SciFi/Fantasy – April 1

“Make no judgements where you have no compassion.” -Anne McCaffrey, born this date in 1926. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is judged without compassion by someone with great power over your protagonist.

SciFi/Fantasy – March 31

“You’re trying to divide by zero.” On this date in 1951, the Remington Rand Corporation contracted to deliver the first Universal Automatic Computer, or UNIVAC, to the US Census Bureau. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist encounters the original example of a tool or technology that later transformed the world you’re created.

SciFi/Fantasy – March 30

“There is such a thing as anaesthesia of pain, engendered by pain too exquisite to be borne.”- Jack London On this date in 1842, Crawford Long was the first doctor to use anesthetic in surgery. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist suffers through the original, painful version of a relatively common experience in the world you’ve created that used to be excruciatingly unpleasant...

SciFi/Fantasy – March 29

Remember, when you’re feeling very small and insecureHow amazingly unlikely is your birthAnd pray that there’s intelligent life somewhere up in space’Cause there’s bugger-all down here on Earth! – Eric Idle, born this date in 1943, in his performance of Monty Python’s The Galaxy Song. Writing prompt: Describe through your protagonist’s point of view the prevailing...

SciFi/Fantasy – March 28

“We notice things that don’t work. We don’t notice things that do.”- Douglas Adams On this date in 1979, a cooling system failed at the nuclear power plant on Three Mile Island. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which something in the world you’ve created that its inhabitants rarely notice causes utter panic when they do.

SciFi/Fantasy – March 27

“Here’s how it is: The Earth got used up, so we moved out and terraformed a whole new galaxy of Earths. Some rich and flush with the new technologies, some not so much. The Central Planets, thems formed the Alliance, waged war to bring everyone under their rule; a few idiots tried to fight it, among them myself.” – Captain Mal Reynolds as portrayed by Nathan Fillion, who was born on this...

SciFi/Fantasy – March 26

“It is only when a man tames his own demons that he becomes the king of himself if not of the world.” – Joseph Campbell, born this date in 1904. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which a hero earns the admiration of your protagonist.

SciFi/Fantasy – March 25

“Just because we’re three million years into deep space and the human species is extinct? That means nothing to these people. They’ll find us.” This is Gazpacho Soup Day in Red Dwarf’s 2180. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is humiliated when s/he proves ignorant of a commonly known fact.