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Literary – March 25
“Faith is what someone knows to be true, whether they believe it or not.” -Flannery O’Connor, born on this date in 1925. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s faith remains unshaken despite learning that the truth proves her/his faith misplaced.
read moreJournaling + Fiction – March 25
“It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it.”G.K. Chesterton Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about an aspect of your faith (or lack of faith) that you find amusing and the philosophical implications of laughing about it. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist laughs at an article of another character’s core belief system.
read moreBig Questions – March 25
Is it better to seek financial advice from people your own age than people younger or older than you? 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,...
read moreRomance – March 25
“Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.” -Catherine of Siena, born this date in 1347. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist misses out on something great because s/he cannot endure.
read moreMystery – March 25
“Everything pertaining to what’s happening has never come to the surface. The world will never know the true facts of what occurred, my motives. The people who had so much to gain, and had such an ulterior motive for putting me in the position I’m in, will never let the true facts come above board to the world.”- Jack Ruby, born this date in 1911. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which a vigilante prevents your protagonist from experiencing the satisfaction of justice.
read moreSciFi/Fantasy – March 25
“Just because we’re three million years into deep space and the human species is extinct? That means nothing to these people. They’ll find us.” This is Gazpacho Soup Day in Red Dwarf’s 2180. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is humiliated when s/he proves ignorant of a commonly known fact.
read moreSecondary – March 25
“I think people remember pictures not dialogue. That’s why I like pictures.” -David Lean, born on this date in 1908. Using examples from your own memories, argue whether Lean was correct.
read morePrimary – March 25
Explain which would you rather be: the best player on a losing team, or the worst player on a winning team.
read moreStory Masters and Hammer Heads
A couple of years ago, I spent a valuable weekend at a writing workshop, Story Masters, with three terrific authors who are also outstanding teachers: James Scott Bell is a novelist and Writer’s Digest favorite. Donald Maass is a literary agent and author of several outstanding craft books. Christopher Vogler is a story consultant and Hollywood icon for his work interpreting, among other things, Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces for screenwriters. Within the constraints of this brief post, and with apologies for this...
read moreLiterary – March 24
“It’s much easier to consume the visual image than to read something.” -Lawrence Ferlinghetti, born this date in 1919. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which an image causes your protagonist to offend someone s/he cares about.
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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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