Romance – June 17

On this date in 1631, the wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan died. He was so grief-stricken by her death that he spent the next 22 years building a mausoleum commensurate with his memory of her: the Taj Mahal. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must decide how to commemorate the life of a person important to your protag.

Romance – June 16

“In love there are two things — bodies and words.” -Joyce Carol Oates, born this date in 1938. Writing prompt: Write a scene of intense physicality between your protagonist and another person composed only using dialogue.

Romance – June 15

Born on this date in 1921, Erroll Garner’s classic Misty became Johnny Mathis’ signature hit with lyrics by Johnny Burke. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist realizes that someone who makes your protag feel misty will never reciprocate your protag’s...

Romance – June 14

“For me, stripping was an unusual kind of escape. I had nothing to escape but privilege, but I claimed asylum anyway. At twenty-four, it was my last chance to reject something and become nothing. I wanted to terrify myself. Mission accomplished.” -Diablo Cody, born this date in 1978. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist chooses to do the thing that most terrifies...

Romance – June 13

“The great advantage about telling the truth is that nobody ever believes it.” -Dorothy Sayers, creator of Lord Peter Wimsey, born this date in 1893. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s truth-telling allows her/him to get away with the misdeed about which s/he is speaking.

Romance – June 12

“Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual, and cannot be infringed by the State.” On this date in 1967, the US Supreme Court ruled in the Loving v. Virginia decision written by Chief Justice Earl Warren that states could not outlaw interracial marriages. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist introduces a romantic...

Romance – June 11

“Beware of using up your last forty years in being the curator of your first fifty.” -Allan Gurganus, born this date in 1947. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist receives and ignores advice s/he’ll later wish s/he’d embraced.

Romance – June 10

On this date in 1943, Laszlo Biro invented the ball-point pen. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist contemplates all the different ways s/he could use a ball-point pen to hurt someone who really deserves it.