Mystery – August 18

“Set a thief to catch a thief.” David F. Dodge was born on this date in 1910. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must persuade the authorities that s/he didn’t commit a crime that resembles in every detail your protagonist’s style.

Mystery – August 17

“We can honor what lies behind us without being a slave to it.”- Steve Hockensmith, born this date in 1968. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is dropped in the middle of an entirely different time, place, or genre.

Mystery – August 16

“It made her throat ache with unhappiness to meet that look of his that rested on her face without seeing it.”- Georgette Heyer, born on this date in 1902. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist realizes someone s/he cares about doesn’t reciprocate the feelings.

Mystery – August 15

“A few people, some of them sharp, said he ought to think about Brian Avery, so he thought about him. Avery was a promising cop, and Mrs Avery had promise too.”- Bill James, born this date in 1929. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which a citizen explains to your protagonist in no uncertain terms why the police are worse than the criminals.

Mystery – August 14

“I said to him one day, ‘Doctor, don’t your conscience ever trouble you?'” ‘No,’ he replied, with that peculiar cough of his, ‘I coughed that up with my lungs long ago.’ ” John T. Deweese, Doc Holliday’s attorney, was born on this date in 1851. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist realizes her/his colleague has no...

Mystery – August 13

“There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.”- Alfred Hitchcock, born this date in 1899. Writing prompt: Write a scene that ends in a different bang that your protagonist expected.

Mystery – August 12

“The world doesn’t come to the clever folks, it comes to the stubborn, obstinate, one-idea-at-a-time people.”- Mary Roberts Rinehart, born this date in 1876. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist misses an important clue by being too clever by half.

Mystery – August 11

“When I was married to Sunny, we never got this table. Now, two injections of insulin and I’m a doctor.” Claus von Bülow was born on this date in 1926. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is forced to accomplish a trivial task for a person whose tremendous wealth and privilege protected her/him from conviction for a murder your protagonist believes s/he...