Romance – May 8

“The past is a palimpsest. Early memories are always obscured by accumulations of later knowledge.” -Pat Barker, born this date in 1943. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist gains knowledge that irretrievably upends one of her/his favorite memories.

Mystery – May 8

Andrew Svenson, the unnamed Stratemeyer Syndicate author behind many Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries and other young-adult adventures of earlier generations, was born on this date in 1910. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist learns that someone else is going to get the credit for something your protag achieved.

SciFi/Fantasy – May 8

“It must be, I thought, one of the race’s most persistent and comforting hallucinations to trust that ‘”‘it can’t happen here'”‘ — that one’s own time and place is beyond cataclysm.”- John Wyndham describing the 8th of May, a day the he made better known as the Day of the Triffids. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must lead a group of...

Secondary – May 8

Born on this day in 1937, Thomas Pynchon said, “If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.” Explain your understanding of this idea.

Primary – May 8

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” -Harry Truman, 33rd president of the United States, born on this date in 1884. Why do you think a US President would say that?

Literary – May 7

“A battler is someone who struggles forever and will never, ever, really get anywhere.” -Two-time Booker Prize recipient Peter Carey, born this date in 1943. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must confront her/his fear that s/he will never amount to anything more than a battler.

Journaling + Fiction – May 7

“Learning never exhausts the mind.”Leonardo da Vinci Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about why you’d be excited to learn about a new subject you’ve been interested in for a while. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist exhausts an ally by trying to teach the ally a new skill.

Big Questions – May 7

Should you stay or should you go? 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...