Mystery – December 25

Born on this date in 1899, Humphrey Bogart portrayed the stereotypical hard-boiled private eye in many films. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which a group of your protagonist’s friends debate and decide which stereotype your protagonist represents, and which actor best exemplifies that kind of role.

SciFi/Fantasy – December 25

“I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people.”- Isaac Newton, born this date in 1642. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your antagonist’s carefully considered analysis of another character’s likely course of action proves horribly mistaken.

Killing clichés

One rule writers learn early is to kill clichés. To prove the point, I will define my terms with a tired trope of the copywriter: cli·ché  /klēˈSHā/ Noun: A phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought. A very predictable or unoriginal thing or person. If anyone asks why writers should eliminate clichés from their work, the answer is usually brief, to the point, and wrong:...

Literary – December 24

“Victory in combat is like sex with a prostitute. For a moment you forget everything in the sudden physical rush, but then you have to pay your money to the woman showing you the door. You see the dirt on the walls and your sorry image in the mirror.” -Karl Marlantes, born this date in 1944. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist loses because s/he wins.

Journaling + Fiction – December 24

“The love of knowledge is a kind of madness.”C.S. Lewis Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a discipline about which you’re passionate that few others care about or understand. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist drives everyone else crazy talking about something s/he recently learned.

Big Questions – December 24

Which of your five senses do you most fear losing? 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...

Romance – December 24

“Because I was promoted as a sort of a siren and played all those sexy broads, people made the mistake of thinking I was like that off the screen. They couldn’t have been more wrong.” – Ava Gardner, born this date in 1922. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which a person in whom your protagonist is romantically interested makes a faulty assumption about your protagonist because of her/his...

Mystery – December 24

42-time best-seller Mary Higgins Clark was born on this date in 1927. For a time, she worked as a Pan Am stewardess. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist describes working at a job no one would expect s/he one did.