SciFi/Fantasy – April 20

“Real magic can never be made by offering someone else’s liver. You must tear out your own, and not expect to get it back.”- Peter S. Beagle, born this date in 1939. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist must sacrifice a part of him/herself to achieve a goal.

SciFi/Fantasy – April 19

“Our will to survive is what sets us apart from the machines.”- Kyle Reese, referring to Skynet, which gained self-awareness on this date in The Terminator’s 2011. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s protector turns on him/her.

SciFi/Fantasy – April 18

“There’s always a way. When the odds are impossible — do the impossible.”- Superman, who appeared for the first time on this date in 1938. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist confidently sets out to achieve the impossible, fails in spectacular fashion, and prevails because of that failure.

SciFi/Fantasy – April 17

“If I had followed my better judgment always, my life would have been a very dull one.”- Edgar Rice Burroughs, who on this date in 1907 was promoted to manage the Stenographic Department of Sears, Roebuck, and Co. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist starts a great job s/he will regret forever.

SciFi/Fantasy – April 16

“I confess that in 1901 I said to my brother Orville that man would not fly for fifty years.”- Wilbur Wright, born this date in 1867. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which a statement your protagonist made years before comes back to haunt her/him.

SciFi/Fantasy – April 15

“The map is not the territory.”- Alfred Korzybski On this date in 1924, Rand McNally released its first road atlas of the United States. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist finds him/herself in mortal jeopardy because a map isn’t accurate.

SciFi/Fantasy – April 14

“Moving forward in science is as much unwinding the distorted thinking of the past as it is putting a clearer idea on the table.” – J. Craig Venter, who led the team that completed the Human Genome Project on this date in 2003. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s parents describe how their culture originally explained hereditary traits.

SciFi/Fantasy – April 13

“A desperate disease requires a dangerous remedy.” – Guy Fawkes, born this date in 1570. Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist to declares her/his opinion about a plot to kill a leader to a friend who responds unexpectedly.