Daily, genre-inspired writing prompts for authors, teachers, and journaling

Literary – March 28

Russell Banks was born on this date in 1940. Of his obsession with school buses, Banks said, “From the child’s point of view, it is the first time he leaves home and goes out into the larger world. It is the connecting cord between the family and the outside world and has both positive and negative implications.” Writing prompt: Write the scene of your protagonist leaving for her/his first day at...

Big Questions – March 28

Who do you think you are? Journaling prompt: Spend 15-20 minutes writing your answer in the spirit of exploring yourself and the world around you. If you can answer with a simple “yes” or “no,” explain the sources or implications of your response. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene that forces a character in your story to answer the question, or spend 15-20 minutes answering the question in the voice of a...

Journaling + Fiction – March 28

“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”Scott Adams Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about the act of kindness you’ve observed that’s caused the most impressive ripple. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s bacon is saved by a person to whom s/he previosuly extended a kindness your...

Romance – March 28

“There’s all kinds of love in the world, and not all of it looks like the stuff in greeting cards.” -Jennifer Weiner, born this date in 1970. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must defend the unconventional love s/he has for someone.

Mystery – March 28

Nelson Algren, born on this date in 1909, had three life rules: “Never play cards with a man called Doc. Never eat at a place called Mom’s. Never sleep with a woman whose troubles are worse than your own.” Writing prompt: Write your protagonist’s three life rules.

SciFi/Fantasy – March 28

On this date in 1979, a cooling system failed at the nuclear power plant on Three Mile Island. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which something in the world you’ve created that its inhabitants rarely notice causes utter panic when they do.

Secondary – March 28

On this date in 1881, P.T. Barnum and James A. Bailey merged their circuses to create what they called “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Explain why you support, oppose, or don’t care about the use of animals in circus acts.

Primary – March 28

Think of a sport you’ve never tried and explain why you think you’d be good at playing it.

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