Big Questions – December 19

Should the government assist terminally ill people in choosing when to die? 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...

Romance – December 19

“I want to make people cry even when they don’t understand my words.” – Édith Piaf, born this date in 1915. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist causes someone to cry without speaking any...

Mystery – December 19

Robert Urich, star of the TV show Spenser: for Hire — based on Robert B. Parker’s Spenser novels — was born on this date in 1946. Spenser’s sidekick, Hawk, once accused Spenser of spending too much time reading: “You know more stuff that don’t make you money than anybody I know.” Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist proves s/he is an expert in an...

SciFi/Fantasy – December 19

“Truth is the one thing you can never intimidate.”- Brandon Sanderson, born this date in 1975. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist fails to intimidate truth and so must deal with its consequences.

Secondary – December 19

Benjamin Franklin began publishing Poor Richard’s Almanack on this date in 1732. One of his famous sayings was, “Do me the favor to deny me at once.” What do you think he meant when he wrote that?

Primary – December 19

Benjamin Franklin began publishing Poor Richard’s Almanack on this date in 1732. One of his famous sayings was, “It is wise not to seek a secret, and honest not to reveal it.” What do you think he meant when he wrote that?

The 99/1 Rule, WOM, and Your Best Effort

One of my Facebook groups is discussing The Red Pen of Doom’s article “The Twitter, it is NOT for selling books.” The author, @speechwriterguy, posits an important point: “Twitter isn’t built to sell books. Or anything else.” I agree. His post, which is long, analyzes a range of variables in terms of mass media, name recognition, numbers of followers, etc., and arrives at a very challenging conclusion: “The new...

Literary – December 18

“Sometimes you can do things for others that you can’t do for yourself.” -A.M. Homes, born this date in 1961. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist achieves for an ungrateful friend the very thing your protagonist knows s/he must do for her/himself but cannot.