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Literary – November 6
“Dead, we are revealed in our true dimensions, and they are surprisingly modest.” -Michael Cunningham, born this date in 1952. Writing prompt: Write a scene set at a funeral in which your protagonist learns an unexpected and unfortunate truth about the person in the casket.
read moreJournaling + Fiction – November 6
“No man knows the value of innocence and integrity but he who has lost them.”William Godwin Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about the fallout from a moment you acted with less integrity than you should have. Fiction writing prompt: Write the scene in which your protagonist loses her/his innocence.
read moreBig Questions – November 6
What’s the worst disease a loved one could contract? 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 – November 6
“I was not ladylike, nor was I manly. I was something else altogether. There were so many different ways to be beautiful.” -Michael Cunningham, born this date in 1952. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist learns an admirer completely discounts the essence of what your protag considers most beautiful about her/himself.
read moreMystery – November 6
Writing prompt: Write the scene that explains the source of your protagonist’s opinion about whether it is a greater tragedy for an innocent person to be imprisoned or for a guilty person to go free.
read moreSciFi/Fantasy – November 6
All that you touchYou Change. All that you ChangeChanges you. The only lasting truthIs Change. Christopher Donner was elected President of the United States on this date in Octavia Butler’s 2024. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist becomes the leader of a doomed organization.
read moreSecondary – November 6
On this date in 1939, the first commercial television station began broadcasting in Schenectady, New York. Explain whether television has been a net positive or net negative for society since then.
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Literary – November 5
“The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled. Each evening we see the sun set. We know that the earth is turning away from it. Yet the knowledge, the explanation, never quite fits the sight.” -John Berger, born this date in 1926. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist sees something that contradicts an important fact your protagonist knows to be true.
read moreJournaling + Fiction – November 5
“It’s not a silly question if you can’t answer it.”Jostein Gaarder Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about the hardest question you’ve ever had to answer. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist fails to get a straight answer from someone who should have it.
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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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