Mystery – November 11

Belle Gunness, after her birth on this date in 1859, immigrated to the United States in 1881 and proceeded to murder more than 40 people — mostly wealthy lovelorn men she lured to her farm through personals ads — and then disappeared without trace. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist discovers an elderly person against whom a crime has been committed is a long-sought criminal...

Mystery – November 10

Newspapers reported that 36 copies of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five were burned in North Dakota on this date in 1973. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is faced with something that is not a crime, but should be.

Mystery – November 9

“Like those imperceptible insects which, having once penetrated the root of a tree devour it in a single night, suspicion, when it invades our minds, soon develops itself and destroys our firmest beliefs.” -Émile Gaboriau, creator of the fictional bridge between Poe’s Dupin and Doyle’s Holmes, Monsieur Lecoq, born this date in 1832. Writing prompt: Write the scene in which a suspicion about her/his...

Mystery – November 8

Edgar-winning novelist, short storyist, editor, anthologist, columnist, and non-fiction author Jon Breen was born on this date in 1943. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is forced to reflect on his/her faith or lack thereof.

Mystery – November 7

“Do just once what others say you can’t do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again.” -Captain James Cook, born on this date in 1728. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist proves wrong someone who assumes your protag suffers from a limitation your protag actually does suffer from.

Mystery – November 6

Writing prompt: Write the scene that explains the source of your protagonist’s opinion about whether it is a greater tragedy for an innocent person to be imprisoned or for a guilty person to go free.

Mystery – November 5

“History is mostly guessing; the rest is prejudice.” -Will Durant, born this date in 1885. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist learns that a guess s/he’d made about a suspect was purely prejudice.

Mystery – November 4

Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist tells a close friend about the time s/he got in the most trouble as a child.