A word about self-publishing for writers so inclined.

The fact that no one in the legacy publishing industry knows what makes a best seller is indisputable. That fact does not mean everyone in the legacy publishing industry is an idiot. Even if J.K. Rowling experienced a dozen rejections before selling Harry Potter, and even if James Redfield self-published and sold more than 80,000 copies of The Celestine Prophecy from the trunk of his car, traditional (sometimes...

Literary – April 20

Joan Miró was born on this date in 1893. Writing prompt: Describe from your protagonist’s point of view this famous Miro work.

Journaling + Fiction – April 20

“Wise leaders generally have wise counselors because it takes a wise person themselves to distinguish them.”Diogenes Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about what you learned from observing someone you respected surrounding him or herself with people you did not respect. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist realizes all her/his allies lack the wisdom necessary...

Big Questions – April 20

Who’s your hero? Journaling prompt: Spend 15-20 minutes writing your answer in the spirit of exploring yourself and the world around you. If you can answer with a simple “yes” or “no,” explain the sources or implications of your response. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene that forces a character in your story to answer the question, or spend 15-20 minutes answering the question in the voice of a character...

Romance – April 20

“In LA, you think you’re making something up, but it’s making you up.” -Steve Erickson, born this date in 1950. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s reality is inverted.

Mystery – April 20

“It will be found, in fact, that the ingenious are always fanciful, and the truly imaginative never otherwise than analytic.”- Edgar Allan Poe in “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” the prototypical detective story that first appeared in print on this date in 1841. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must suffer an insufferably incompetent law enforcement authority.

SciFi/Fantasy – April 20

“Real magic can never be made by offering someone else’s liver. You must tear out your own, and not expect to get it back.”- Peter S. Beagle, born this date in 1939. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must sacrifice a part of him/herself to achieve a goal.

Secondary – April 20

“And it seems to me important for a country, for a nation to certainly know about its glorious achievements but also to know where its ideals failed, in order to keep that from happening again.” -George Takei, born on this date in 1937. Explain what you consider to be the most important failing of your country’s ideals.