The Murderous Mrs. Clem
JSTOR Daily shares the tale of Nancy Clem, a murderous con artiste from late 19th century Indiana.
Clem's crimes came to light after the burned...
The Man Who Couldn’t be Hanged
In the early 1800s, petty thief Joseph Samuel was convicted of the murder of a local Australian policeman and sentenced to death by hanging....
Prompt: Speak to the Dead
During an interview with the Write the Book podcast, Peter Stamm suggests you go to a cemetery and see what the stones tell you...
The Robin Hood of WW2
During World War II, British soldier Jack Churchill went into battle armed with only a bow and arrows. An international archery competitor, Churchill joined...
Do Good Deeds Outweigh Any Bad?
As writers, we want to ensure that our characters are not one-sided. Even fantasy villains and horror monsters have some redeeming quality tucked away...
Mr. Trick and Mrs. Treat
What could you conjure with characters named Mr. Trick and Mrs. Treat?
In April 1849, Mr. Trick and his family emigrated from England to the...
Who’s Your Wild Thing?
This week's Write the Book prompt was suggested by Jennifer McMahon, who suggests creating your own monster.
Some of McMahon's suggestions: What type of monster...
The Gilded Age Murderer’s Best Friends
In New York, in the latter half of the 19th century, attorneys William Howe and Abraham Hummel were the most successful criminal defense lawyers...
The World’s Most Dogged Autograph Collector
Smithsonian Magazine reports the tale of Joseph Mikulec, an autograph collector who walked 100,000 miles over 14 years to collect the stories and signatures of...
A Rose by Any Other Name….
This isn't exactly a writing prompt, but it's...something.
In the 1800s, London's sewer system wasn't exactly sophisticated. Body waste accumulated in cesspools or was dumped...
