Romance – December 8

“Love is the strange bewilderment that overtakes one person on account of another person.” -James Thurber, born on this date in 1894. Writing prompt: Write a scene of initial bewilderment for a secondary character in your story.

Romance – December 7

Harry Chapin, best known for his fantastically melancholic “Cat’s in the Cradle,” was born on this date in 1942. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist describes her or his deepest, truest feelings about her or his father to a trusted friend.

Romance – December 6

“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.” -Khalil Gibran, born this date in 1883. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your antagonist achieves an essential realization because of a painful experience.

Romance – December 5

“She believed in the principle of enoughness.” -Calvin Trillin, born this date in 1935. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist gives up getting what s/he really wants because a friend convinces her/him that what s/he has is enough.

Romance – December 4

“There are quantities of human faces, but there are many more faces, for each person has several.” -Rainer Maria Rilke, born this date in 1875. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist discovers a close friend has at least two more faces than your protag expected.

Romance – December 3

“Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men.” -Joseph Conrad, born this date in 1857. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which a simple task is made difficult for your protagonist by the participation of a member of another gender.

Romance – December 2

“Hope is a horrible thing, you know. I don’t know who decided to package hope as a virtue because it’s not. It’s a plague.” -Ann Patchett, born this date in 1963. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which a character realizes what s/he thought was a strategy was really nothing more than hope.

Romance – December 1

“I do not pick the wrong guys. They pick me.” -Candace Bushnell, born this date in 1958. Writing prompt: Write the scene in which your protagonist realizes why inappropriate suitors constantly pick her/him.