Bum Glue

In her craft book Write Away: One Novelist’s Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life, Elizabeth George spends an entire chapter on the value of what she calls “bum glue.” She defines it as that which keeps one’s bottom firmly attached to the chair in which one sits while writing. Although bum glue goes by many different names, the vast majority of successful authors confirm – or, at least, confess – it’s the...

Literary – January 29

“Climbing K2 or floating the Grand Canyon in an inner tube; there are some things one would rather have done than do.” -Edward Abbey, born this date in 1927. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must do something s/he will be proud to tell people about, even though s/he actually does not want to do it.

Journaling + Fiction – January 29

“An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a very narrow field.”Niels Bohr Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about the subject at which you’ve become most expert through your mistakes. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which a group of people important to your protagonist learns that your protagonist is not the expert s/he claimed to...

Big Questions – January 29

If you knew you could not be caught, would you cheat to pass an important academic or occupational test? 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...

Romance – January 29

“We often color the potatoes to match the colors of the wedding.” From True Love, which won the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury prize on this date in 1989. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which an absurd manifestation of romance makes your protagonist reconsider his/her current romantic interest.

Mystery – January 29

“Popularity is the pocket change of history. The true measure is courage.”- Tom Selleck, born this date in 1945. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist learns a disillusioning fact about someone who inspired him/her to follow in the inspiration’s footsteps.

SciFi/Fantasy – January 29

“A lie is like a pet — you have to take care of it, or it’ll turn on you and bite you in the ass.” -Matthew Stover, born this date in 1962. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which a lie told by your protagonist turns and bites her/him.

Secondary – January 29

“Man is what he believes.” -Anton Chekhov, born on this date in 1860. Argue that Chekhov is missing the point using examples from personal experience.