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.