Literary – April 17

“The cure for anything is salt water — sweat, tears, or the sea.” -Karen Blixen, better known by her pen name Isak Dinesen,  born this date in 1885. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist requires and takes all three variants of Dinesen’s salt water cure.

Literary – April 16

“He was of the faith chiefly in the sense that the church he currently did not attend was Catholic.” -Kingsley Amis, born this date in 1922. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which the nature of your protagonist’s religious faith becomes the subject of a discussion between people s/he’d rather not discuss the topic.

Literary – April 15

“She is written in a foreign tongue.” -Henry James, born this date in 1843. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist discovers that s/he and a new acquaintance are from two nations separated by a common language.

Literary – April 14

On this date in 1828, Noah Webster published the first dictionary of American English. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which inaccurate spelling causes your protagonist to suffer a dangerous crisis.

Literary – April 13

“Habit is a great deadener.” -Samuel Beckett, born this date in 1906. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist resolves to change a habit s/he discovers is deadening her/him.

Literary – April 12

Writing prompt: Write a “lifetime of advice” letter from your protagonist to a new-born nephew or niece.

Literary – April 11

“Two or three things I know for sure, and one of them is the way you can both hate and love something you are not sure you understand.” -Dorothy Allison, born this date in 1949. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must decide the fate of something s/he both hates and loves.

Literary – April 10

“Fiction gives us the second chances that life denies us.” -Paul Theroux, born this date in 1941. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist realizes s/he won’t get a second chance.