History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

The Big Pink Book Prompt 3: It’s Funny …

| June 1, 2026

The third prompt in the Big Pink Book is another list-making prompt, this time themed around some puns and an intro of “It’s funny.” The puns, in the stickers to the right, are: “You are deer to me,” “Love you a latte!,” “That’s bananas” (with the bananas as an image), “No Prob-llama,” and “Donut worry. […]

Fun for Friday: June 2026 Writing Prompts!

| May 29, 2026

We’re already to the last weekend of May, which means it’s time for the June 2026 writing prompts! This month, the first column comes from Doodlewash’s June 2017 World Watercolor Group prompt list. This list is very themed toward summertime and very normal. But it could be interesting to think about what this modern world […]

Fun For Friday: The Big Pink Book of Prompts, “We go together like …”

| May 22, 2026

As promised, here’s my version of the second prompt from the Big Pink Book! I numbered the washi tape dots from 1 through 20, but I also made two columns. The left-hand column is genres, and the right-hand column is locations. I also added an extra sticker to this page–a d20 that looks like a […]

The Big Pink Book Prompt 2: We go together like …

| May 18, 2026

The second prompt in the Big Pink Book is simple enough–the line of dots (washi tape) make it perfect for making a list. And the “We go together like …” suggests that it can be for things that go together. The sticker at the bottom involves some concentric circles and dots that reminds me of […]

Fun for Friday: DefConOne Instagram Prompts

| May 15, 2026

It’s time for some more prompts from the DefCon One Instagram account! Write a piece about the first cherry blossom of the year. Write a piece about a goldfish who aspires to be an artist. Write a piece about a good witch in a bad situation. Follow the DefCon One Instagram account for writing prompts on Fridays, […]

Fun for Friday: Every Other Friday Prompts

| May 8, 2026

While I was looking for May 2026 writing prompts, I came across the Every Other Friday challenge from ArtOfNelya. This is generally an art challenge, but these phrases are evocative and would also make great writing prompts! Though we’re already a third of the way through the year, I’m adding the whole list here. You […]

My Handmade Prompt Book

| May 4, 2026

Back in November 2024, I snagged a thick, hot pink, wire-bound notebook. Since then, I’ve added scrapbook paper, stickers, washi tape, and other random ephemera to the pages. I also numbered all of the pages, each of which has some sort of theme. Some of the themes are very clear, while others just have a […]

May 2026 Writing Prompts

| May 1, 2026

It’s May 1st, so it’s time for the May 2026 writing prompts! This month, as always, we start off our list with the official MerMay 2026 prompts. There are a few this year that are geared very much toward an art style, but I think they’re still viable as writing prompts. The second column is […]

Fun for Friday: DCO Instagram Prompts Dump

| April 17, 2026

It’s time for some more prompts from the DefCon One Instagram account! There’s some fun to be had here with interpreting specific words in a variety of ways! Write a piece about sweets that embolden the eater. Write a piece in which astrology plays an important role. Write a piece about an event that requires […]

Fun for Friday: April 2026 Writing Prompts!

| March 27, 2026

We’ve got a few more days until April begins, but it’s time for the writing prompts for April 2026! This month, I’ve turned three art challenges into writing prompts. Column 1 is from @veryberrydraws’ FreshARTpril 2025 prompt list. These prompts are all fruits and vegetables, but I think that when you combine them with the […]