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Journaling + Fiction – January 11
“To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.”Winston Churchill Journal prompt: Reflect on your previous journal entries and spend at least 20 minutes writing about a time you caused or observed the destruction of another’s efforts. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s hard work is thoughtlessly destroyed by someone your protagonist considers an ally.
read moreBig Questions – January 11
What’s the one material object you’d save from your burning 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...
read moreRomance – January 11
Rupert Holmes’ Escape — better known as “the piña colada song” — topped the charts on this date in 1980. Writing prompt: Write a personals ad for your protagonist that does not exceed 60...
read moreMystery – January 11
“There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself.”- Raymond Chandler, who met Dashiell Hammett at a dinner for contributors to Black Mask on this date in 1936. Writing prompt: Write a scene that foreshadows a rivalry between two great talents.
read moreSciFi/Fantasy – January 11
“So think about it and try to tell yourself wherever you may be in the quiet of your home, in the safety of your bed, try to tell yourself, It couldn’t happen here.” – Carl Kolchak in The Night Stalker, which premiered on this date in 1972. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s refusal to believe the truth is out there leaves her/him vulnerable when that truth takes a sudden interest in your protagonist.
read moreSecondary – January 11
Describe the most challenging experience you faced in the past week.
read morePrimary – January 11
Today is Amelia Earhart Day, which celebrates the most famous female airplane pilot of 1920s and 1930s. If you could fly anywhere right now, where would you fly and what would you do when you got there?
read moreLiterary – January 10
Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon on this date in 49 BC. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist intentionally crosses a family member or close friend’s bright line of trust.
read moreJournaling + Fiction – January 10
“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”William Shakespeare Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a moment of need when you did not show sufficient kindness to yourself. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s kindness is repaid with hostility.
read moreBig Questions – January 10
How has the world most changed in the past 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...
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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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