- In 1277, in England, there were no banks and no paper money, only silver pennies, which were worth more than pennies are today. For example, two dozen eggs would cost a penny; a fashionable gown, sixty-three pennies; a horse to pull a plow or a wagon, 240 pennies. An unskilled laborer would earn two pennies a day, and a master carpenter, four. People kept their money at home, in wooden chests in the “counting room.” These chests were locked, but locks weren’t very good back then. Front doors had no locks, but they were guarded at night. During the day, visitors knocked, and, if the family was even a little rich, a servant would let them in. In the spring, a wealthy widow is robbed. The coroner is called (as he would be). As the law requires, he appoints twelve jurors (who would be free men of the community—not serfs) whose job is to investigate the crime, identify a suspect or suspects, and charge them. There are no detectives and no lawyers. Possible suspects are a blacksmith, a soldier, a shoemaker, a butcher’s wife, and an innkeeper. A roofer and a shepherd are possible accomplices. Write the story or as far as you can get.
- In medieval England, forests were dangerous, and much of the kingdom was forested. There was no Robin Hood, but there were brigands who robbed and sometimes even killed travelers. Everyone believed in magic, and forests were thought to be full of enchanted creatures. English kings regarded the forests as their private hunting grounds. People were allowed to travel through them but not to hunt. When people had to travel, they did so in groups for at least partial safety-in-numbers. Your main character has to travel through a forest to Oxford to live with their cousins. They’re traveling with a group of wool merchants heading to London and pilgrims hoping for a miracle cure in Canterbury. Write what happens on the way, or as far as you get.
- This comes from my family, history-not-to-be-proud-of. The New York City subway fare until 1948 was a nickel. Some turnstiles were full height, as some still are today. Here’s an image of a historical one: https://www.deviantart.com/rlkitterman/art/NYC-MTA-Iron-Maiden-Turnstile-659112427. During the Depression (in the 1930s, before I was born), my very plump grandmother and my very plump great-aunt put a nickel into a full-height turnstile, squeezed in together, started to move through, and got stuck. Write a story about what happened next. How did they get out? Did they have to be rescued?
- Write a story that’s based on your family’s history. (Don’t hurt the feelings of anyone who’s still alive.)