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Literary – April 21
“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” -Naturalist, author, and Sierra Club co-founder John Muir, born this date in 1838. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s encounter with nature delivers an unexpected and unpleasant surprise.
read moreJournaling + Fiction – April 21
“Hear the words of prudence, give heed unto her counsels, and store them in thine heart; her maxims are universal, and all the virtues lean upon her; she is the guide and the mistress of human life.”Akhenaten Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a time you acted without prudence and achieved a positive or successful outcome in spite of it. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist refuses to heed his/her heart’s counsel.
read moreBig Questions – April 21
What’s the most out-of-character thing you’ve ever done? 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 character you want to know more about. Photo from Unsplash, the internet’s source of freely...
read moreRomance – April 21
“I feel monotony and death to be almost the same.” -Charlotte Bronte, born this date in 1816. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s boredom drives her/him to do something both unexpected and foolish.
read moreMystery – April 21
“In sorting out my feelings and beliefs, there is, however, one piece of moral ground of which I am absolutely certain: if I were to be murdered I would not want my murderer executed. I would not want my death avenged. Especially by government–which can’t be trusted to control its own bureaucrats or collect taxes equitably or fill a pothole, much less decide which of its citizens to kill.”- Sister Helen Prejean, born this date in 1939. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is confronted by an activist...
read moreSciFi/Fantasy – April 21
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”- John Muir, born this date in 1838. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist receives an unexpected spiritual insight during a walk in the woods.
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Primary – April 21
Describe the temptation your find hardest to resist and what happens when you don’t.
read moreA word about self-publishing for writers so inclined.
The fact that no one in the legacy publishing industry knows what makes a best seller is indisputable. That fact does not mean everyone in the legacy publishing industry is an idiot. Even if J.K. Rowling experienced a dozen rejections before selling Harry Potter, and even if James Redfield self-published and sold more than 80,000 copies of The Celestine Prophecy from the trunk of his car, traditional (sometimes called legacy) publishing remains the surest path to selling large numbers of high–quality books. Thanks to technology, it is no...
read moreLiterary – April 20
Joan Miró was born on this date in 1893. Writing prompt: Describe from your protagonist’s point of view this famous Miro work.
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David B. Schlosser is an author of award-winning fiction and non-fiction, and an editor of award-winning fiction and non-fiction.
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