Journalling Prompt #1
A journal does not need to be simply a recital of facts. Your character’s journal should include facts, some every day things and some unusual events, but it should also include many other things. It’s your character’s space to explore who they are and what they want. Journals can be very therapeutic and can help us all discover ourselves and reach our goals.
Sometimes, when we’re having a hard time, we need to sit down and really think about what’s causing our problems. Not just the surface of it, but what’s really behind it–our own deeper issues. Asking ourselves on paper and then responding honestly can help us reach the heart of the problem and find a solution. Your character might not be the type to do this, but then again, they might be. So I’ve come up with a few basic questions that your character should ask themselves each week, and decided to give you a choice between two every Wednesday. Take each of the questions and modify the pronouns a bit to make them character-specific if you want to write them on the page. If your character isn’t the type to write the question itself on the page, have them writing the entry with that question in mind.
Today’s potential questions are:
What does your character truly want out of life, and what’s stopping them from achieving it?
OR
Does your character get enjoyment out of their life as it is? Why or why not?
And my question for you:
Have you ever journalled your way through a problem?
Posted on September 7, 2011, in Inspirational, Journalling, Prompts, Short Fiction, Workshops, Writing and tagged characterization, Dear Diary Project, introspective question, journalling, Writing, writing workshop. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
diannaswritingden 
Wehn my mom was diagnosed with cancer the only thing that kept me sane was journaling. That helped me sort out my feelings and remain composed.
Cancer really is everywhere, it’s more than a little scary. I mean, I smoke cigarettes, but I feel like I’m almost as likely to die of cancer if I stop as if I don’t stop. It’ll probably just be a different kind of cancer. You can tell that I’m very optimistic.
I’m glad journalling’s helped you, too. In particular a book my aunt got me called ‘Angel Catcher’, which is a journalling book with prompts and stuff designed to help you overcome the loss of a loved one, helped me very much. The ideas helped, and reading about the authors’ own grief helped me through mine as well. Easier for me than finding God, that’s for damn sure.