What-if stories
We pick a real turning point from the records, then write what could have followed if it had gone the other way. The real part stays marked as real.
Fork point · 1889
SampleJohann reaches Bremen with a ticket for New York.
Passenger list, Bremen to New York, May 1889
What happened
documentedHe boards the ship. Nine years later he files a homestead claim in Pierce County, North Dakota.
What if
what ifThe ship is full. He takes the next berth available, which goes to Buenos Aires. The story follows him there.
Chapter 1
SampleWeber, Johann, 21, Landwirt, Glückstal.
Johann reached Bremen in May 1889 with a ticket for New York. The ship was full. The agent offered him the next berth out, which was going to Argentina, and he took it.
Research on the turning point, then a story of 5,000 to 8,000 words. Can run as a serial.
$0.65 / word