Journaling + Fiction – November 5

“It’s not a silly question if you can’t answer it.”Jostein Gaarder Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about the hardest question you’ve ever had to answer. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist fails to get a straight answer from someone who should have it.

Journaling + Fiction – November 4

“It is so easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements compared with what we owe to the help of others.”Dietrich Bonhoeffer Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about the person to whom you owe the most for your greatest success. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist tries but fails to do something nice for an ally who helped your protagonist complete an...

Journaling + Fiction – November 3

“I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.”Diogenes Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about what you feel you’re most ignorant about right now. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your antagonist shows your protagonist the facts of your protagonist’s ignorance.

Journaling + Fiction – November 2

“There can be no daily democracy without daily citizenship.”Ralph Nader Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about how your daily citizenship routine varies from ideal. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist realizes s/he’s missed something important going on because s/he has failed to attend to a little bit of daily citizenship.

Journaling + Fiction – November 1

“Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues.”K’ung Fu-tzu Journal prompt: Reflect on your previous journal entries and spend at least 20 minutes writing about what you could afford to be a bit more humble about. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s lack of humility leads to your protagonist’s humiliation.

Journaling + Fiction – October 31

“This is a good sign, having a broken heart. It means we have tried for something.”Elizabeth Gilbert Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about the first time your heart was broken. Fiction writing prompt: Write the scene in which your protagonist’s heart was first broken.

Journaling + Fiction – October 30

“Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.”James A. Michener Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about something you had to do three or four times to get right. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is imperiled by someone who makes only one try at something that needs at least two.

Journaling + Fiction – October 29

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”George Bernard Shaw Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about an issue on which you should be more unreasonable. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist makes progress by making a...