Romance – September 18

“There are many things in your heart you can never tell to another person. They are you, your private joys and sorrows, and you can never tell them. You cheapen yourself, the inside of yourself, when you tell them.” -Greta Garbo, born this date in 1905. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist tells what’s in her/his heart to someone who immediately proves unworthy of hearing...

Mystery – September 18

“Missed it by that much.”- Maxwell Smart, who premiered in Get Smart this date in 1965. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must explain a dramatic failure to a superior.

SciFi/Fantasy – September 18

“The phenomenon develops calmly, but it is invisible, unstoppable.”- Jean Bernard Léon Foucault, born this date in 1819. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which a fundamental constant of the world you’ve created prevents your protagonist from achieving an essential goal.

Secondary – September 18

Lance Armstrong was born this date in 1971. Describe your opinion about whether a person can be an inspirational leader if the reason he or she achieved that position is because he or she took a shortcut to get there.

Primary – September 18

Samuel Johnson, who wrote the first dictionary, was born on this date in 1709. How would you start a project that requires you to do something no one has ever done before?

Literary – September 17

“I’d rather be a lightning rod than a seismograph.” -Ken Kesey, born this date in 1935. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must choose between being a strange attractor and a recorder.

Journaling + Fiction – September 17

“You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created.”Albert Einstein Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a breakthrough solution that occurred on a different level than the problem it fixed. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must enlarge a problem to solve it.

Big Questions – September 17

Would you be willing to be facially disfigured to acquire great financial wealth? 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...