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Journaling + Fiction – April 18
“A sharp sense of empathy can make a huge difference, and with it in an ability to manipulate, to gain cooperation, and to deceive.”Edward O. Wilson Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about what you learned from a person whose apparent empathy caused you to be deceived. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist learns s/he was deceived by a person previously considered an ally.
read moreRomance – April 18
Lucrezia Borgia, the illegitimate daughter of a future Pope, was born on this date in 1480. Her family personified Machiavellian corruption and committed bribery, theft, adultery, incest, and murder as well as strategic marriage — to which Lucrezia was thrice committed. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is threatened with being forced to marry a person for political or financial advantage rather than love.
read moreMystery – April 18
Richard Harding Davis, a writer who got his start as a reporter by infiltrating criminal gangs to write about them for his newspaper, was born on this date in 1864. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist discovers that someone s/he believes is a criminal is a reporter working undercover.
read moreSciFi/Fantasy – April 18
Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist tells a close friend about the worst experience s/he ever had at a party.
read moreSecondary – April 18
Bob Kaufman, the man who inspired San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen to invent the term “beatnik,” was born on this date in 1925. He said, “I want to be anonymous. My ambition is to be completely forgotten.” How would you explain such an ambition?
read morePrimary – April 18
On this date in 1775, Paul Revere began riding across Massachusetts, crying out “The British are coming!” to rally American’s revolutionary Minutemen. Explain how you would spread such a message today.
read moreLiterary – April 17
“The cure for anything is salt water — sweat, tears, or the sea.” -Karen Blixen, better known by her pen name Isak Dinesen, born this date in 1885. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist requires and takes all three variants of Dinesen’s salt water cure.
read moreBig Questions – April 17
What vacation experience would you pay to make sure you never had to do it again? 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...
read moreJournaling + Fiction – April 17
“As you go the way of life, you will see a great chasm. Jump. It is not as wide as you think.”Joseph Campbell Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a jump you made that did not turn out as you’d intended. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist jumps across a chasm that’s wider than thought.
read moreRomance – April 17
“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” -Cynthia Ozick, born this date in 1928. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist loses something s/he took for granted because s/he lacked gratitude.
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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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