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Literary – February 1
Langston Hughes, born on this date in 1902, said, “Humor is laughing at what you haven’t got when you ought to have it.” Writing prompt: Write a scene proving he’s correct.
read moreJournaling + Fiction – February 1
“There is only one duty, only one safe course, and that is to try to be right and not to fear to do or say what you believe to be right.”Winston Churchill Journal prompt: Reflect on your previous journal entries and spend at least 20 minutes writing about a moment during which you could have been braver than you were. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist creates more problems by choosing the coward’s way out than s/he would have created by demonstrating bravery.
read moreBig Questions – February 1
What’s your theory of everything? 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 – February 1
“It is impossible to persuade a man who does not disagree, but smiles.” -Muriel Spark, born this date in 1918. Writing prompt: Write a scene proving she’s correct.
read moreMystery – February 1
“Directing is not a mystery, it’s not an art. The main thing about directing is: photograph the people’s eyes.”- John Ford, born this date in 1894. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must gauge the truthfulness of a person’s words by observing body parts and physical behaviors.
read moreSciFi/Fantasy – February 1
“Don’t forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he always wanted.” -Willy Wonka, who at 10:00 AM on this date welcomed Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregard, Mike Teavee, and Charlie Bucket and their chaperones at the gates of his chocolate factory. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist receives a reward only because s/he is the last person to be disqualified from the competition to win it.
read moreSecondary – February 1
On this date in 1865, Pres. Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery when he signed the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution. If you were advising Pres. Lincoln, what would be your strongest argument for abolishing slavery?
read morePrimary – February 1
Explain how to do the thing you know how to do better than anyone else.
read moreLiterary – January 31
“There was that law of life, so cruel and so just, that one must grow or else pay more for remaining the same.” -Norman Mailer, born this date in 1923. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist deconstructs a moment from earlier in her/his life when s/he had a choice to grow or stay the same … and has since paid for making the wrong decision.
read moreJournaling + Fiction – January 31
“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of being.”Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a time you helped someone become their best self. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which a person your protagonist counts on as a leader treats your protagonist as less than capable.
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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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