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Journaling + Fiction – January 5
“To be a good citizen, it’s important to be able to put yourself in other people’s shoes and see the big picture. If everything you see is rooted in your own identity, that becomes difficult or impossible.”Eli Pariser Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about the first time you realized that not everyone shares the same life experiences. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is blocked from achieving an important goal by someone who refuses to put on your protagonist’s...
read moreBig Questions – January 5
What random event over which you had no control has most influenced your life? 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...
read moreRomance – January 5
On this date in 1643, the first recorded divorce in the American colonies was granted to Anne Clarke on the basis of adultery. Writing prompt: Write a dialogue in which your protagonist and best friend debate whether a third friend should leave a cheating partner.
read moreMystery – January 5
Brogan-Moore: Touching isn’t it? The way he counts on his wife.Sir Wilfrid: Yes, like a drowning man clutching at a razor blade.- Harry Kurnitz, born this date in 1909. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must reject the assistance of someone your protagonist should be able to count on.
read moreSciFi/Fantasy – January 5
“You’ve all the time in the world.” -David Filby to H. George Wells, who on this date in 1900 told his friends about his journey to the future and then traveled to the year 802,701 to rebuild civilization. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist tells her/his closest friends s/he is leaving on a trip from which s/he will not return.
read moreSecondary – January 5
Describe the hardest thing you’ve ever accomplished, and your thoughts and feelings afterwards.
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Paradox: 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 – January 4
“Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.” -Isaac Newton, born this date in 1643. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist makes an enemy by making a point.
read moreJournaling + Fiction – January 4
“The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.”Winston Churchill Journal prompt: Reflect on your previous journal entries and spend at least 20 minutes writing about the subject of humility. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist learns a valuable lesson by being proved wrong.
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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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