339+ ‘Era’ Writing Prompts
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Sci-Fi Scribe
Adopt the persona of a science fiction writer from the future, looking back on our present time.
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Harlem Renaissance Lights
Bring to life a character deeply involved in the Harlem Renaissance, an intellectual, social, and artistic explosion centered in Harlem.
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Jazz Speakeasies and The Prohibition
Describe a night in a jazz speakeasy during the era of Prohibition.
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Historical Heroes
Imagine living in the same time as your favorite historical figure and how that would have shaped your life.
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The Evolving Art Styles
Pick two different art styles (e.g. Renaissance and Cubism) and compare how they portray a common theme (like love or nature).
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Living in A Different Era
Imagine living in a past era of your culture and describe your typical day.
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Bullies Beyond School
Craft a story centered around cyberbullying, detailing the mental strife it causes and possible ways to alleviate it.
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Colonial Kid’s Quest
Imagine you’re a child living in colonial America and are sent on a special mission.
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A Day in the Life of a Pioneer
Imagine you are a pioneer child and describe a typical day in your life.
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Unseen Casualty
Document a day in the life of a nurse or medic in a war hospital during the World War era.
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Home Away From Home
Imagine you’re an evacuated child in the World War era, living in a stranger’s home away from your parents. Describe your experiences.
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Heart-shaped Bay Leaves
Craft a story about the superstition of sleeping with bay leaves under your pillow on Valentine’s Day for dreams of future partners.
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Eve of the New Decade
Express your thoughts and feelings when the clock struck 12 on New Year’s Eve ushering a fresh decade.
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Time-Traveling Weekend
Write about a weekend where you find a time machine, and you decide to explore a different era.
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Beneath Cloaks and Daggers
Set in the Cold War era, you are a spy in the competing climate of the space race.
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The Suffragette’s Letter
Write a series of letters between a Victorian woman involved in the suffragette movement and her disapproving family.
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Into the Victorian Underworld
Create a story centred on the daily life of a character involved in the less glamorous, darker side of Victorian society.
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Mysteries of the Victorian Inventor
Craft an adventure story around a local inventor with a life-changing creation.
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Tales from the Workhouse
Write a narrative about a Victorian-era workhouse, basing your story on the lives of the inhabitants.
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A Diary of Victorian Youth
Write from the perspective of a young child in a Victorian family navigating the complexities of the era.
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Viral Love Confession
Imagine that you accidentally sent a snap meant for your best friend confessing your love to your crush and it goes viral.
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Era of Impact
Write about a major historical event taking place in your hometown, with you as an eye witness.
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Historic Encounter
Imagine a day in your life swapped with a day in the life of someone from another era. Detail the hurdles and highlights of this day.
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Forgery in The Cloud
Imagine a world where digital identity theft has run rampant, and your protagonist must track down a rogue hacker.
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Beneath the Ice
Narrate a story about an expedition team that uncovers an ancient civilization trapped under Antarctic ice.
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True Essence of Love
Describe what you think is the deeper meaning of Valentine’s day and the expression of love.
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Time Travel Daylight
Imagine waking up on the day of daylight saving time change and finding out you’ve traveled to a different era.
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Buried Civilizations
Imagine a civilization buried under the snow for thousands of years and detail its discovery.
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Feudal Undead
Write about a vampire kingdom set in a medieval era where allegiances and enmities are as old as time itself.
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Time Traveler’s Chronicles
You’ve invent a time machine and traveled to any era of your choosing. Write about your experiences.
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Time-Travel Tourist
You’ve invented a time machine and can travel to any period or location in history for a day. Write about what you see, do, learn, and experience.
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The Consequences of Singularity
Imagine the repercussions on society after scientists create sentient AI beings that demand equal rights as humans.
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The Time Machine Breakdown
You’re stuck in the past due to a time machine malfunction. Your only way back is to convince someone from that era to help you fix it.
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Wild, Wild West
Imagine being sent back to the era of Cowboys and Wild West. Create an exciting narrative involving wild cons, towering saloons, and cowboy adventures.
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Past Lives, Future Adventures
Write a story where you wake up 100 years in the past. How do you adjust to life without modern technology?
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The Melting Glacier
Describe the experience of early humans seeing a glacier melting for the first time.
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The Ice Age Inventor
You are an inventor in the Ice Age era. Describe an invention that would make survival easier for your tribe.
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Time-Travelling Explorer
Imagine if you had a time machine; what era or historical event would you like to witness? Write about your time-traveling adventure.
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Voices of the Departed
Imagine you’re a ghost from the Irish Potato Famine era, narrate your journey into America.
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New Age Renaissance
Describe a world where the use of advanced cyborg technology fuels a cultural renaissance.
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Renaissance Art Visionary
Imagine you are an unknown artist during the Renaissance and you create a masterpiece overlooked by everyone.
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Artifact from Another Era
Describe a day in the life of a character who stumbles upon an artifact from a bygone era.
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The Splendor of Constantinople
Write a narrative set in the grandeur of Constantinople during its peak in the Byzantine era.
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Christmas Time Machine
Imagine you have a time machine and you can spend the Christmas day at any point in history.
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Life in the Speakeasy
Detail a night in a secret speakeasy during the Prohibition Era from the perspective of a regular patron.
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After the Heist
Create a story where the protagonist belongs to a bootlegging gang during Prohibition, and has just successfully evaded law enforcement.
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Space Race Rivalry
Write about the experiences of a scientist working on either the American Apollo or the Soviet Sputnik programs.
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Defecting Dancers
Imagine you are a renowned ballet dancer in the USSR during the Cold War, struggling with the decision to defect to the West.
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Ghost Words
Construct an epistolary short story where letters from the past mysteriously appear in the present.
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Time Capsule Chronicles
Imagine you’re creating a time capsule to be opened in 100 years. List the objects you’d include with a detailed explanation of why.
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Essence of an Era
Choose a historical event or period you find engaging. Write a flash fiction piece that captures its essence within just a few hundred words.
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Historical Sandcastles
Announce a sandcastle-building competition amongst friends, family or strangers, make it historically accurate.
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The Apparition in the Attic
Imagine returning to your childhood home and being confronted by a terrifying apparition.
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The Lost Portrait
Imagine a painter in the Tudor era who is commissioned to create a portrait that eventually goes missing. Document the journey of this portrait.
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The Plague Nurse
Set during The Sweate, a mysterious and frightful illness of the Tudor era, write about a nurse who risks everything to help the afflicted.
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Time-Stranded Wilderness
Narrate a story about a modern individual who surprisingly wakes up in a prehistoric era.
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SteamPunk Sentinel
Visualize a superhero during the Victorian Era, exploring the intersections of advanced technology, society, and morality.
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Transcendentalist Titan
Create a superhero during the American Transcendentalist Era, whose powers reflect the philosophy of that time.
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Sherwood Forest’s Last Hope
Write about a medieval superhero living in Sherwood Forest, taking a page from the stories of Robin Hood.
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New Era Sidekick
Write a story about being a sidekick to a well-known superhero in today’s modern age.
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Caverns of Time
Write a story about a group of adventurers who find a mysterious cave that leads them back in time.
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Ides of March in Modern Times
Imagine the Ides of March transferred to modern times. Write about a powerful leader facing a similar fate.
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Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times
Write about a day in the life of an ordinary person living through the Civil Rights era.
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Secrets in the Attic
While rummaging through the attic, your character stumbles across a series of letters exchanged between their grandparents during World War II.
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Climate Change Disruption
Write about your opinion on how climate change is disrupting societal norms.
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Travel through Time
You’ve just hopped into a time machine. Describe your journey to a different era and how you adapt to a new (or old) way of life.
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Across The Time Continuum
Your story’s setting isn’t in a physical place, but across different periods of time.
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Life after April Showers
Describe a world that transforms dramatically after the seasons’ first April shower.
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Lost in Space-Time
Imagine you accidentally invented a time machine and got stuck in a different era. How do you get back home?
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Love in Letters
Envision a man and woman courting solely through handwritten letters in the pre-digital era.
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The Golden Age
Describe the zenith of a galactic empire, when it’s at the peak of its power, influence, and prosperity.
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Time Machine Tour
Imagine your vacation rental ends up being a malfunctioning time machine, blending elements of different time periods.
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Backdrop Transformation
Choose a superhero and reimagine them in a different era or cultural context.
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Reshaping The Ripper
Imagine if Jack the Ripper was active in today’s world, what layers would this case take?
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In Da Vinci’s Footsteps
Muse on the adventures of an apprentice of Leonardo Da Vinci during the Renaissance.
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The Underground Freedom
Recreate the fabled adventure of an escaped slave traversing the Underground Railroad.
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Dracula: The Tech Giant
Imagine Dracula as a contemporary tech tycoon. How would he utilize technology, network and build his empire?
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Valentine’s in a Different Era
If Valentine’s Day was celebrated in a different historical era, how would that look?
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The Time Traveler’s Memoir
Write a travelogue detailing your experiences when you travel back in time to a particular era.
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Sheriff’s Dilemma
Develop a complex moral dilemma that a sheriff in the Old West might have had to grapple with.
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Eternal Whisper
Write a tale about a haunted place in your town and the ghost that whispers life changing advice to its visitors.
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The Space-Time Anomaly
You encounter a space-time anomaly that sends you back in time upon contact. Describe the adventures you experience in the universe’s past.
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Ships of the Future
Imagine and outline a design for a futuristic, sustainable ship, considering current environmental concerns.
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Fragile Silk Threads
Craft a narrative involving the discovery of silk during the Han Dynasty and its impact on society.
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Time Machine Troubles
Facing a malfunctioning time machine, you are stuck in the prehistoric era. How would you navigate this new old world?
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The Hidden Child of the Palace
Imagine being a child during England’s Tudor era, and secretly observing the royalty’s life from the palace’s hidden corridors.
