Mystery – October 11

” ‘You never know what somebody might tell you,’ Chris said, ‘when they think you’re somebody else.’ ” -Elmore Leonard, born this date in 1925. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist learns something unexpected because s/he is mistaken for someone else.

Mystery – October 10

“Life is never as long as we want it to be, and wasted time can never be recovered.” -JD Robb, born along with Nora Roberts on this date in 1950. Writing prompt: Write a scene describing your protagonist’s perfectly wasted day.

Mystery – October 9

Tony Shalhoub was born on this date in 1953. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which the thing that your protagonist considers most annoying competes for her/his attention at a crucial moment.

Mystery – October 8

Kate “Ma” Barker was born on this date in 1873. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist learns the brains behind a crook is the crook’s mom.

Mystery – October 7

“Expect the worst and you won’t be disappointed.” -Helen MacInnes, born this date in 1907. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist expects the worst and discovers his/her expectation was a best-case scenario.

Mystery – October 6

The Reno brothers carried out the first of the first three train robberies in U.S. history on this date in 1866. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is called to solve the first infraction of its kind ever committed.

Mystery – October 5

On this date in 1892, the townspeople of Coffeyville, Kansas, shot the Dalton Brothers to pieces as the gang tried to rob C.M. Condon & Company’s Bank and the First National Bank. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must figure out which one of a homogenous mob of vigilantes did the dirty deed.

Mystery – October 4

Talmage Powell — who wrote more than 500 short stories and novels as Robert Hart Davis, Robert Henry, Milton T. Lamb, Milton Land, Jack McCready, Anne Talmage, Dave Sands, and Ellery Queen — was born on this date in 1920. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist discovers that a person of interest answers to several different names.