339+ ‘Era’ Writing Prompts
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Decoding Love Letters
Pick a famous love letter from history and analyse it. What does it tell you about the time, the writer, and the beloved?
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Threads of a Past Era
Write a story using a piece of traditional clothing from your heritage as the main focus.
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Mother-Tongue Memories
Pen down a story set in a time when your ancestors spoke a language that perhaps isn’t used anymore in your family. Explore how this language and culture associated with it has shaped who you are today.
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Window to the Past
Write about a haunted house where each room is essentially a window to some past events of its former residents.
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Time-Travel Vacation
Imagine you’re given a time machine and can travel to any era and place. Where would you go and why?
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Traveling Through Time
Write a diary entry of a young adventurer who has just discovered a time machine.
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The Bard’s Inspiration
Through the eyes of a struggling Elizabethan playwright, write a story about how they found inspiration in everyday life which leads to their first successful play.
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Elizabethan Witch Trial Survivor
Create a narrative about an individual accused of witchcraft who manages to escape the notorious witch trials of the Elizabethan era.
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Thoughtful Time Machine
Imagine you could step into a time machine! Write about the era you chose to visit and why.
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Embark on a Time-Travel Journey
Imagine you found a time machine, choose a time in the past or future to visit, and write about your experience.
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Storm on the Horizon
Create a tale set at the brink of the Dust Bowl era, revealing the changes in the environment and people’s mindset.
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Dungeon’s Doorway Dilemma
You find yourself in a dungeon with multiple doorways, each leading to a different era of the world. Narrate your experience after you decide to step through one.
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Echoes of the Lost Kingdom
Imagine discovering an ancient kingdom beneath your mundane modern city. Describe your adventure down into this abandoned dungeon.
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Historical Haunting
Describe a ghost that is stuck in the time period they died in, their continued presence marked by their outdated clothing and style.
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Past Lives Unveiled
An average person suddenly starts having vivid dreams about living a completely different life in an unknown time period.
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Lost in Time
Imagine living in a different time period and explain how you would fit into that society.
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The Hidden Door
Write about discovering a secret door in your house that leads to a magical world.
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Historical Collage
Select a historical time period and a separate real-world location, then blend them together to create an entirely new setting.
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Easter Bunny’s Time Machine
Describe the Easter Bunny using a time machine to visit various Easter celebrations throughout history.
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Medieval Mayhem
Write a comic script set in the medieval times, including a knight, a royal, and a mythical creature.
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Childhood Amid the War
Put yourself in the shoes of a child during the Civil War era. Write about their disillusionment, their growth, and lessons learned.
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The Female Soldier’s Perspective
Write from the point of view of a woman who disguises herself as a man in order to fight in the Civil War.
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Time Travel Tales
Imagine you’ve found a time machine. Write a comic strip story about an incident that happens when you travel to a different era.
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Eco-warrior’s Plight
Write about an environmentalist fighting against a large-scale industrial project threatening to devastate a local ecosystem.
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Faithful Guardians
Write about animals stepping up as protectors during a zombie apocalypse.
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Victorian Christmas Festivities
Write a story about a family preparing for Christmas during the Victorian era.
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Lost in Time
Write about a young child who finds an antique doll in the attic, which is possessed by the spirit of its former owner, a child ghost from a bygone era.
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Toon Time Travel
A cartoon character is thrown into a real-life era of the past: how does their unusual presence reshape the course of history?
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The Time-Traveling Historian
Imagine being a historian with a time machine. Choose an era to visit, what interesting events do you witness and partake in?
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Eras of Yore
Choose an era in history and create a fictional autobiography of someone living during that period.
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New Beginnings in Ravaged Worlds
Describe a group of survivors deciding to build a new world amidst the ruins.
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Last Days Legacy
Write about a parent leaving behind an important legacy to their child during an apocalyptic era.
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Voyage to Britannia
You are a Roman soldier, part of the first expedition to Britannia: Describe the journey and their first impressions upon landing.
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Dinosaur Island
You’ve discovered a hidden island where dinosaurs still live. Tell the story of your experience.
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Era of Cryptic Codes
During WWII, your protagonist is a codebreaker deciphering encrypted enemy communications.
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Colonial Tradesman’s Tale
Narrate the story of a tradesperson making their way in the colonial market. What do they sell, and how do they navigate the new economic landscape?
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Remembering the Old World
Writing from the perspective of the last living individual who remembers the pre-apocalyptic world. Their responsibility is to pass on the tale of the old world to the new generation.
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Underneath the Rising Sun
Write a story where your character journeys through Edo Japan and interacts with the samurais, traders and artisans.
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The Time-Traveling Mischief
You stumble upon a time machine and are accidentally transported to a completely different era.
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Time Travelling Tourist
Invent a time machine, jump in, and embark on an adventure to any era in history. Describe details of your travel and the extraordinary things you encounter.
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Adventure on a Time Machine
Write about an adventure where you travel back in time to a period in history.
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Journey Through Time
You’ve discovered a time machine and you have one chance to use it. Detail your journey through time and elaborate on the adventures.
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The 500 Year Voyage
Your ship was intended to travel 500 years into the future, but it arrives 500 years in the past.
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Lost in Epochs
Imagine a ship that time-jumps, mid-voyage, landing the crew in a completely unexpected era.
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First Class or Steerage
Describe your character as a 1st class or steerage passenger aboard The Titanic.
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Ethereal Invitation
Write a detailed invitation to a ghost seance from the perspective of a Victorian medium.
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Ancestral Apparition
Write about a modern-day teenager who encounters the ghost of their great-great-grandparent, seeking help to resolve some unfinished business.
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Ghostly Glimpse
Create a narrative from the perspective of a ghost observing the present day in a place they frequently haunted in their lifetime.
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Rooms with a Past
Each room in the haunted house is themed after a different era, each with its own resident ghost.
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Historical Specter
Write from the viewpoint of a ghost from a historical era, observing the modern world.
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Forward to the Past
Imagine your favorite characters travel back in time. How would they cope with the relevant historical era’s societal norms, technology, and customs?
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Devil in the Details
How would your favorite characters fare while working as spies or operatives in key moments of history?
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Romancing the Renaissance
Write a love story between characters from 21st-century popular culture who find themselves in the enchanting yet tumultuous period of the Renaissance.
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Edo Encounter
Craft a story where your favorite modern anime characters are tossed into Edo-period Japan.
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Victorian Love in the Unknown
Imagine a love story between two characters from a 19th-century novel setting within an alternate, steampunk universe.
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Keeper of Lore
Write about a character who holds ancient secrets and unknown lore of Ferelden, exploring their role and significance in the era of dragons.
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Anime Through Decades
Explore how different eras have influenced the themes, style, and storytelling methods of anime.
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Tokugawa Shogunate Turmoil
Write a story about a peasant’s rebellion in the final years of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
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Painting Peaceful Places
Describe a location, real or imaginary, that brings you a sense of calm and tranquility.
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Graduation Gateway
Reflect on your graduation day, it could be from high school, college, or any formative transition.
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Reimagined Histories
Write a personal narrative about a moment in your life, but rewrite it as if it happened in a different historical era.
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Time Turner’s Tale
Write a travelogue detailing your adventures across different time periods in history and future.
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Masterpiece in Words
Pretend you’re a famous historian, analyzing a classic, monumental piece of artwork.