Set your story in eighteenth century London, including a casual reference to something that changes the course of history.

Posted in Historical Fiction on Sep 10, 2021

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✍️ 21 stories

“Around St Paul's ” by Sharon Williams

Submitted to Contest #111

Twenty-six-year-old Ephraim held his new wife close to him as she lay sobbing beside him. They had been married a few hours earlier in Greyfriars Church, and although he had expected some immaturity in sixteen-year-old Chloris, he was unprepared for this. A few weeks earlier, her wealthy merchant father, James Bailey, surprised him by suddenly retracting his earlier decision to refuse the pair permission to marry. He was further amazed when James had gifted the pair the small house where they were now laying. Chloris’ tears now soaked her ni...

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“Whitechapel Red” by Megan Honrud

Submitted to Contest #111

The wind smelled putrid at this time of night, but perhaps the blood and gore on one’s leather-gloved hands made it so vial. Or perhaps it was the stench of poverty slowly poisoning my pure city, dampening the air, rustic enough to peel the sides of the buildings. My once shining jewel of a neighborhood has become impoverished, full of Women of the Night and hungry children covered in soot. What has happened to my sweet Whitechapel, London?Using a brand new handkerchief to open the door, it’s too late to keep the stench from invading my sanc...

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“A Change Is Coming” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #111

The year was 1796 in London, England, and a young scholar by the name of James Pettimore made his way home from The University of Oxford to his parent’s home in London, England. The twelve-hour journey by horse and buggy was less than comfortable, but James always tried to make the best of every situation. He turned his focus away from the rough terrain and the horrific stench of the horses (and possibly the coa...

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“WORK FROM HOME” by Sudheshna Oruganti

Submitted to Contest #111

WORK FROM HOME Sherry’s eyes opened at 4am in the morning, from a sleep that wasn’t in any way refreshing or dreamy. She wanted to lie down for a bit longer. Her back and arms were sore from all the stitching and cleaning she had to do through the day. But how could she? She was a mother of 5 children, the oldest being 8 and the youngest only turning 6 months last week. She had to make sure there was enough milk, eggs and bread for everyone in the family, often making an errand to Mrs Porter’s barn, a lonely widow, who now made money by ...

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“Our Great Fire” by Johnathan Liles

Submitted to Contest #111

Our Great Fire By J.L. Scipio It was 1772 on a warm windy day. I ran out the door as fast as I could. She left me a note in our usual place that read “Meet me at our spot at sunset”. We found our spot playing hide and seek. I was looking for her for a whole day until she yelled for me on top of the roof. She found a way to get up there and ever since we would go up there and talk about anything and everything. When I got up there she asked “Did you ever learn about the Great Fire of London? 100 years ago this city dealt with the de...

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“The Methodist Ghost” by Susie Helme

Submitted to Contest #111

[the Victoria and Baltick Coffeehouse where Gerard and Barnaby hold their business presentation was the forerunner of the Stock Exchange] ‘Brother, well met,’ cried the wholesaler Barnaby Jones, his rotund cheeks ruddy in the wintry wind. ‘You’ve come a ways.’ ‘Afternoon, Mr. Jones,’ responded Gerard Andrieu the silk weaver, touching the rim of his cap. ‘Felicity,’ he nodded to the gentleman’s wife, who was Gerard’s sister. Their relatively new bonds of kinship were not yet warm enough to render the encounter comfortable. ‘Indeed, there we...

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Set your story in eighteenth century London, including a casual reference to something that changes the course of history.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 21 stories

“Around St Paul's ” by Sharon Williams

“Whitechapel Red” by Megan Honrud

“A Change Is Coming” by Greg Gillis

“WORK FROM HOME” by Sudheshna Oruganti

“Our Great Fire” by Johnathan Liles

“The Methodist Ghost” by Susie Helme

🌟 Similar prompts

An intelligent young girl solves a big problem, but becomes frustrated that no one wants to believe her. Write about what she does next.

Write about a character who wakes up in the future and learns that their legacy has outlasted them — for better or worse.

Write about a child who carries on their parent’s work or legacy in some form.

Write about a group of friends who hope to use their combined skills to better the world.

Contest #111

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

124

Contest entries

110

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: