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Primary – January 15
“Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.” -Martin Luther King, Jr., born on the 15th of January in 1929. Explain your opinion about whether you can learn good character from education.
read moreLiterary – January 14
“I’m very comfortable with failure. I’m very comfortable being the guy who disappoints people.” -Steven Soderbergh, born this date in 1963. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must persuade everyone that s/he doesn’t care about completely failing at an important task.
read moreJournaling + Fiction – January 14
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”William Arthur Ward Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about the person in your life for whom you feel the most gratitide. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist misses a chance to express gratitude to a person who in the future will have great influence over your protagonist’s prospects for success.
read moreBig Questions – January 14
What’s the biggest secret you’ve ever kept? 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 moreRomance – January 14
On this date in 1954, Marilyn Monroe married Joe DiMaggio. Although their marriage lasted only nine months, DiMaggio had roses delivered to her crypt a few times a week for 20 years after her death in 1962. Writing prompt: Write the scene of the most pointless romantic gesture ever undertaken by your protagonist.
read moreMystery – January 14
“The essence of fascism is to make laws forbidding everything and then enforce them selectively against your enemies.” -John Lescroart, born this date in 1948. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist manipulates the outcome of a conflict by selectively enforcing rules to favor one of the participants.
read moreSciFi/Fantasy – January 14
“The hardest lie I’ve ever told is that I could live without you.” -Hana, who on this date in 4358 will realize she loves Oh So-jin. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s expertise is reversed on your protagonist to achieve an unexpected outcome.
read moreSecondary – January 14
Albert Schweitzer, born on this date in 1875, strove to define a universal ethical philosophy. Describe the implications of a credible exception to an ethical belief you consider universal.
read morePrimary – January 14
What do you think is the most interesting thing you will do this year?
read moreLiterary – January 13
“Everything becomes symbol and irony when you’ve been betrayed.” -Jay McInerney, in Bright Lights, Big City, born on this date in 1955. Writing prompt: Write a scene in whch your protagonist revisits a place or object that’s important to your protag after being betrayed by the person who made it important.
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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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