journalling prompt

7/29/2019 Journalling Prompt

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Journalling Prompts

Journaling Prompt - Imagine yourself in a place you like to be (not necessarily someplace you liketo *go*). What do you like about it? What are the most intriguing/appealing aspects? In contrast,think of a place you do *not* like being. What makes you not like being there? Think how you canuse this to develop ideas for writing.

Journaling Prompt - Pretend that you see yourself walking into a room. What's your firstimpression of yourself? What stands out about you? Optionally extend this exercise by changingthe "room" you are entering (the gym, the office, etc.). How does that change your impression?

Journaling Prompt - Create a list of images that symbolize the following:toughness, crueltytoughness, strength

Journaling Prompt - Close your eyes for a minute and imagine you are skydiving. Write about thephysical sensations and the thoughts you have.

Journaling Prompt - Sit yourself in a favorite spot, or imagine an ideal place and describe it as anexpanding bubble or sphere. Start with the center which is you, how you feel, your thoughts.

Slowly expand, taking note of subtle nuances around you. Expand the sphere beyond your fieldof vision.

Journaling Prompt - Hold your hands out in front of you, palms down. Imagine that you have atotal of six strings tied around your fingers. Write about the objects that are dangling from thestrings.

Journaling Prompt - By what do you measure your value as a person? What defines your worth?

Journaling Prompt - Describe the most important thing in your life. Describe the 2nd and 3rd mostimportant things. Then the 4th and 5th most important things.

Journaling Prompt - What element of nature would you choose as an emblem for yourself as a

writer. Is this a symbol that you use when writing? Does the tone match yourwriting? Write using it as a metaphor.

Journaling Prompt - What is the most influential thing in your life today?

Journaling Prompt - Consider the use of seeds as a metaphor for interpersonal relationships.Write down three instances of someone else giving you "positive" seeds. Then three instances ofsomeone giving you "negative" seeds. Continue by writing about the result of the seeds.

Journaling Prompt - Creating lists can be a provocative way of assessing your creative internalthoughts and can spur insightful contemplation. When writing your lists, write what comes tomind, even if you feel it is a bit odd. List 15 things that change. List 15 things that do not change.(Hint don't stop at ten, challenge yourself; go on to 15.) Continue by using your lists for journal

entry subjects, fiction or non-fiction writing.

Journaling Prompt - "Much obliged." We often interact with people based on how we feel aboutthem. Relationships require obligation. We are obligated to our spouse, and other householdfamily members. We are obligated to our co-workers. The nature and extent of a relationship canbe looked at in terms of obligation. Contemplate your relationships with various people in your lifeand write about them in terms of obligations to those people. Note that obligation is notnecessarily a negative concept. And, admitting that you are "obliged", does not mean that theother person is trying to be manipulative. Continue the exercise by writing your response to wantyou have written about that relationship. A simple example: A co-worker picks up the donut order


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for the the office staff. Response: I need to volunteer to pick the donuts up next week, or need tothank the person for doing so.

Journaling Prompt - Pretend you are dreaming. Write in detail about the dream you are having.You can use stream-of-consciousness, or plan it out. In this exercise you can have a lucid dreamwhere you affect what is happening, or choose to have things happen without your control. ( Itmight help to first ask yourself what you want to dream about.)

Journaling Prompt - Who do you spend the most time talking to? Clients, customers, friends,spouse, telephone solicitors, television, parents? Make a list of who you actually talk to during theday and estimate the amount of time invested in each individual. Does the list reveal yourpriorities? Is it proportional to what is important to you? Continue the exercise by making note ofwhat you talk about in your daily conversations.

Journaling Prompt - Take note of peculiar sights, things seen in peripheral, unusual colors andhappenings. Have you done anything quirky recently? Break out of your rut and do somethingvibrant.

Journaling Prompt - Do you consider opportunity as something that comes to you, or somethingthat you create for yourself? What are some opportunities that you can act upon? Try to come up

with three opportunities that will correlate with your creative goals. Are there areas that you couldcreate opportunity for someone else? It may be helpful to start the exercise with asking what youneed, then brainstorming an opportunity list.

Journaling Prompt - List five wishes that you have. Continue the exercise by writing about thefulfillment of each wish.

Journaling Prompt - What do you do or can you do to build optimism in yourself and for thosearound you? Consider actions that you can use as a "restart button" to rejuvenate your outlook.Keep a log of things you consciously do to promote optimism.Journaling Prompt - Is there something you are reluctant to say to someone? Pretend that youare telling a third party and summarize what you would like to say. Continue the exercise byconsidering what would happen if you actually told the person involved. How would you feel

afterward?

Journaling Prompt - Make a list of things you are knowledgeable about, or are highly interestedin. Think of ways that you can extend yourself as a resource to others on these topics. Considerwriting articles, volunteering, collaborating, organizing a small group focused on the subject,participating in a "barter exchange", etc. Evaluate your skill level and determine if you need moreexperience or exposure. What steps can you take to promote yourself?

Journaling Prompt - Do you consider yourself to live purposely? Write about specific choices youhave made for yourself in the past. Think about the daily choices you make concerning thefollowing areas: self, relationships, career, and health. For each write a goal that you have andthree things that you can do to accomplish it.

Journaling Prompt - Look for similarities of events in your life. Have you ever felt like you havefound yourself making the same decision with just a different set of circumstances? Think ofevents having a circular effect. What theme has come full circle for you? Do you believe that thesame "test" comes up over and over again until you "pass"?

Journaling Prompt - Make a record of "acts of compassion" that you observe in your life andaround you.

Journaling Prompt - What is buzzing in your brain? Spontaneously write down 10 creative ideas/activities that you can do as an expression of who you are. These may be things you've never


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done before and could be as varied as volunteering at your local food pantry or cake decorating.If you come up short, browse for ideas that support your values. Select four items and write howyou would feel about them, or would benefit from doing them. Are they practical and obtainable?If you say no to any of them, write why not.

Journaling Prompt - Consider the indulgences in your life. In what ways do you indulge yourself?List your behaviors, attitudes, diet, routines, etc. Reflect on how you are affected, both benefitsand detriments. Also, reflect on how others are affected, positively or negatively.

Journaling Prompt - Write about yourself as a friend, parent, child or other relationship role,focusing only on your positive qualities.

Journaling Prompt - List three things that are important to you. Continue the exercise by writingabout what motivates, or prompts, you to push forward in different areas of your life.

Journaling Prompt - Write a list of things that "stress you out". Then, next to each thing you havelisted, write one thing that you can do to alleviate, or lighten the stress. When you know that youare heading into a stressful situation, use this as part of a plan of looking at the situationobjectively.

Journaling Prompt - Write five personal short term goals

Journaling Prompt - Write down five things that you can do to help other people this week.

Journaling Prompt - Write about the people around you through out the week. Who is the mostinteresting person you know?

Journaling Prompt - If you had to leave the city you live in, what would you find hardest to leavebehind? If you were to move to a new city, what would you do to connect with the community, orfeel established in a new place?

Journaling Prompt - Track your self esteem. Note how it fluctuates, and try to pinpoint whataffects it positively or negatively. Include things such as amount of sleep, nutrition, stress, goal

setting, and recreational activities. Continue the exercise by writing about what keeps you inbalance.

Journaling Prompt - Write down notes about the people and setting of an actual shop, bookstore,or while in transit from one place to another. Note how people are dressed and their demeanor.

Journaling Prompt - Extract an overall tone from the experience to characterize the location. Writea few paragraphs based on your observation.

Journaling Prompt - Write about what you wish you had time for, or had more time to do. Keep alog during the next two weeks of how you spend your time. Make note of what you consider to be"free" time and non-negotiable activities. Record the amount of time you spend in each activity.Review your log entries. Is there time that you can reappropriate towards what you want to

accomplish? Create a schedule guide for yourself to help you shift towards doing more of whatyou want to do.

Journaling Prompt - List the books that you have been reading. Write your opinions, and if youwould recommend it to someone else to read.

Journaling Prompt - What is something that you do for solely for yourself as a reward or just tocelebrate who you are?

Journaling Prompt - Transitionals write about the things that are between other things. (Sidewalk


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seams, breaths, silence, relationships.)

Journaling Prompt - Write a list of spoofs. Choose a title of a movie, book, or a genre such as selfhelp and write several spoofs of that title. For instance. "Dr. Strangelove, or How I learned to StopWorrying and Love the bomb" becomes "Triple Espresso, or How I Learned to Drink Coffee andEmbrace the Latte". These work well if you develop a theme for your variations.

Journaling Prompt - Write about one thing in society that you really feel is not properly managed,or you feel outraged about when you think of it. Do you feel that there is any hope of an improvedsolution?

Journaling Prompt - Throughout the day take note of three things that you see in front of you. Forexample , going to work: 1. traffic light, rear view mirror, dented fender. 2. elevator button, goldwatch, worn carpet. Use these snippets as inspiration for writing.

Journaling Prompt - Write about things people collect, or accumulate. Consider how the collectioncan be referenced as a person's history.

Journaling Exercise - Start an entry that devotes one day to writing about the events that you seehappening around you. The next day, record the images that you see, taking particular note of

specific items. In the next entry, write about sounds and aromas and colors, textures in a moreabstract manner.

Journaling Exercise - Write about who you are.

Journaling Exercise - Write about your passion for writing.

Journaling Exercise - Have you been more demanding on yourself lately? Or less? Why? And doyou think it's a good trend?

Journaling Exercise - Do you interpret your father, and his actions and emotions (or inaction andlack of display) differently now than you did when you were a child? Do you see your father inyourself?

Journaling Exercise - Are you aware of your emotional dependencies? Describe who (or what)they are, and how your emotional state depends on them.

Journaling Exercise - Write about some of your family relationships. Who is the person that mostinfluences family connectivity?

Journaling Exercise - Make a list of things that would make up your artistic "survival kit", thingsyou would not want to be without as an artist.

Journaling Exercise - For the next few days, generate lists of opposites. Example: "Things thatare sharp: ____, Things that are dull:____."

Journaling Exercise - Write about your spending budget. What do you find yourself spending yourdiscretionary funds on? Are these things that are meaningful to you?

Journaling Exercise - Practice your descriptive skills. Write descriptions of people, buildings,decor, etc. For each category you choose write at least two separate descriptions.

Journaling Exercise - Practice writing sensory images. Make it a habit to list the five senses eachday and write at least three strong sensory images.

Journaling Exercise - Write a list of "pleasant curses" that are career specific. For example, a


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pleasant curse for the plumber might be: "May all your dreams be pipe dreams".

Journaling Exercise - Make a calendar list of your very own custom created holidays andcelebrations. It's fair to use "Friendship Day", etc. but put them on the day you want them to beon. How about a "Goodbye Sally Mae Day" for the day you paid off or will pay off your schoolloans?

Journaling Exercise - Write 4 or more non-fiction character sketches.

Journaling Exercise - Describe the last time you volunteered to do something for someone or foran organization. What prompted you to volunteer? Did you follow through? Would you volunteeragain?

Journaling Prompt - List the people that you trust. Write about your list. What are the boundariesof trust?

Journaling Prompt - Write about any incongruent actions. i.e. You want a certain outcome but insome way work against it happening. What type of story could you write in which the maincharacter works against himself?

Journaling Prompt - Write a series of creative entries based on newspaper headlines.

Journaling Prompt - It's easy to forget how much we've accomplished. Make a detailed list of allof your accomplishments, big and small, for last year. In the New Year, consider how you cankeep better track of what you've done.

Journaling Prompt - What do you like more than chocolate?

Journaling Prompt - Have you ever justified yourself with that old saying (and 1970's disco lyric):"You gotta be cruel to be kind"? Were you rationalizing then? Are you rationalizing now? Do youhave that song stuck in your now (like I do)?

Journaling Prompt - What do you know that you could (and/or *should*) teach to others? "Others"

could mean your children, other people's children, the parents of those other children, or anyoneor any group. And, of course, what you teach and how you teach it is up to you. How would testyour students to make sure they learned what you were teaching?

Journaling Prompt - Do you have any outstanding/unfinished "seasonal projects"? What are youdoing to complete those projects?

Journaling Prompt - In what ways does the political party you most identify with not represent youat all? And, conversely, in what ways does the political party you consider furthest from yourpersonal ideology represent you best?

Journaling Prompt - Holiday family gatherings bring their own particular breed of stress--even ifyou *like* your family. How do you feel about your various family (and extended family)

members? How would you like to feel? Or are you're planning to stay home this year?

Journaling Prompt - Write a "post mortem" for the year, as described here.

Journaling Prompt - Are your favorite drinks your favorite because you enjoy drinking them? Or isthere something more sinister at work? When was the last time you tried a new type or flavor ofdrink?

Journaling Prompt - What can you do to nurture your important relationships?


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Journaling Prompt - What is your obsession?

Journaling Prompt - Write about how you expose yourself to outside ideas, interests andviewpoints. Or write about how you protect yourself from the same.

Journaling Prompt - Describe the various ways you seek external validation and approval. Do youhave a friend or family member you can always count on to appreciate you or your efforts? Whodo you wish you could count on? Do you know who counts on you?

Journaling Prompt - What are your comfort foods? Comfort books? Comfort TV shows/movies?Comfort music? Comfort activities? Is there a common theme in how you seek comfort?

Journaling Prompt - Consider yourself from your neighbors's perspectives. How do you think theysee you? What do you think your neighbors might know about you (right or wrong) that you don'tsuspect?

Journaling Prompt - Have the "close calls" of your life prompted you to learn new skills oradjusted your attitude about anything? In what ways? Or does it take an actual accident or brushwith bad luck to get your attention?

Journaling Prompt - How does the changing of the seasons affect you? Do you find yourselflooking backward? Forwards? Elsewhere? Which seasons affect you the most? Why?

Journaling Prompt - Do you have unquestioned beliefs? What are they? What has caused--orcould cause--you to question them?

Journaling Prompt - How hard (or easy) do you make it for other people to help you? Do yourfriends and family know when you do (or don't) want (or need) help? Are you too independent (ortoo needy)? How much do you project your own attitudes towards asking and receiving help ontothe people closest to you?

Journaling Prompt - Have you added any new hobbies lately? Did the new hobby or hobbiesdisplace any existing hobbies? What attracted you to the new hobby or hobbies? What keeps you

involved?

Journaling Prompt - What toys have you kept (or recovered) from your childhood? What toys didyou have that you wish you still had (and not just so you can sell them on eBay)?

Journaling Prompt - How many people live within a few doors of you that you've never met? Howwould you go about meeting them?

Journaling Prompt - Describe "the perfect job" for you. How does that compare to your currentjob? What would you have to do to find (or create) that perfect job?

Journaling Prompt - What type of art or culture moves you--or inspires you--the most? What is itabout that type of art that draws you in?

Journaling Prompt - What do you think are your blind spots about yourself (or about anything)?What do you think other people think are your blind spots? What do other people tell you are yourblind spots?

Journaling Prompt - Have you planned (or fantasized about) your funeral? How do you want itgo? Do you want a religious funeral? Sombre or festive?

Journaling Prompt - When was the last time you met someone who became a friend? How didthe friendship grow?


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Journaling Prompt - Pick a decision you've been considering (or putting off). Describe the worstpossible outcome you can imagine. Now describe the best possible outcome you can imagine.Which outcome did you give the most detail? Which outcome seemed the most improbable?

Journaling Prompt - Do you know your "hot buttons"? The ones that anyone can press and setyou off? (If you're not sure, just ask your friends. They know.)

Journaling Prompt - Write about honesty as a virtue. Now write about honesty as a vice.

Journaling Prompt - What is the worst thing about your day? What are you doing to get rid of it?

Journaling Prompt - Close your eyes for a minute and imagine you are a constellation in the nightsky. Write about the physical sensations and the thoughts you have.

journalling prompt

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