Blog
The 99/1 Rule, WOM, and Your Best Effort
One of my Facebook groups is discussing The Red Pen of Doom’s article “The Twitter, it is NOT for selling books.” The author, @speechwriterguy, posits an important point: “Twitter isn’t built to sell books. Or anything else.” I agree. His post, which is long, analyzes a range of variables in terms of mass media, name recognition, numbers of followers, etc., and arrives at a very challenging conclusion: “The new math: to sell thousands, you need to reach millions.” While I generally agree with that statement, it’s not always true. If you...
read moreLiterary – April 8
“What we owe to society, what we owe to ourselves.” -Barbara Kingsolver, born this date in 1955. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist observes — and must decide how to respond to — an act of social injustice.
read moreJournaling + Fiction – April 8
“The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone.”Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about an object or idea you consider sublime that most other people do not. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist finds no allies in his/her appreciation for an object of beauty.
read moreBig Questions – April 8
What would you do if you knew you had one day left to live? 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 usable...
read moreRomance – April 8
“I have wanted women whose very shoes are worth all I have ever possessed.” -John Fante, born this date in 1909. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is spurned by a person because of their extreme difference in material wealth.
read moreMystery – April 8
“Plenty of great men were blind — Milton, Homer, they were blind, weren’t they?”- Blind private investigator Duncan Maclain as written by Baynard H. Kendrick, born this date in 1894 and holder of Mystery Writers of America membership card number 1. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which a person missing at least one of the five human senses surprises your protagonist with an accurate description of an event.
read moreSciFi/Fantasy – April 8
“The time to act is now. This is not the voice of treason. These are your sons, your daughters, whose loyalties have never wavered, whose belief in this alliance has forced us to take extraordinary means. For justice, for peace, for the future . . . we have come home!” – John Sheridan announcing his intent to arrest President Clark, who on this date in Babylon 5’s 2260 declares martial law in response to the Ganymede incident. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is criminally implicated for an...
read moreSecondary – April 8
Buddhists celebrate this date as the birth of the sage Siddhārtha Gautama in 563 BC. The Buddha instructed, “It is better to travel well than to arrive.” True or false? Defend your answer with examples from your life.
read morePrimary – April 8
Buddhists celebrate this date as the birth of the sage Siddhārtha Gautama in 563 BC. The Buddha taught, “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened.” Explain why you think he might be talking about something more than just candles.
read moreLiterary – April 7
“Nature never did betray the heart that loved her.” – William Wordsworth, born this date in 1770. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist suffers a profound relationship with nature.
read more
David B. Schlosser is an author of award-winning fiction and non-fiction, and an editor of award-winning fiction and non-fiction.
Read More...