newfoundland?
Historical Crime Fiction
6. al capone wasn’t the only mobster in chicago..
While Al Capone’s mob was the most notorious in Chicago, there were a few other groups operating behind the scenes. Write a story from the perspective of a competing mobster who is fighting both Capone and the FBI to own a piece of the Chicago criminal underground.
7. A serial criminal attacks Victorian England unchecked.
Jack the Ripper might have been notorious for his serial murders in London but other English cities had their fair share of crime, too. Choose another big city like Liverpool or Birmingham and write a story about a lesser-known or fictional serial burglar or murderer operating in that city at the same time as the Ripper (and getting away with it because of the Ripper’s international fame).
8. A Medieval European monarch has fallen ill and all signs point to conspiracy.
Choose a European monarch who died under mysterious circumstances and imagine a conspiracy led to their death. Assemble a list of potential suspects and explore the likelihood of who committed the murder and how.
9. Who murdered William Desmond Taylor in the 1920s.
Still a cold case, the famous silent film director William Desmond Taylor was shot and killed in 1922, sparking a long list of Hollywood scandals and deaths. Take the position of a detective investigating the case and try to discover who the murderer was and how.
10. The first case taken on by the world’s first detective agency in Paris, 1833.
Write the story of one of the eleven detectives in Vidocq’s Le bureau des renseignements in 1833. What was the first case the detective took on and how did he solve it?
Alternate Historical Fiction
11. if george washington hadn’t sailed across the delaware river….
It is a common rumor that, the night before the Battle of Trenton, the British General stationed there had received a note warning him of Washington’s plans. As he was playing poker at the time, he put the note in his pocket and forgot about it. What would have happened if he’d read the note? Would the course of the American Revolution have changed if the British had been ready for the Continental army?
12. What if Mozart was never discovered?
Explore what other composers were operating at the time of Mozart and who might have been most likely to step in his shoes. How might Beethoven’s music have changed if Mozart had not been around?
13. The Mandela Effect: What if Nelson Mandela really had died in prison?
Since so many people believe Mandela died while in prison, imagine if it were true. What would South Africa had been like in the years immediately following without him?
14. Could the Pearl Harbor attack have been prevented?
Conspiracy theorists argue that the US government had at least a week’s forewarning about the Pearl Harbor attack and did nothing. Write a story about that being true and what might have happened if the attack was prevented or had its impact diminished drastically.
15. Archduke Ferdinand was replaced with a decoy and survived.
Instead of Archduke Ferdinand being assassinated, an unknown look-alike cousin was killed instead. What events would have had to take place for the Great War to still take place? Or would it have been prevented altogether?
Historical Romance Fiction
16. a princess falls in love with a serf in medieval germany..
A classic tale of upper-class and lower-class romance: a princess finds herself outside of the castle and among the peasants working the land. She meets and falls in love with a serf who saves her from falling to her death. The story is about them trying to make their love work in a time when they shouldn’t even know the other exists.
17. Love blossoms during the building of the Empire State Building.
During the building of the Empire State Building, a worker’s daughter joins him on site and falls in love with another worker. The story is of their blossoming love in and around the building of the world’s tallest building and the dangers the workers experienced throughout.
18. As the volcano of Pompeii rumbles in the distance, a love builds.
One of the most beautiful photos of the ruins of Pompeii includes a cuddling couple, mummified forever by volcanic lava. Write the story of that couple: how they met, fell in love, and ultimately decide to die in each other’s arms as the volcanic ash and lava rained down upon them.
19. After losing it all in the Great Crash of 1929, one man finds love in the bread lines.
A stock broker who has lost it all finds himself roaming the bread lines of the Great Depression. He meets a person who is similarly down on their luck and an unconventional love is born amidst their poverty.
20. Competing princesses of the Aztec Empire fall in love.
A sapphic story of two Aztec princesses meeting and falling in love in a time when their tribes are fighting each other for dominance.
21. Can a modern person fall in love with a person from the past?
A fantasy historical romance story in which a modern person is transported to a past time period. They fall in love and must choose between returning to the present or remaining in the past.
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