6*6 Fantasy Series — 4

Imagine you can travel back to any period in world history

Which period would you choose? Ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt, or else?

Historical stories and fiction tremendously improve our imagination and creativity. Historian Lord Macaulay said, “History has to be burned into the imagination before it can be received by the reason.” In this post, you will be experiencing a stimulating challenge to write six history stories.

There is not enough adventure in our lives and delving into history can be one of the most exciting activities that will light up our days. We feel stuck in our daily lives — trapped by obligations, routines, boredom, and work. It is in these moments that we yearn for more: Adventure, mystery, and fantasy.

History can give us that immersive and magical time travel experience. We are in constant need of dopamine and dopamine comes from curiosity, novelty, imagination, and learning. One of the best ways to get our dopamine kick is from historical fiction. In each novel or film, we are immediately transported to new realms of imagination. It is captivating to take an immersive journey into the depths of history.

6*6 Fantasy Series

This series (6*6) is about fostering our ability to use imagination and find fascination in strange places. Strange realms of imagination, fantasy, and fiction. In this series, I aim to bridge the worlds of creativity, fantasy, and imagination. In total, I present you with six imagination adventures or fantasy challenges. I will be developing these challenges during the months of August and September. The goal of these adventures is to help you expand your muscles of imagination through designing new worlds, universes, or stories. What you are reading now is the 4th installment of this series.

You can find the first three installments of this series below:

Adventure 4: Imagine that you can travel to any period in world history and be part of it

In this challenge, imagine that you can travel in time. You can go to any time and context in world history. You will create six historical adventures for yourself and you will write six short stories about your experiences. You can choose any historical period, place, and setting to immerse yourself into.

You will write six stories or adventures set in six historical settings. To get some inspiration about different periods, check out the following links:

For example, you can imagine yourself in the world of Imperial Rome. Then, you will create a character for yourself in that world. You will write a scenario for your role in that setting and incorporate this story into that historical era. You might watch Rome or Gladiator to immerse yourself in that era.

Imagination and immersion are your friends while you are writing. The closer you can get to imagining the fabric of daily life and how it feels like living there, the better you will be at describing your story. Imagine that you are re-enacting history and living in it through your storytelling. Choose your own period and adventure. Immerse yourself in your preferred historical era. Create your character. Write down your story. As you write, loosen up. Do not judge yourself. Make sure you do this for fun. You can be naive, goofy, and foolish in your storytelling. No one will judge you (including yourself).

You can learn from the following online resources on how to write historical novels, stories, or fiction. Please check out the following resources for guidance and inspiration:

One of my favorite historical fiction works was The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. The film adaptation of this novel is below:

You can get further inspiration from the following list of some of the best historical movies ever made:

If you need more inspiration, you can choose among the top historical movies list on IMDB. These are some of the most fascinating movies set in history. You can situate your characters in some of the settings in these movies:

Today’s Challenge

Now, it is your turn to create your own ideas. You will now create six stories set in six periods you choose in history. You will be constructing stories set in these worlds and try to make them compelling and exciting. Imagine yourself as a character or as a hero in that historical period.

You can use the following points to create your stories or adventures:

1. Describe your character and his or her point of view. Profession? Background?
2. Describe the historical era and the context and immerse your character in this setting.
3. Think about the storyline of your character and how it progresses. Describe the journey: What is the problem? Where is the call to adventure? Where is the tension/conflict?
4. Describe the unknowns and the challenges your character goes through. Describe the overall goal/mission of the hero. Define their success and failure.
5. Incorporate surprises and twists along the way — create a compelling story. Create some risks and rewards for your character.
6. Think of a compelling and satisfying finale if you can.

You will create six different stories set in six eras and sketch an outline of key ideas for each story. You do not need to aim for fully developed stories. You just need to write a minimum viable story idea.

Do not judge or evaluate your ideas — just keep writing for about 5 minutes to create your main story or plot. Do not stop writing. Imagine that your hands have their own imagination and trust them. Keep your hands moving and do not think too hard. You will make it fast and practical — do not aim for a perfect story. Just an overall idea is fine. This is meant to be for fun — just play and mess around. Improvise as needed. Try to surprise yourself and your brain.

Best luck and have fun!

Fahri Karakas is the author of the Self-making Studio. You can explore more here.