Historical Fiction Writing Prompts

You're a paramedic. In fact, an immortal paramedic. Since you first treated a wounded soldier on the fields of the 30-years War, you didn't age and followed the development of "Emergency Medical Service". Your coworkers are astonished by your knowledge, but sometimes, you slip into old habits..

According to US Navy tradition, submarines that have not been confirmed to be destroyed, are still on patrol. Since WWII, there have been 52 submarines that haven’t yet returned to port, yet to report in, nor have been confirmed to be destroyed. You are one of those, on the eternal patrol.

Your village idiot is full of the strangest superstitions. She goes on about washing one's hands, says you get worms in your intestines from standing barefoot on night soil and that medicines with mercury should be avoided at all costs. You're starting to suspect she might be onto something.

Your cranky history teacher has recently been revealed as immortal. The reason they are angry is because they have to teach according to the texts when they know what really happened. One class he has had enough and begins to answer people's questions about what truly happened in history.

There was a brief window in the 1800s where you could have an adventuring party made up of a samurai, an elderly pirate captain, a Zulu warrior, a cowboy, and a Victorian gentleman detective and have it be 100% historically correct. Write the story of this unlikely group of adventurers.

You are a time traveler in 1918, and you just accidentally said "World War One"

In World War II, an American battalion has an enlisted dog that serves as their mascot. Throughout the war, the dog has been "promoted" several times. However, after a devastating defeat, the soldiers suddenly find that the dog is the highest-ranking surviving officer.

It worked! You travelled back in time to Renaissance Age. Jokingly, you turn on your Wi-Fi, only to find a password protected network named "iɔniV ɒᗡ"

After several thousand years, the Greek gods awaken in the in the mid 1940’s. When the gods meet up to discuss what they had learned of the modern world, Ares walks into the room with a hollow and horrified look in his eyes, the day is August 6th, 1945.(Hiroshima)

You are an immortal poet, and every so often you have to change your penname and writing style just a bit to avoid suspicion. At a book signing, a fan brings up a book for your signature, but it's a piece you wrote 1400 years ago under a different name.

"I wish I was born in the 90s," says the young girl. Suddenly, her surroundings change- french flags fly above and around her, crowds are cheering. It is France, 1793. The king is dead. Long live the revolution.

An immortal, a man who cannot die. Unlike other immortals, he has never craved wealth, power, or influence. For this reason he has never been detected, neither by his brethren, nor human society. He has watched history pass from the position of a lowly beggar

As a noble your clothing was ruined by an orphan worker. As punishment you gave her the worst fate imaginable: chores around your mansion, plainest clothing, 3 meals a day, and schooling, which you abhorred.

After attempting to burn a witch who just flew off cackling, a town has to come to terms with the fact that it has clearly been accusing and burning innocent people up till now.

The dancing plague of 1518 returns and through social media the contagion spreads fast and globally. You're one of the few survivors in an apocalyptic wasteland, hiding from the dancing horde.

You drank a snake oil salesman's drink only for it to make you actually immortal in the old west now 300 years later you see that same salesman

You were born in the Medieval Age, but at 15, a time anomaly brought you to the modern era, where a scientist adopted you. Now, 11 years later, they’ve found a way to send you back and asked for your opinion, but your answer is clear: "Hell no."

An immortal person decides to start streaming themselves playing Geoguesser, and over time become extremely popular as they tell the history of the places that they guess.

Alice Liddell became famous after returning from her trip down the rabbit hole. Now an adult, she aids in the British Empire's colonisation of Wonderland.

You are the curator of a Museum of Military History. On display are artworks representing every great military leader. One day you watch an ancient, bent old man hobble in, and when you look back at the collection suddenly every portrait and statue appears to have raised its hand to salute him.

You are the king's court jester and you enjoy your job very much, but what not many people now is that you used to be a royal knight. One day a noble, offended by a joke you made, challenges you to a duel.

"You claim to be an honest merchant who used to sell tomatoes and other goods... But tomatoes will not be known here until a few centuries from now." Whispered the Knight to the speechless stranger. "I never let one of us escape me, fellow time-traveller... Guards! Arrest this sorcerer!"

You are an Orc soldier seeking to fight the greatest warriors of the different species. The first one you choose to face is a human warrior that has claimed many lives. You find him now running a vineyard. He refuses your challenge and says to you, "Vietnam was no glorious adventure"

Both Sherlock Holmes und Dracula are set around the 1890s. So, technically, it would be possible that Sherlock was hired to investigate the deaths caused by Dracula.

Your daughter has always been weird, but lately it's gotten worse. She keeps going on about not having a smartphone or bored because there's no internet. It's 1685 AD.

“Burn the witch! Burn the witch!” shouted the crowd, drowning out the distressed warnings of one person. “No, you fools! She can control the flames!”

A noble frustrated with the current system, but too weak to revolt, has staked it all on starting a new trend: showing off how wealthy, well-fed and happy their local peasants are.

You are subject to a quite unusual curse. You see, you were born twice, one day after the other, in two separate times and places. As such, you live half of your days as a noblewoman in pre-revolutionary 18th century France, and live every other day as a male millennial in the US.

"Who you think is the leader of this revolution?" Said the prince after his father suggested they both flee the castle as the revolutionaries invaded

Pirates discover a stowaway hiding in their ship's hold. The captain is unhappy that someone's been eating the crew's food without earning his or her keep.