Literary – January 21

“We like to invent ‘what if’ scenarios — what if x had never happened, what if y had happened instead? — because we like to believe that individual decisions make a difference: that, if not for x, or if only there had been y, history might have plunged forever down a completely different path.” -Louis Menand, born this date in 1952. Writing prompt: Write your protagonist’s...

Journaling + Fiction – January 21

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”T.S. Eliot Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a time you pushed the envelope with positive results. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist goes too far.

Big Questions – January 21

How do you feel about a romantic partner earning significantly less money than 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...

Romance – January 21

“If we all were judged according to the consequences of all our words and deeds, beyond the intention, we should all be condemned.”-T.S. Eliot in his play that premiered in New York City on this date in 1950. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which a stranger’s generous intervention prevents an ugly break-up between your protagonist and her/his romantic partner.

Mystery – January 21

“For a man of society, even for a civilian, a small Browning was as obligatory and as useless an accessory to his toilet as a tie or a cane.”- Leonid Sobolev in Major Repairs, describing the influence of John Moses Browning, born this date in 1855. Writing prompt: Write the scene that explains the origins of your protagonist’s preferred weapon, style of fighting, or decision to avoid any type of physical...

SciFi/Fantasy – January 21

This date marks two milestones in transportation history: In 1954, the first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, launched in Connecticut; in 1976, the world’s first and only supersonic passenger plane, the Concorde, entered service in Europe. Writing prompt: Write a scene that demonstrates how citizens of the world you’ve created perceive a revolution in transportation that radically changed their...

Secondary – January 21

To what tempation should you say “no” more than you do — and why don’t you?

Primary – January 21

If you could invent a holiday to celebrate anything in the universe, what would your holiday be and how would people celebrate it?