Literary – January 30

“Finding is losing something else. I think about, perhaps even mourn, what I lost to find this.” From “Loading Mercury with a Pitchfork” by Richard Gary Brautigan, born this date in 1935. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist loses something important because s/he finds something else.

Journaling + Fiction – January 30

“Life is either a great adventure or nothing.”Helen Keller Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about the greatest adventure you’ve had to date. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist stumbles on his/her first step to a planned great adventure.

Big Questions – January 30

If you were going to be away from home for months on a trip, what would you take with you besides your daily necessities? 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...

Romance – January 30

Each time I see you againI fall to piecesHow can I be just your friend? – Patsy Cline, whose “I Fall to Pieces” was released on this date in 1961 before becoming Billboard’s song of that year. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist encounters her/his long-lost true love while in the company of a lesser romantic partner.

Mystery – January 30

“Memory, Agent Starling, is what I have instead of a view.”- Hannibal Lecter in the film version of The Silence of the Lambs, which premiered on this date in 1991. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must get information from a person who has not seen the sky in many years, and knows that s/he never will again.

SciFi/Fantasy – January 30

“War is the unfolding of miscalculations.” -Barbara Tuchman, born this date in 1912. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which an argument over a minor issue between your protagonist and an authority figure becomes a conflagration because of mutual miscalculations.

Secondary – January 30

“I do not look upon these United States as a finished product. We are still in the making.” -US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, born on this date in 1882. Describe what you think is the biggest unfinished project remaining in the country’s making.

Primary – January 30

What character from the movies do you most admire, and why?