A lawyer’s job is more than stirring speeches and courtroom theatrics. There are legal precedents to research and analyze, and briefs to carefully write which lay out your arguments before you ever get to present them verbally in court (if it ever gets that far). This story will focus on the more mundane adventures that make up a lawyer’s career.

I spent most of my free time in March doing some long-range planning, primarily about the handful of novels I’ve been bouncing between since 2020. Reclaiming the City is one of them. One of the reasons why it took so long is because I got distracted with reading advice from other authors. I spent more hours than I want to admit trying to figure out how I could walk their path and follow their writerly life.

What I should have been doing is determining what I really want and how to carve a path there. I needed to be honest with myself that, in my heart of hearts, I really don’t want to follow any of their examples. I needed to recognize that the best path for me (at least for the foreseeable future) is going to be far from conventional.

It’s this uncoventionality that led me to write this post. Like with the manifesto I wrote in January 2019, it’d only be fair to tell you where I stand so you know where I’m coming from and what my ultimate mission for Apprentice Wordsmith is.

Happy Easter! Here’s some prompts for you to enjoy.

As the train sped away from Broad Street station, David realized that there was no use in lying anymore. Bern knew too much. It made no difference whether the rest believed him or not. He had to tell the truth.

“Now headed toward Nielsen Quay. Next stop: Mason Plaza,” the recording announced.

David began, “Mia, I wasn’t honest with you earlier – about where I was before all this started.”

Here’s your monthly set of writing prompts, as promised. I’ll settle back into my normal posting order in April.

I’ve written a fair bit on the theory behind conscious inspiration and the the differences between it and the unconscious inspiration most of us are familiar with. I’ve yet to talk about what this conscious process actually looks like. Today, I aim to finally tackle that aspect by demonstrating how I come up with writing prompts every month. I’ll talk in general terms and go step by step through the creation of a specific example. With that much detail, I should be able to illuminate how these conscious processes play out in my brain. Plus, give you a bonus writing prompt.

Doing something different this month by starting off with an Idea to Steal, rather than a pack of writing prompts. Don’t worry. Prompts will come later in March.

I mention Christopher Vogler so often on this blog, it’s become a running joke at this point. Though I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the two men who influenced Vogler’s work. The most obvious is Joseph Campbell, specifically his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. A subtle influence in Campbell’s work – one that Vogler shines a brighter light on – is Carl Jung. You can say that Vogler introduced me to Jung, and I’ve found the latter’s ideas fascinating ever since. At the very least, Jung’s theories gave me a reliable shorthand I can use to communicate my deeper thoughts on storytelling.

Sounds like most of the US is having some crazy winter weather. Here in my neck of the woods, we’ve had plenty of snow the past two weeks. I’ve gathered some writing prompts to keep you company. Best enjoyed warm.

David’s phone buzzed. A text from a familiar number appeared.

N: Hey David. You there? It’s Nico.