Literary – January 31

“There was that law of life, so cruel and so just, that one must grow or else pay more for remaining the same.” -Norman Mailer, born this date in 1923. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist deconstructs a moment from earlier in her/his life when s/he had a choice to grow or stay the same … and has since paid for making the wrong decision.

Journaling + Fiction – January 31

“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of being.”Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a time you helped someone become their best self. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which a person your protagonist counts on as a leader treats your protagonist as less than capable.

Big Questions – January 31

What scares you? 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...

Romance – January 31

“Every moment of one’s existence one is growing into more or retreating into less. One is always living a little more or dying a little bit.” -Norman Mailer, born this date in 1923. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must choose between growing and living, or retreating and dying, a little bit.

Mystery – January 31

“Anyone can love a perfect place. Loving Baltimore takes some resilience.”- Laura Lippman, born this date in 1959 (the same day on which Homicide: Life on the Street — based on a book about Baltimore — premiered in 1993). Writing prompt: In your protagonist’s voice, describe a place s/he loves that everyone else finds a little less than perfect.

SciFi/Fantasy – January 31

“I think we shrink from the immensity of the purpose we are here for.” -Norman Mailer, born on this date in 1923. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist shrinks before the immensity of her/his purpose.

Secondary – January 31

In Zane Gray’s best-known novel, Riders of the Purple Sage, he wrote, “At the end of the day faith is a funny thing.” He was born on this date in 1872 and started writing after studying dentistry on a baseball scholarship at Penn. Write your best definition of faith.

Primary – January 31

3M began selling Scotch tape on this date in 1930. Describe why you’d like to leave behind something that’s sticking to you right now.