August 2020
Daily Writing Prompts

Posted on August 31, 2020 by TC Editors

Write about a nap at an inappropriate time.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: bill, flood, modernize, history, hang.
2. Use the phrase, “Call me back.”
3. Write about finding something surprising.
Write about a tragic anniversary.
Write a coming-of-age story.
Write about plans cancelled by weather.
Start with this line: “I still remember…”
Write about stumbling across vital information.
Include a character with tattoos, a long beard, and black-rimmed glasses.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: change, veil, dribble, find, private.
2. Use the phrase, “Cook until done.”
3. Write about managing one’s losses.
Include these 3 characters: dancer, physiotherapist, massage therapist.
Write about being unable to count something.
Use these five words: sleeves, compensate, foundation, crispiest, homebodies
Use this: “I can do that. How am I going to do that?”
Write about a fictional game.
Use the phrase, “What happened to me?”
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: proper, awful, bucket, catalogue, continental.
2. Use the phrase, “I think it’s stuck.”
3. Write about an umbrella.
One character gives a concise statement of the situation.
Set your story during a thunderstorm.
Write about herding unwilling animals (or humans)
Start with this line: “It’s a bitter pill.”
Use this: “How did it get to be August already?”
Use these five words: stream, ocean, gingerbread, cautiously, devastating.
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1. Use the following five words: appointment, sum, bless, incentive, cafe.
2. Use the phrase, “Let’s just ignore that for now.”
3. Write about giving someone an unflattering nickname.
Use these five words: world, sticky, political, delicacy, doll.
Write about being annoyed by broken equipment.
Use these five words: crude, twisting, process, pie, failure.
Write about rewriting a business plan in a hurry.
Write about a restless neighborhood.
Use the phrase, “Who ordered that?”
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: cellar, clearance, indoor, annual, state.
2. Use the phrase, “I don’t even know what to ask.”
3. Write about trying to leave no footprints behind.
Write about the satisfaction of a job (almost) well done.

July 2020
Daily Writing Prompts

Posted on July 31, 2020 by TC Editors

Write about forgetting to turn the calendar
Write about a reconciliation.
Use the phrase, “That’s been cancelled, also.”
Use these five words: preach, junk, audio, risk, season.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Write about an anonymous message.
2. Use the phrase, “Is it everybody, or just me?”
3. Use the following five words: solid, cow, convention, dribble, invisible.
Use these five words: required, slush, smoke, exchange, palette.
Write about a dog who hides to avoid his/her pills.
Write about a character who needs PTSD therapy.
Write about sharing an anniversary with someone much younger.
Write about a miscommunication when texting.
Use the phrase, “What was I doing before lunch?”
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Write about a new, larger, machine.
2. Use the phrase, “the ones you love.”
3. Use the following five words: dog, battle, integration, deficiency, priority.
Write about a not-so-routine dentist visit.
Write about a budget travel trip.
Use the phrase, “What month is this again?”
Include these 3 characters: urban planner, architect, general manager.
Write about a bookshelf that collapses in the night.
Set your story on a late afternoon train.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Write about a garden. ·
2. Use the phrase, “maximum extent possible.”
3. Use the following five words: necklace, basin, understand, bold, contract.
Set your story in a hostel.
Write about preparing for a storm.
Use these five words: shame, finals, high-profile, catio, humor.
Write about trying to fix a mistake.
Write about your latest purchase.
Write about a really annoying typo.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: rise, margin, sea, return, redeem.
2. Use the phrase, “carnival atmosphere.”
3. Write about a fancy word for a simple idea
Rewrite the same scene, only in the dark.
Start with this line: “Your dinner is waiting.”
Write about carefully examining paper money.
Write about a mentor.
Answer a question with another question.

June 2020
Daily Writing Prompts

Posted on June 30, 2020 by TC Editors

Write a character talking to themselves.
Include these 3 characters: family doctor, medical assistant, pharmacist.
Use the phrase “Create a diversion.”
Use these five words: purchase, time, hungry, commutes, jacket.
Write about forgetting a weekly event.
Use these five words: scorpion, talent, curly, machine, better.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: hover. shallow, precede, depressed, traction.
2. Use the phrase, “What am I going to do about that?”
3. Write about a sunset.
Use these five words: model, insane, morning, skirt, criticizes.
Write about a garden.
Include these 3 characters in a story: zoologist, chemist, microbiologist.
Use the phrase “Orange paisley turtleneck.”
Write about elephants.
Write about losing track of the day of the week.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: decade, dramatic, ambiguous, slogan, organ.
2. Use the phrase, “Why is this so hard?”
3. Write about working around a broken or poorly designed widget.
Write about plans for an unusual birthday party.
Start with this line: “Privacy is an important issue.”
Write about cheating at solitaire.
Write about a devastating fire.
Write about someone with an unusual number of parents.
Write about taking a risk.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: filter, torch, assume, reluctance, listen.
2. Use the phrase, “I haven’t ever been there.”
3. Write about waiting for a delivery.
Start with this line: “____ isn’t having a good week.”
Write about waiting impatiently by the mailbox.
Include these 3 characters in a story: merchandise buyer, model, hairdresser
Write a conversation with a long gone friend or family member.
Set your story at a children’s playground.
A character realizes they really are different.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: exile, area, soldier, dangerous, extend.
2. Use the phrase, “Was there a sign that I missed?”
3. Write about something that’s on sale.
Write about turning in homework early.
Start with this line: “One day in [year], I got an email…”

May 2020
Daily Writing Prompts

Posted on May 31, 2020 by TC Editors

Write about Mayday used as a distress call
Use these five words: joint, cracks, unpopular, boiling, looking.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: fork, hate, galaxy, purpose, affinity.
2. Fill in the blank: “Did you think about ________?”
3. Write about morning without coffee.
Start with your protagonist slipping on ice.
Celebrating the birthday of someone who has died.
Start with this line: “That is a legal fiction.”
Write about sharing from abundance.
Write about good bacteria.
Write about a dinner party gone slightly wrong.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: knock, qualification, essay, fair, galaxy.
2. Use the phrase, “What is it you really want?”
3. Write about tea.
“Should I close the door when I leave?”
Start with this line: “It’s hard not to be impressed by…”
Write about the free offering of vital aid.
Start with this line: “It was a battle of the sexes.”
Write about the repeated “why?” question from a child.
Start with this line: “This should be a priority for you.”
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: release, teacher, gate, grimace, extinct.
2. Use the phrase, “Which way is north?”
3. Write about hearing voices without understanding words.
Start with this line: “You won’t be disappointed.”
“Tell me again why we’re doing this.”
Use these five words: natural, press, damaged, symbol, completed.
Write about working around a broken gadget.
Write about granting a river legal rights.
Write about seeing someone for the first time in years.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: punch, surgeon, jet, small, guitar.
2. Use the phrase, “Are you staying for dinner?”
3. Write about flipping a coin to make a decision.
Write about the elephant in the room.
Use these five words: opera, night, experimental, baby, thoughts.
Use the phrase, “We could do this a whole different way.”
Use these five words: hood, dismantled, vegetarian, episode, bridge.
Write about solitary regrets.
Write an obituary.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: black, main, aid, carve, suffer.
2. Use the phrase, “I hear what you’re saying.”
3. Write about the scent of whiskey.

April 2020
Daily Writing Prompts

Posted on April 30, 2020 by TC Editors

Write about the end of a very long month
Start with this line: “The statements made by _____ are pure grade-A bunk.”
Write about a census worker knocking on doors.
Use these five words: cushion, leather, figure, proud, moving.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: desire, quarter, pleasant, rung, promise.
2. Use the phrase, “Don’t try this at home.”
3. Write about struggling to stay awake.
Write about who you most admire.
Write about picking out a tune on a piano.
Start with this line: “Define ‘woman.'”
“Shall I turn all the lights on, or not?”
Include these 3 characters: event planner, cook, maintenance worker.
Write about improvising a toasted cheese sandwich.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: difficulty, fist, absorb, blonde, twilight.
2. Use the phrase, “Imagine this…”
3. Write about an interruption.
Write about making up a way to deal with stress.
Set your story on a rainy night.
Make up a 3rd inevitability: Death, Taxes, _______
Set your story on a humid evening.
Use the phrase “It’s easier to get forgiveness than permission.”
Write about fake news.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: consolidate, disagreement, familiar, read, bear.
2. Use the phrase, “What’s for lunch?”
3. Write about a stuffed animal.
Start your story in late afternoon.
Write about trying to work around that one crucial supply.
Start with this line: “It means that we survived.”
Drop everything and write a haiku.
Use these five words: questions, alternative, powering, art, reality.
Do you write in your books? Why or why not?
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: way, brain, flock, urge, convention.
2. Fill in the blank: “It’s the best thing to do with ________.”
3. Write about someone your character hasn’t thought about in years.
Write about a parade.
Start your story with a storm brewing.
Use the phrase, “But before that…”
Use these five words: visiting, amazing, chocolate, satellite, hourglass.

March 2020
Daily Writing Prompts

Posted on March 31, 2020 by TC Editors

Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: likely, powder, thick, formulate, flock.
2. Use the phrase, “knock on the door.”
3. Write about finding something that’s been lost for years.
Use these five words: contestants, cookies, recommendation, release, toxic.
Write about showing up late without your homework.
Write about a TEDx talk, real or imagined.
Write a more realistic version of a stress-induced dream.
Use these five words: communities, debut, employees, sexy, electric.
Write about trying to get a date on short notice.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: string, elephant, cream, market, misery.
2. Use the phrase, “Does anybody want this?”
3. Write about deciding what to do with a last hour together.
Write about those last few drops of wine in the glass.
Write a story about birders.
Write about a discussion about money.
Use these five words: zoo, target, date, mugged, variety.
Write about a small child watching construction vehicles.
Include these 3 characters: jewelry maker, artist, occupational therapist.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: promise, bridge, contain, fade, ivory.
2. Use the phrase, “There’s nothing new here.”
3. Write about forgetting to recharge a battery.
Start with this line: “You are what you do, not what you say.”
Fill in: “The ______ is the limit.”
Use these five words: DIY, undone, block, photograph, liar.
Write about being asked to leave a group.
Write about applying to be an astronaut.
Make up something that only happens on the Equinox.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: real, offense, hear, calm, merit.
2. Use the phrase, “We are the stuff of other people’s nightmares.”
3. Write about paying attention to breathing.
Write about an unusually nice day with a sudden turn in the weather.
Use these five words: lectured, crust, weave, cutting, introverts.
Write about someone else’s holiday.
Set your story in Hawaii.
Write about a strange noise in the night.
Set your story on a volunteer tourism trip.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: producer, bubble, accent, stamp, maximum.
2. Use the phrase, “Pay careful attention, here.”
3. Write about losing track of things changing.
Use these five words: exchange, safety, attempt, tail, defense.
Write about someone suddenly discovering they’re not alone.

February 2020
Daily Writing Prompts

Posted on February 29, 2020 by TC Editors

Get that story out of the drawer and work on it.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: picture, elegant, graze, cooperation, waist.
2. Use the phrase, “I don’t know who that is.”
3. Write about not participating in a popular activity.
“I see the problem. How am I going to fix it?”
Write about the power of story.
Write about a pet animal’s revenge.
Include these 3 characters in a story: landscape architect, editor, nanny.
Write about waiting for a storm.
Start your story in a chilly room.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: decline, bland, marble, flower, crevice.
2. Use the phrase, “You can’t get there in a car.”
3. Write about a bird with attitude.
Use these five words: flights, nefarious, highlights, cinnamon, bullying.
Write about explaining technology to an older person
Start your story with your MC surrounded by thick fog.
Invent a holiday celebrating something strange.
Use these five words: violins, modern, fixing, vase, premiere.
Write about dropping out of an activity.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: substitute, drag, acceptable, import, possible.
2. Use the phrase, “People have other things to do.”
3. Write about feeding an animal.
Fill in: “I’m a _________ and proud of it.”
Write about a life or death struggle.
Write about a premature thaw.
Use these five words: synopsis, mimics, easy, beginner, biggest.
Rewrite that story from someone else’s point of view.
Use these five words: authentic, magic, slipped, influencer, travel.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
Set your story in the suburbs.
Use the phrase, “There’s just one more thing…”
Start with this line: “Roughly twenty years ago…”
Write about pretending to understand what a bird is saying.
Include these 3 characters: roofer, real estate agent, construction manager.
Your character gets a birthday only every fourth year.

January 2020
Daily Writing Prompts

Posted on January 31, 2020 by TC Editors

Write about waking up the morning after.
Start with this line: “I was doing it at such a young age.”
Something urgent interrupts cooking.
Use these five words: reducing, hope, battle, stopping, happy.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: bolt, casualty, supplementary, see, normal. Bonus word: bitch.
2. Write about something that happened an exact multiple of years earlier.
3. Use the phrase, “Why is there only one?”
Write about being stuck inside the box.
Something once thought obvious that’s no longer true.
Start with this line: “I wish I could draw well.”
Answer the “How are you?” question honestly.
Write about balancing passion with making money.
Write about the emotion inspired by avocado green.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: outer, banish, oil, craftsman, falsify.
2. Write about a heroic animal.
3. Use the phrase, “Deeps of winter.”
Two characters with nothing in common but their shared birthday.
Start with this line: “I think that had a huge impact.”
Copy editor saves the day!
Start with this line: “What have you been up to lately?”
Use the phrase, “I thought that was tomorrow.”
Write about being gifted a kitchen appliance.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: burst, observe, boxes, world, ready.
2. Fill in the blank: “Why is there ________?”
3. Write about getting reacquainted with an old friend.
Start with this line: “Dream job alert!”
Use the phrase, “We need to talk.”
Set your story in a small town.
Use the phrase, “I cannot imagine…”
Write a story set on a film set.
Write about the smell of cinnamon.
Join us for a live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: treaty, fence, press, twilight, water.
2. Use the phrase, “It makes me wonder.”
3. Write about responding to natural surroundings.
Use the phrase, “When you say it, your name seems pale blue.”
Include these 3 characters in a story: CT/MRI tech, RN, epidemiologist.
Write about politely declining to eat a new food.
Write about non-physical violence.
Write about reading as temporary insanity.

December 2019
Daily Writing Prompts

Posted on December 31, 2019 by TC Editors

Join us for live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: confusion, lend, lid, know, fitness.
2. Use the phrase “That changes everything.”
3. Write about a nearly forgotten friend.
Use these 5 words: derail, safety, trailer, sinking, bridge.
Write about a song stuck in your head.
Start with this line of dialogue: “I woke up at three in the morning.”
Write about something found that’s unexpectedly wonderful.
Start with this line of dialogue: “That’s sick.”
Write about what a wild bird wants.
Join us for live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: bowl, tree, box, safe, coffee.
2. Write about monsters in the closet.
3. Use the phrase: “It’s almost like a spoonful of sugar”.
Write about hooking up electronic equipment
Write about: a child ripped out of her mother’s arms.
Write about a brunch date
Start with this line of dialogue: “It’s pretty self-explanatory.”
Write about a new diet.
Start with this line of dialogue: “It was that kind of a day.”
Join us for live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: flexible, map, remedy, revoke, hiccup.
2. Use the phrase “You’re probably going to hate this.”
3. Write about winning something that’s unwanted.
Write about: a deepening crisis.
Rewrite a historical narrative with a new ending.
Your setting is: afternoon, strong wind, country estate, creepy atmosphere.
Write about fighting over decorations.
Use these 5 words: rhetoric, college, genius, test, history.
Write about the day the sun stood still.
Join us for live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: bomb, strap, guerrilla, designer, outside.
2. Use the phrase “What’s the deal?”
3. Write about oncoming winter.
The sudden realization that the bird is speaking English.
Write about: being held without the possibility of bail.
Write about the first holiday with a missing loved one.
Start with this line of dialogue: “There is no time to waste.”
Write about choosing not to return an unusable gift
Use these 5 words: brain, frustrated, innovative, process, artist.
Join us for live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: vague, panel, square, offset, credibility.
2. Use the phrase “I missed that.”
3. Write about finding something unexpected in one’s self.
Your setting is: late afternoon, heavy rain, mountain, mystical atmosphere.
Use the phrase, “Well, I guess it’s over.”

November 2019
Daily Writing Prompts

Posted on November 30, 2019 by TC Editors

Write about watching a kid with a sugar high.
Your setting is: evening, hazy-humid, a small town, hostile atmosphere.
Join us for live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Write about the sound of a machine.
2. Fill in the blank: “I just did it for _________ and giggles.”
3. Use the following five words: slant, greet, insert, quest, widen.
Write about: glaciers shrinking.
Write about failing to attach that crucial file to the e-mail.
Write about a character who is: judgmental, eccentric & secretive.
A software upgrade gone wrong
Use these 5 words: smash, complexity, breathe, sadness, glass.
Write about geese honking in the night.
Join us for live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Write about discovering a new talent in someone you know.
2. Fill in the blank: ” _________ like you’ve never done it before.”
3. Use the following five words: fine, suffering, clerk, faint, aware.
Write about an end to hostilities.
Write about: turning away people.
Write about sending that letter you never intended to send.
Start with this line of dialogue: “This is kind of a perfect ending.”
Use the phrase, “Is it Friday yet?”
Write about: an unlikely prophet.
Join us for live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Write about hurrying and fouling something up as a result.
2. Fill in the blank: “_________ has happened again.”
3. Use the following five words: design, heel, gas, shed, angle.
Write about: a spoiled brat.
Write about how not to do something.
Start with this line of dialogue: “I’m supposed to be taking notes.”
Write about the moment of realizing help isn’t coming.
Use these 5 words: police, pressure, falsehoods, coffee, pencils.
Write a heartwarming story about a dysfunctional family.
Join us for live Writing Chat every Sunday!
1. Use the following five words: rib, receipt, mean, linen, cultural.
2. Fill in the blank: “You’re rooting for the wrong _________ .”
3. Write about waiting to deal with a dreaded occurrence.
Explain why “Wait, what?” is the most important question.
Use these 5 words: slump, game, goal, buddies, crucial.
Write about stopping to turn a turtle right side up.
Write about a character who is: aggressive, ambitious & rude.
Write about clothes that are threadbare in interesting places.
Your setting is: noon, ice on the ground, a small town, charming atmosphere.

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Category Archives: A Pen In Each Hand

August 2020
Daily Writing Prompts

July 2020
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May 2020
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April 2020
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March 2020
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February 2020
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January 2020
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