“If you shut up truth, and bury it underground, it will but grow.” -Émile Zola, born this date in 1840. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which a lie your protagonist told, or a truth your protag buried, long ago is exposed with far greater consequences than if your protag had dealt with the issue at the time.
read moreWhat’s the most useful object in your home? 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 more“Learn as if you were to live forever.”Mahatma Gandhi Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a topic you want to learn more about before you die. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist tries to teach a valuable lesson to someone who doesn’t care to learn it.
read more“The sweetest pleasures are those which are hardest to be won.” -Giacomo Casanova, born this date in 1725. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist realizes that a romantic partner’s unacceptable behavior will not change.
read moreÉmile Zola was born on this date in 1840. He published a front-page defense of the wrongly convicted Alfred Dreyfus, J’Accuse…!, and was himself convicted for doing so. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist risks his/her livelihood to defend a person your protag is convinced is innocent.
read more“I’m getting too old for this sort of thing.” – “Obi-Wan ‘Ben’ Kenobi,” born this date in 1914 and dead in the year 2000, miserable he would be remembered for Star Wars instead of his many other roles. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist does something entirely out of character for which s/he will be remembered more than anything else.
read more“If you ask me what I came into this life to do, I will tell you: I came to live out loud.” -Émile Zola, born this date in 1840. Explain what living out loud means to you.
read moreHans Christian Andersen was born on this date in 1805. His birthday is commemorated as International Children’s Book Day. Explain why your favorite story is so important to you.
read more“When you want to fool the world, tell the truth.” -Otto von Bismarck, born this date in 1815. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which circumstances conspire to prevent your protagonist from believing the truth.
read moreWhat’s the worst experience you’ve had in an intoxicated state? 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...
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