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Literary – April 5
“All generous minds have a horror of what are commonly called ‘Facts.’ They are the brute beasts of the intellectual domain.” -Thomas Hobbes, born this date in 1588. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which facts contradict everything your protagonist wants to believe about her/his closest friend.
read moreJournaling + Fiction – April 5
“Silence is a lesson learned through life’s many sufferings.”Lucius Annaeus Seneca Journal prompt: Reflect on your previous journal entries and spend at least 20 minutes writing about what you learned from an experience when you’d have been better off saying nothing instead of saying what you did. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist faces escalating consequences because s/he can’t stay silent in the face of injustice.
read moreBig Questions – April 5
What decision your father’s parents made has most influenced your life? 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...
read moreRomance – April 5
“From the moment I was six I felt sexy. And let me tell you it was hell, sheer hell, waiting to do something about it.” -Bette Davis, born this date in 1908. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist feels sexy but can do nothing about it.
read moreMystery – April 5
“The man who smiles when things go wrong has thought of someone to blame it on.”- Robert Bloch, who based his character Norman Bates on a serial killer and Bloch’s publisher, born this date in 1917. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist discovers something that prompts him/her to imagine a colleague is a psychopathic murderer.
read moreSciFi/Fantasy – April 5
“It is obvious to the most simpleminded that Lokai is of an inferior breed.” -Frank Gorshin, born this date in 1933, as Commissioner Bele in the Star Trek episode “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield.” Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is challenged by someone who believes your protagonist is inferior for cosmetic reasons.
read moreSecondary – April 5
“Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.” -Booker T. Washington in 1856. Describe what you do with more excellence than anyone else, and how you do it.
read morePrimary – April 5
Booker T. Washington was born on this date in 1856. Born a slave, at age 9 he started working in a salt factory and then a coal mine after the Civil War freed him. Describe what you think you’ll do in your first job.
read moreLiterary – April 4
“The shortest route to courage is absolute ignorance.” -Dan Simmons, born this date in 1948. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist performs a praiseworthy act of courage because of witlessness.
read moreJournaling + Fiction – April 4
“When we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and preoccupations loom large. But when we focus on others, our world expands.”Daniel Goleman Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a personal preoccupation you believe is preventing you from focusing on a more important external topic. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s self-absorption prevents him/her from perceiving another’s important crisis.
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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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