Literary – October 13

“All my humor is based upon destruction and despair. If the whole world were tranquil, without disease and violence, I’d be standing on the breadline right in back of J. Edgar Hoover.” -Lenny Bruce, born this date in 1925. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist interprets tranquility as destruction.

Literary – October 12

“You don’t write about the horrors of war. No. You write about a kid’s burnt socks lying in the road.” -Richard Price, born this date in 1949. Writing prompt: Describe from your protagonist’s point of view and in your protag’s voice the most life-altering image s/he has ever encountered.

Literary – October 11

“If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads, but what he rereads.” -François Mauriac, born this date in 1885. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must defend regularly rereading a particular book.

Literary – October 10

“There are some things one remembers even though they may never have happened.” -Harold Pinter, born this date in 1930. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist relates an important memory to someone who denies it ever happened.

Literary – October 9

“We must make demands of reason and create a life worthy of ourselves and of the goals we only dimly perceive.” -Andrei Sakharov, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on this date in 1975. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which reason fails your protagonist in her/his quest to understand her/his life’s goal.

Literary – October 8

“Lie gently and wide to the light-year stars, lie back, and the sea will hold you.” -Philip Booth, born this date in 1925. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is forced to share a meal with someone who was once a friend and became far more successful in your protag’s field of endeavor than your protag did.

Literary – October 7

“We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon.” -William Zinsser, born this date in 1922. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist uses frills and jargon to disguise an important truth from a close relative.

Literary – October 6

“Progress is man’s ability to complicate simplicity.” -Thor Heyerdahl, born this date in 1914. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist cannot make progress because s/he needlessly complicates a situation.