Journaling + Fiction – July 1

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched—they must be felt with the heart.”Helen Keller Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a person, experience, or object you love more with your heart than with your physical senses. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist feels emotionally a contradiction with what s/he feels...

Romance – July 1

“I loved her like a rabbit loves a rattlesnake.” -James M. Cain, born this date in 1892. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must confront that fact that s/he is romantically involved with a monster.

Mystery – July 1

“What you will be privileged to witness will not be an interrogation, but an act of salesmanship — as silver-tongued and thieving as ever moved used cars, Florida swampland, or Bibles. But what I am selling is a long prison term, to a client who has no genuine use for the product.” -Det. Frank Pembleton, embodied for six years on Homicide: Life on the Streets (predecessor to The Wire), played by...

SciFi/Fantasy – July 1

“You want to talk to God? Let’s go see Him together — I’ve got nothing better to do.”- Henry Jones, Jr., born this date in 1899. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist proves willing to die to prevent an injustice.

Literary – June 30

“You have to be taught to be second class; you’re not born that way.” -Lena Horne, born this date in 1917. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which a superior makes your protagonist aware of the real or perceived class differences between your protag and her/his...

Big Questions – June 30

What do you do better than anyone else? 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...

Journaling + Fiction – June 30

“We improve ourselves by victories over ourselves. There must be contest, and we must win.”Edward Gibbon Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about why a particular victory you’ve tried to win over yourself has to this point eluded you. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist loses a battle for self-control because her/his antagonist possesses greater...

Romance – June 30

“What is broken is broken — and I’d rather remember it as it was at its best than mend it and see the broken places as long as I lived.” -Margaret Mitchell, whose Gone With the Wind was first published on this date in 1936. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist breaks a dear friend’s prized possession and has to decide what to do about it.