Literary – December 14

“I have always loved to use fear, to take it and comprehend it and make it work and consolidate a situation where I was afraid and take it whole and work from there.” -Shirley Jackson, born this date in 1916. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your characters discuss the origin and implications of the primary dread in your story without ever naming it.

Journaling + Fiction – December 14

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about what’s on the other side of your vast and endless sea. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist learns that management and leadership are not the...

Big Questions – December 14

Who least deserves forgiveness at this moment? 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...

Romance – December 14

On this day in 1967, Dionne Warwick’s version of Hal David and Burt Bacharach’s “I Say a Little Prayer” topped the charts. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist describes the kind of partner that would make her/him feel this way every day of his or her...

Mystery – December 14

Amy Hempel, who starts each story with the last line and writes until she gets to it, was born on this date in 1951. Writing prompt: Outline the story that leads to this last line: “Yes,” I said. “Isn’t it pretty to think so?”

SciFi/Fantasy – December 14

Michel de Nostredame, better known as Nostradamus, was born in France on this date in 1503. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist learns a hard lesson about trusting someone who claims to know the future.

Secondary – December 14

Michel de Nostredame, better known as Nostradamus, was born in France on this date in 1503. Explain why you agree or disagree with the idea that it is possible to predict the future with substantial accuracy.

Primary – December 14

On this date in 1911,  Roald Amundsen of Norway and his team became the first people to reach the South Pole on Antarctica, which was the last continent explored by humans. Where do you think humans should explore next, and why?