Literary – January 27

Musical prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on this date in 1756. He believed his ideas flowed best and most abundantly while undertaking boring routines. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which the process of following a daily routine causes your protagonist to unravel a knotty problem.

Literary – January 26

“There is not a physicist in the world who can perceive when a parlor magician palms off playing-cards.” -Charles Hoy Fort, who on this date in 1931 attended the first meeting of the Fortean Society. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s expertise in one area makes it impossible for her/him to see s/he is being fooled in another.

Literary – January 25

“On the outskirts of every agony sits some observant fellow who points.” -Virginia Woolf, born on this date in 1882. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which one of your protagonist’s acquaintances describes in detail his/her observations about something your protag would rather not have been noticed.

Literary – January 24

Edith Wharton, who famously compared a woman’s interior life to great house full of rooms, was born on this date in 1862. She warned against a “common symptom of immaturity, the dread of doing what has been done before.” Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist decides to do something s/he fears will fail simply because it’s the opposite of what’s caused her/his failures...

Literary – January 23

Marie-Henri Beyle, better known among his scores of pen names as Stendahl, was born on this date in 1783. The first practitioner of realism in fiction, he was also a voracious plagiarist. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s mother or most loyal friend discovers your protag cheating.

Literary – January 22

On this date in 1973, the US Supreme Court invalidated state laws prohibiting abortion in its Roe v. Wade decision. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s counsel is sought by a pregnant friend desperately seeking support for a decision that runs contrary to your protag’s beliefs.

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...

Literary – January 20

“Absurdity is what I like most in life,” said David Lynch, born on this date in 1946, “and there’s humor in struggling in ignorance.” Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist flails at something in ignorance and appears funny to everyone except your protag.