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Literary – February 10
“Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.” -Boris Pasternak, born this date in 1890. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is forced to celebrate a surprise s/he secretly loathes.
read moreJournaling + Fiction – February 10
“Rashness belongs to youth; prudence to old age.”Marcus Tullius Cicero Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a circumstance in which you responded with greater wisdom because of prior experience responding differently to a similar circumstance. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist places a loved one in peril because s/he didn’t earn wisdom from similar experiences earlier in life.
read moreBig Questions – February 10
How will the world most change in the next 10 years? 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 10
“Often … the worst parenting is done in the name of love.” -Mary McGarry Morris, born this date in 1943, about her book The Lost Mother. Writing prompt: Write a scene demonstrating the bad parenting your protagonist received in the name of love.
read moreMystery – February 10
“I am a Widow’s Son, outlawed and my orders must be obeyed.”- Ned Kelly in the Jerilderie Letter, deposited this date in 1879. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist publicly confronts a bad guy everyone considers a good guy.
read moreSciFi/Fantasy – February 10
“All the best of the monsters played for sympathy.” – Lon Chaney, Jr., born this date in 1906. Writing prompt: Write the scene in which your protagonist first encountered the monster that most terrifies the children of the world you’ve created.
read moreSecondary – February 10
What question would you most like to ask the President of the United States? How do you think he would answer?
read morePrimary – February 10
Describe your favorite thing to do when it’s too cold or wet to go outside.
read moreLiterary – February 9
“In order to be cruel we have to close our hearts to the suffering of the other.” -JM Coetzee, born this date in 1940. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s compassion towards another appears cruel.
read moreJournaling + Fiction – February 9
“If you aren’t at the table, you’re on the menu.”Ann Richards Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a situation in which you were disadvantaged because you did not know what role you were playing in the moment. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist discovers s/he is not in the power position s/he’d assumed.
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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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