Don’t Envy – Improve

A few years ago, when I finished Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin while doing the eleventythousandth revision of my own novel manuscript, I closed her book and looked at mine and thought, “Why bother?” The bother is that I’ve got my own story to tell. It’s not Atwood’s story, or Melville’s or Twain’s, or even yours. You’ve got your own story, too. Because it’s your story, the issue isn’t whether you write as...

Literary – October 22

“There is only one real sin and that is to persuade oneself that the second best is anything but second best.” -Doris Lessing, born this date in 1919. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist settles.

Journaling + Fiction – October 22

“If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years how man would marvel and adore.”Ralph Waldo Emerson Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about how you would plan to experience something you knew would happen only once in your lifetime. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s perspective is altered by a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Big Questions – October 22

What’s the most memorable gift you ever received? 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...

Romance – October 22

“We are not all connected. We are bags of skin. We are all separate bags of thinking skin.” -AL Kennedy, born this date in 1965. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist tries to make a connection with someone who agrees with AL Kennedy.

Mystery – October 22

“I always say that bad women are fewer than men, but when you get one, they’re fascinating because they’re so rotten.” -Ann Rule, born this date in 1935. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist changes his/her opinion about a female wrongdoer.

SciFi/Fantasy – October 22

“I’m simply saying that life, uh, finds a way.”- Jeff Goldblum, born this date in 1952. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which an utterly anomalous object becomes the key to saving your protagonist’s life.

Secondary – October 22

Photojournalist Robert Capa was born on this date in 1913. Explain why you agree or disagree with the idea that a picture is worth a thousand words.