SciFi/Fantasy – May 22

The original Great Train Robbery took place in Marshfield, Indiana on this date in 1868 when members of the Reno Gang stole $98,000 (about $1.6 million in today’s dollars). Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is invited to participate in a particularly audacious and lucrative crime.

SciFi/Fantasy – May 21

Al Franken was born on this date in 1951. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which a fool proves a better advisor than a serious person.

SciFi/Fantasy – May 20

Henry Miller said, “One can be absolutely truthful and sincere even though admittedly the most outrageous liar. Fiction and invention are of the very fabric of life.” Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist fabricates a lie that tells more truth about him/her than what s/he’s trying to...

SciFi/Fantasy – May 19

On this date in 1588, the Spanish Armada left Lisbon for England, where it was devastated by the English navy under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake a few months later. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist learns that a prior celebration in which s/he participated has become a marker of profound...

SciFi/Fantasy – May 18

Persian poet Omar Khayyam, born on this date in 1048, wrote that “Whoever thinks algebra is a trick in obtaining unknowns has thought it in vain.” Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s reaction to a mathematical challenge reveals the role math plays in the dominant culture of the world you’ve...