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Literary – March 1
“It is the still, small voice that the soul heeds, not the deafening blasts of doom.” -Dean of American letters William Dean Howells, born this date in 1837. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist mistakenly heeds a deafening blast while ignoring a still, small voice.
read moreJournaling + Fiction – March 1
“He who has great power should use it lightly.”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 a lighter touch would have been more successful than the heavier hand you applied. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist fails to achieve a major goal because of her/his heavy-handed solution to a minor problem.
read moreBig Questions – March 1
What’s next? 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 images.
read moreRomance – March 1
“Some people can stay longer in an hour than others can in a week.” -William Dean Howells, born this date in 1837. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which a house guest your protagonist was looking forward to hosting for a week wears out his/her welcome in the first hour.
read moreMystery – March 1
“Should, however, my death serve for the purpose of abolishing capital punishment—such a punishment being arrived at only by circumstantial evidence—I feel that my death has not been in vain.”- Bruno Hauptmann, executed in 1936 for the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh’s son on this date in 1932. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must deal with a parent whose child is missing.
read moreSciFi/Fantasy – March 1
“More weight!”- Giles Corey On this date in 1692, the Salem witch trials commenced, resulting in the eventual execution of 19 people. Writing prompt: Write a scene invoking an historic injustice in the world you’ve created that reverberates, centuries later, during a crisis for your protagonist.
read moreSecondary – March 1
Ralph Ellison was born on this date in 1914. Describe a time when you felt invisible.
read morePrimary – March 1
Write a short story about what you would do if you had an entire day just to do anything you wanted to.
read moreParadox: Limitations Drive Creativity
If I ask you to tell me a story, or to draw me a picture, what’s your first reaction? If you’re like most people, it’s another question: “About what?” Few things are as intimidating as a blank sheet of paper. All the hopes, fears, dreams, tragedies, climaxes, and denouements you plan to spill forth in lyrical and dazzling prose … where, oh where, to begin? That’s one reason prompts are such powerful, proven drivers of writing. Rather than confronting a blank page, a prompt challenges or inspires with something you’ve got to push against...
read moreLiterary – February 28
“Good days, they come around the oddest corners.” -Colum McCann, born this date in 1965. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which rounding an unfaimilar corner launches the best day your protagonist can recall.
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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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