SciFi/Fantasy – January 4

“I’m Death, and I make sure that everyone is equal.” -Jakob Grimm, born this date in 1785. Writing prompt: Write the scene in which your protagonist first hears the childhood folk tale your protag considers most influential in his/her life.

SciFi/Fantasy – January 3

“It’s wisdom to recognize necessity, when all other courses have been weighed, though as folly it may appear to those who cling to false hope.” -John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, born this date in 1892. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must persuade a group of false-hoping allies that s/he is not leading them on an irrational course.

SciFi/Fantasy – January 2

“If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.” -Isaac Asimov, born this date in 1920. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which an exception proves this rule.

SciFi/Fantasy – January 1

“The Queng Ho counted from the instant that a human had first set foot on Old Earth’s moon.” -Vernor Vinge, describing the moment the UNIX operating system began keeping time on this date in 1970. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s life depends on carefully tracking time with no means to do so.

SciFi/Fantasy – December 31

“That was the difference between a hero and a villain, a soldier and a murderer, a victory and a crime. Which side of a river you called home.”- Joe Abercrombie, born this date in 1974. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist realizes s/he’s dining with people who would consider her/his greatest triumph a total disaster.

SciFi/Fantasy – December 30

“Blame is just a lazy person’s way of making sense of chaos.”- Douglas Coupland, born this date in 1961. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist deflects blame for a mistake s/he made onto a blameless innocent.

SciFi/Fantasy – December 29

“I went to Poe’s funeral yesterday. There was a minister, four mourners, and a grave digger. The grave digger called me a damned nigger and chased me off.”- Mason Algiers Reynolds, who on this date in Rudy Rucker’s 1836 entered the Hollow Earth aboard the Wasp. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist undertakes an adventure with his/her favorite historical character in the world...

SciFi/Fantasy – December 28

“I used to be embarrassed because I was just a comic-book writer while other people were building bridges or going on to medical careers.”- Stan Lee, born this date in 1922. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist describes the impact on him/herself of the person in the world you’ve created who is most recognized as a fantastic hero.